Poultry Processing Workshop to Help Small-Scale Poultry Farmers

UT is offering a poultry processing workshop designed for small-scale poultry farmers who want to consider processing their birds and direct marketing the meat.

Managing food safety risk is an important consideration for poultry farmers who want to process poultry on the farm says Hal Pepper, financial analysis specialist with the University of Tennessee Center for Profitable Agriculture. “Poultry farmers who understand the exemptions and regulations associated with processing poultry are more likely to be successful when evaluating and planning value-added poultry enterprises,” he said.

In May, Pepper and others will present a half-day workshop designed to help poultry farmers learn about processing poultry safely and assessing the requirements for on-farm processing.

The Poultry Processing Workshop for Direct Marketers will present information about food safety, USDA poultry processing exemptions and USDA requirements for on-farm poultry processing. Poultry processing will be demonstrated in Kentucky State University’s mobile processing unit. Speakers from UT, USDA, Tennessee State University and Kentucky State will make presentations.

The Poultry Processing Workshop for Direct Marketers will be held twice, once each in the following locations:

• May 26, 2016—Cleveland, Tenn.
• May 27, 2016—Winchester, Tenn.

The workshop will begin at 8:45 a.m. (local time) and end by noon. Check-in and networking will begin at 8:15 a.m. Registration is required as space is limited. The registration deadline for either workshop is May 20, 2016.

There is a $10 registration fee, which includes break refreshments. Registration information for the workshop is available on the Center for Profitable Agriculture’s website at ag.tennessee.edu/cpa. Click the top link “Educational Events” for a list of workshops and more details. For more information you may also contact Hal Pepper at 931-486-2777 or by email hal.pepper@utk.edu.

This workshop was developed by the UT Center for Profitable Agriculture and is a collaborative effort between University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, Tennessee State University, Kentucky State University Land Grant Program and USDA-FSIS.

The Center for Profitable Agriculture is a joint effort of University of Tennessee Extension and the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation.

W. Alan Bruhin, Extension Director