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The Future of Food
is Local
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Dear Friend,
As mentioned in earlier letters, in 2020 BAV began work with Kitchen Table Consultants (KTC), a national consulting company well-versed in agricultural systems, to produce two reports geared at understanding how to resolve livestock supply chain issues for our Berkshire-Taconic farmers.
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In the first report, Kitchen Table Consultants reviewed prior research conducted regionally to assess the viability of building a new meat processing facility as a solution for meat processing bottlenecks. This report concluded that the development of a new facility presented considerable risk and was not justifiable based on the available data. Moreover, of the 7 previously completed studies on the subject, none had resulted in a new facility, while some existing facilities were already experiencing financial distress.
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“Rather than incurring the cost of building and operating a new facility it may be more prudent to invest in improvements to existing facilities, including infrastructure, cold storage, labor and safety enhancements that would improve the quality of services offered and provide greater flexibility to meet increased demand.”
Kitchen Table Consultants, Berkshire Regional Meat Processing Feasibility Study (January 2021)
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Based on these conclusions of the first report, BAV and KTC formed a 13 member advisory committee consisting of local livestock producers and processing facility operators to review other proposed solutions. This advisory committee worked to produce a short-list of project ideas vetted for viability, likelihood of adoption, and impact potential. The short-list of project ideas lead to the second, final report, that proposes viable solutions to meat processing bottlenecks and other supply chain issues for producers.
After the completion of the final report, much review and discussion, BAV and KTC have agreed to partner in the creation of a shared program we are calling the Local Meat Processing Support Program.
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Read the final report: Recommendations for Creating Resilience and Increased Capacity of Meat Processing in the Berkshire Region (March 2021)
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Our Plan
The Local Meat Processing Support Program is based on recommendation #1 of the final report and will support the improvement, efficiency and upgrade of existing meat processing facilities. By working with existing facilities, farmers will see immediate improvements in regional capacity and services. Processing facilities will see increased revenue and improved operations, which will improve their profits, product quality, product safety, worker safety and sustainability.
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Berkshire Agricultural Ventures short-term (12 month) goal is to raise and deploy $150,000 to an identified regional meat processing facility that we know serves Berkshire-Taconic livestock producers.
We will work directly with this processing facility to increase processing throughput (i.e. number of animals) by 25%. All of the $150,000 will go towards targeted technical assistance, and low-interest loans for the processor. The loans will give the processor the opportunity to improve and expand their business. Additionally, BAV will reward each 5% increase in the processor’s throughput with a 1% drop in their loan’s interest.
As of October 2021, BAV has raised over $65,000 for the project. We have engaged a regional meat processing facility to begin the first phase of both intensive technical assistance and business development support.
Our long-term vision (five years) is that BAV will have an established fund specifically for this Support Program. This would provide both funding and free technical assistance to four additional meat processing facilities in the Berkshire-Taconic Region.
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To make the Local Meat Processing Support Program a success, we need your help. BAV’s mission is to support the viability and growth of our local food producers, but we can’t do this alone.
We are calling on you, our community members, to donate to this cause and to help spread the word. Any amount will help us towards reaching our goal. Our farmers need your support.
Click the button below to make a tax-deductible donation to BAV's Local Meat Processing Support Program today.
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Elizabeth Martin - Woven Stars Farm, Ghent, NY |
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Carr Family - Beavertides Farm, Falls Village, CT |
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Ruby Metzner - Raven & Boar Farm, East Chatham, NY |
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Conklin Family, Sky View Farm, Sheffield, MA |
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Special Thanks to Our Supporters
Berkshire Natural Resources Council, Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, Feigenbaum Foundation, Josephine & Louise Crane Foundation, Jane & Jack Fitzpatrick Trust, Geoffrey C. Hughes Foundation, The Prospect Hill Foundation, Pittsfield Cooperative Bank, The Robert C. and Tina Sohn Foundation, The Thompson Family Foundation, The Whitehead Foundation, and the numerous individuals who have contributed to us over the past four years.
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