Small Farm Choices

As small-scale farmers we face big issues in trying to get our products into the hands of eager local consumers. It seems like it should be a straightforward business: the consumer pays us, the farmers right down the road, for the great food we raise.

For small farms like ours that raise fruits and vegetables, and laying hens for eggs, this is pretty much how it works.  In fact, because a small farm can produce only in limited quantities, the farmer, in order to make any profit, usually opts to sell directly to the consumer.  And whether selling through a CSA, a farm stand, or at a farmers market, the small farmer marketing fruits and veggies welcomes that direct interaction and feedback from his customers. 

Selling meat raised on a small farm directly to consumers is a bigger challenge.  At Green Gate Farm we raise chicken and pork, but the path these two products take before being ready for our customers is not quite so straightforward.

                                       

One alternative is for the small farmer to send his birds off to a commercial processor, who charges a per-bird fee for his services. Of course, that fee has to become part of the final cost of the bird.

Some small farmers prefer to do the butchering themselves, though in WV, as in some other states, the infrastructure and state and/or federal regulations limit the processing of poultry.  A small producer may butcher and sell birds, but only whole birds. The farmer doesn't have the option of butchering, then parting birds, so that consumers can purchase just wings, or thighs, or breasts.

The catch is that parting birds (dividing into sections) must be carried out in government approved processing facility which is wholly separate from the farm's butchering area.  Most small farms just can't afford to set up a separate building with a commercial kitchen.  

Non poultry livestock is a completely different scenario. Small farms raising beef, lamb, goats, or pigs usually butcher a few animals at a time throughout the year. These farmers have to try to find a certified USDA processor willing to butcher just a handful of animals at a time.  Once found, a facility is likely to be hours away from the farm, and often there is a waiting list to get on the butchering schedule. 

Not that long ago, every small town had such a business, an abattoir or meat locker facility set up to handle all the local community's butchering needs.  These days meat processing facilities operate on an industrial scale, handling mega producers, butchering hundreds, even thousands of animals a day.  

The demand for fresh meats locally raised from grass-fed animals is high, and small producers like us are trying hard to meet that demand and keep our customers happy.  The need for local, medium sized, USDA sanctioned butchering facilities is, as yet, unmet.   All of us, producers and consumers, will benefit when regulations are changed to support smaller scale operations, both farms and community based butchers.