:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/2NKHXE4QRSMW4YBZUOY2Q3NKA4.jpg)
With farm net incomes forecast to be stagnant to lower for the upcoming year, I am being contacted by farmers looking for ways to add income to their farming operations. If you raise livestock, then one avenue to generate more profit may be to sell some of your livestock production locally as meat.
Currently in the local foods area, there is a shortage of locally sourced meat — poultry, beef, pork, lamb and kid, or cabrito. Restaurants and caterers have numerous sources for local produce, but most find it difficult to source meats for their local meals venues.
To sell meat in the state of Illinois, you must be a licensed “meat broker.” The license can be applied for online at the Illinois Department of Agriculture — https://goo.gl/YScws5 — and the fee is $50.
Other important points to remember are the inspection requirements for meats for sale, labeling your products and choosing your packaging materials.
To sell meat within the state of Illinois, the meat must be marked as state inspected and processed in a Type 1 meat facility. If you want to sell meat not only in Illinois, but in other states, as well, then the meat must marked as USDA inspected.
The Illinois Meat and Poultry Inspection Act is the governing set of regulations for meat inspection and sales. It is available online: https://goo.gl/FZwRi2.
When selling your own meats, be sure to have your products labeled with your business or farm logo and contact information. The mark of inspection must be on the meat’s label.
In addition, the label should include the species, the common name of meat product, such as ribeye, hamburger, chops and so forth; net weight, date package; name and address of the processor and safe handling instructions.
Ensure that the meat you are selling has been wrapped in good, high-quality, air-tight packaging. This will ensure that your meat product has a longer freezer storage time.
Currently, vacuum-sealed plastic meat packaging is the state of the art. This type of packaging allows the customer to see the great quality of the product they are buying and it has the longest freezer storage life.
If you are selling a quality meat, you customer base will grow by word of mouth and your product’s reputation. I know this from personal experience selling my lambs locally for 18 years.
Selling your livestock locally by way of direct to consumer and restaurant meat sales is a good way to increase farm income and it is another way to promote your farm business to more people.