UT offers workshops for farmers marketing beef directly to local consumers

Producers should mark their calendars for April and May dates

Summer is just around the corner and consumers will once again seek fresh local products from farmers markets for their dinner tables and picnics. More and more they are seeking to supplement their vegetables and fruit with fresh, locally produced beef products.

Farmers are interested in supplying the demand for locally produced beef, but many do not know how to begin. To aid farmers in this effort, University of Tennessee Extension is offering four on-farm workshops for beef producers interested in direct marketing meat to consumers.

“We are hearing quite a few cattle producers express interest in direct marketing meat to consumers,” said Megan Bruch, marketing specialist with the UT Center for Profitable Agriculture. “They have a lot of questions about how to meet regulations and whether there is potential for profit from this enterprise. Our new on-farm workshops will give interested beef producers an opportunity to hear first-hand from a fellow farmer who is actually marketing meat to consumers. Attendees will also see some of the equipment and facilities options that may meet regulatory requirements for safe meat storage, transportation and marketing.”

Bruch says the events will also include educational sessions about basic regulations for direct marketing beef to consumers and making special claims on the label and in marketing materials. Tips will also be discussed for those planning to work with a processor, including basic information producers need to know to communicate with processors and customers.

The workshops, called Tennessee Value-Added Beef 101, will be held in four locations across the state in April and May:

April 17 in Montgomery County at Baggett Family Farm

April 23 in Grundy County at Double A Farm

April 25 in Henry County at Paris Landing State Park and Yoder Brothers Processing

May 15 in Knoxville at the East Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center

Each of the workshops will begin at 9 a.m. and end at 4:30 p.m. Lunch, including locally produced beef (when available) will be provided.

Registration is free; however, pre-registration is required by five business days prior to the date of each event. Space is limited in some locations, so early registration is recommended. To register online, submit the event registration form on the Center for Profitable Agriculture website at https://ag.tennessee.edu/cpa/Pages/VABeefRegForm.aspx or call the center at 931-486-2777. Contact Megan Bruch with questions at mlbruch@utk.edu or 931-486-2777.

These workshops fulfill a direct marketing workshop requirement for the Tennessee Agricultural Enhancement Program and are made possible through a 2012 Extension Risk Management Education Grant from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the Southern Risk Management Education Center. The workshops are part of a great Tennessee Value-Added Beef program. More information and resources available through this program can be found online at https://ag.tennessee.edu/cpa.

The UT Center for Profitable Agriculture is a joint effort of UT Extension and the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation. The center supports the efforts of the Tennessee Department of Agriculture.

UT Extension provides a gateway to the University of Tennessee as the outreach unit of the Institute of Agriculture. With an office in every Tennessee county, UT Extension delivers educational programs and research-based information to citizens throughout the state. In cooperation with Tennessee State University, UT Extension works with farmers, families, youth and communities to improve lives by addressing problems and issues at the local, state and national levels.