2. Allegheny Grass-Fed Meat
Grass-fed meat marketing initiative for NW PA with focus on Soil Health
Background
•Some farmers in NW PA practice innovative methods of grazing
o Management Intensive Grazing Methods
o Soil health – grazing very suitable land use for NW PA
o Maximizing the grazing season
o Reducing fertilizer and pesticide inputs
o Eliminating grain and reducing supplemental forage
o Natural ways of raising animals
o Reducing input costs
o But no market edge
•Economically depressed area
•Approached farmers about interest to form grass-fed marketing coop
•Got grant in August 2017 - USDA Rural Business Development
•Coordinator Hired – May 2018
3. What is the goal of Allegheny Grass-Fed?
•To serve as a Marketing
Program (business/co-op) to
sell locally produced and
processed Grass Fed Meat
products.
•To improve the land and
soil in our local area.
•To provide local farmers a
way to receive a premium
price for production
methods
4. Preparing the Marketing Initiative
• Organize producers
• Identify processors
• Identify consumers
o Restaurants?
o Farmer markets?
o Super markets?
• Consumer research – what do
consumers value?
• Branding
• Legal aspects
• How to make it self-sustaining
5. Program
Key Points
o Local Focus – working with
farmers in NW PA
o Soil Health and
Environmental Stewardship
o Meat Quality – quality
product, health benefits for
animals and to consumer
6. Processing, Labeling, and Certification
There are legal requirements besides
consumer preferences
•Need to have a USDA certified
processor for harvest and processing
•Label needs to be approved by USDA
•Certifications:
• Important for consumer confidence
• Need to be practical, not overly
burdensome, not too costly
8. * Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Certified
* A Greener World Certification – audit once a
year
o Certified Animal Welfare Approved- animals must
be able to behave naturally and be in a state of physical
and psychological well-being
o Certified grass-fed
o (Non-GMO)
* Environmental stewardship and soil health:
o Conservation Plan on file with NRCS
o Manure Management or Nutrient Management
Plan
o Pasture Management Plan and Grazing Plan
that supports biological diversity, natural
resources, soil health
Allegheny Grass-Fed Certification
9. Cattle
• Traceable from birth
through harvest
• Less than 30 months
old
• Bull calves need to be
castrated
10. Feeding
• 100% grass fed after weaning,
no grain, raised and finished
on forages, no GMOs
• Specified health supplements
are allowed
• Grains, oilseeds (except flax),
corn silage, GMOs, animal/fish
byproducts not allowed
• Growth-promoting antibiotics,
and implants or hormones for
growth promotion are
prohibited
• Pasture Management & Intake
goals – 150 days, min. 30% of
total annual dry matter
11. Animal Health
• All veterinary treatments documented –
records kept for inspection
• No ionospheres except for parasite
control
• No antibiotics – if a sick animal has
been treated it cannot be marketed
through program
• Animals treated with medication cannot
be slaughtered until >30 days after
treatment
• Vaccination of young animals is
encouraged
• Synthetic chemical wormers and fly
treatment are allowed but withholding
period > 90 days
12. Member Certification
• Members certify with shipping
affidavit that they followed
production protocol
• Cattle must be Quality Grade Select
Plus, Choice or Prime, Yield Grade
3.4 or better
• Cattle should at least have slight
thick muscling
• No Standard or Dark Cutter Carcass
will be allowed
• Meat will only be processed in USDA
inspected processing and packaging
facilities
• Animals have quality standard based
on ultrasound or condition at
slaughter Prime, Choice, Select, Standard, Commercial, Utility, Cutter, Canner
13. Current Work
• Sharing Production Protocol with Farmers
• Identified a Local Processor
• Identified First Local Outlets for Product
• Certify 4 farmers through A Greener World
• Develop a Website / Social Media Outlet
• Cooperative Development
Background:(Sjoerd Duiker) a soil scientist was working with a farmer in Forest county, Russ Wilson who was raising his beef on grass only and had changed his soil health on his farm. Through this working relationship an idea of starting a business of farmers working together to sell grass fed meat.
A USDA Rural Business Development grant was obtained, and the initiative began in August 2017.
There is a four member advisory committee (Sjoerd Duiker, Joel Hunter, Tim Elder and Jody Lasko)
Coordinator was hired and began at the end of May 2018 – Junia Isiminger
Junia has spent the summer and fall reviewing other grass fed beef businesses across the United States and what their certifications and protocols are.
To serve as a Marketing Program (business/co-op) to sell locally produced and processed Grass Fed Meat products.
Farmers can do what they do best raise the livestock and care for the land.
The business can take care of marketing and finding the outlet for selling the meat.
Marketing – legal matters, labeling issues, promotion, developing promotional materials
To provide local farmers a way to receive a premium price for their meat products.
Sell in retail outlets, partner with restaurants instead of selling as freezer beef
To improve the land and soil in our local area.
Grazing improves the soil through vegetation, animals harvesting grass themselves and naturally fertlizing the land
Local Focus – working with farmers in NW PA – 12 counties
Soil Health
Meat Quality – health benefits for animals and to consumer
Set Production Practices
Certifications are important for us to be able to prove to consumers that the animals marketed through this initiative have all meet the same standards.
Plus to use the logo on our label when marketing the meat. It provides a visual to add credibly to the product.
Why Non-GMO – the protocol calls for not feeding grain and in addition, consumer want to see that logo/certification on products they are buying.
(Production Protocol is in the Meeting Packet)
Cattle:
Cattle must be traceable from farm of birth through time of harvest. Verified by producer affidavit with identification and age information. (Form will be provided.)
Cattle must be less than 30 months of age (using birth records) at time of slaughter.
Bull calves must be castrated.
Feeding Program:
Animals must be fed Grass (Forage) 100% after being weaned from their mother’s milk. Raised and finished on pasture and forages with no grain.
Pasture forages can include perennial grasses (cool or warm season grasses), legumes (alfalfa, clovers, etc.) and broadleaf forages (chicory, naturally occurring ‘weeds’ in pastures).
Grazed forages may include summer and winter annuals such as brassicas, vegetative small grains, sorghum and grazing corn.
Seed must not be developed when grazed.
Non-GMOs must be planted or fed to animals.
Any of the above perennial or annual forages may be fed as stored hay, haylage or silage.
Health Supplements. Animals may be given the following products as supplements:
Non-grain based mineral and vitamin blocks or granular products.
Kelp.
Garlic pellets.
Salt.
Molasses not containing urea or wheat binders.
Flax seed or flax seed meal.
Prohibited from the diet:
Grains and oilseeds (with the exception of flax).
Conventional corn silage.
Any genetically modified organism.
Animal and fish by-products.
Antibiotics for growth promotion.
Implants, hormones for growth promotion.
No added hormones/steroids fed, oral or injected.
No implants.
Pasture Management and intake goals:
Access to/intake of fresh pasture requirement: a minimum of 30% of total annual dry matter intake from pasture and a minimum of 150 days on pasture
Grazing will be managed to optimize the health and productivity of the land and the animals. Management intensive rotational grazing is strongly encouraged.
Sharing Production Protocol with Farmers – taking names of interested parties
Working with A Greener World to start getting farmers certified through their program.
Working on Business Development – coming up with a Business structure and plan – co-op? – legal setting up business
Funding – writing for more grants to continue to move initiative forward until business can become self sufficient
(On Production Protocol – names, email and phone numbers listed)