Wed 3/31 from 12-1:30pm via Zoom

A conversation with:
Cory Skier, Supervisor in NYS Ag and Markets Food Safety Inspection Division
Heather Sandford, Empire Food Consultants, Founding Farmer and Butcher at the Piggery
Moderated by Erica Frenay, Cornell Small Farms Program

For farmers seeking to regain some control over butchering their animals, there is a middle option between being at the whim of slaughterhouse schedules and opening your own slaughterhouse. That middle ground involves taking control of the cutting and packaging of your meat in a commercial kitchen. If done properly, with access to USDA slaughter and your own state-issued 20-C license, you can still sell your meat directly to consumers by the cut.

But there’s a lot to know to make this work! In this webinar, we’ll cover the regulatory aspects of meat-cutting in a 20-C kitchen, including requirements for building a 20-C kitchen and where you’re allowed to sell meat processed in this way. We’ll also discuss the logistics and economics of the whole endeavor from a farmer perspective: getting slaughter-only dates at a USDA plant, transporting a carcass safely, where to get meat-cutting experience, and other factors that would influence whether this is the right decision for your farm.

Sponsored by the Cornell Cooperative Extension Livestock Program Work Team

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