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Grass Based Livestock Working Group

Recent GBLWG News

Plans for the Grass Based Livestock Working Group's transition to new leadership are still being developed.

Cornell University published a report on increasing livestock production on underutilized grasslands in New York State. Visit the website and view the full report. (Posted 11/12/10)

A handbook has been created as a resource starting point for individuals who want more information about grass-fed beef. It is the compilation from a series of the workshops that were held with a group of Ohio dairy and beef farmers. The project was titled "Building a Grass-Fed Beef Production Infrastructure To Support Marketing and Serve Consumers’ Demands." Read more about the project here. (Posted 4/28/10)

 

Check with the group coordinator for the next GBLWG meeting!

 

The Grass-Based Livestock Working Group is a community made up of grass-based livestock practitioners and the outreach professionals who support them.

Our strength is in diversity, and our members raise multiple species of livestock in highly-varied production systems all over Iowa.

The goal of the Grass-Based Livestock Working Group is to boost viability of the grass-based livestock industry in Iowa by supporting diverse groups of passionate practitioners and outreach professionals who are willing to share knowledge and work toward sustainability.

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Small Meat Processors Working Group

The Small Meat Processors Working Group formed in 2006 with the goals of "helping small, Iowa meat processors expand, upgrade or build new facilities in order to promote rural development." The group joined Value Chain Partnerships in 2007. 

The groups initial project was the production of the Iowa Meat Processors Resource Guidebook (hyperlink to: https://www.extension.iastate.edu/store/ItemDetail.aspx?ProductID=12699 ), a step-by-step guide to building, upgrading or expanding a small meat processing plant in Iowa. The group went on hold cost accounting workshops for small processors over two years, and to produce three additional documents:

·  Beef and Pork Whole Animal Buying Guide

·  Guide to Designing a Small Red Meat Plant with Two Sizes of Model Designs

·  Iowa Poultry Slaughter, Processing, and Sales Guidelines for Small-scale Producers

 

The Small Meat Processors Working Group completed its formal activities in 2010, with additional activities continuing through Iowa Meat Processors Association (hyperlink to: www.iowameatprocessors.org ) and  the Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network, Cooperative Extension's national network supporting small meat processors.