The rapidly growing demand for natural and organic foods is well documented. Much research has been done on production methods of raising "natural" chickens using a pastured poultry approach, as well as producer-to-consumer direct marketing systems such as Community Supported Agriculture and Farmers' Markets. However, comparatively little research exists regarding any means of connecting small family poultry producers with larger volume retail markets. Two significant barriers that currently pose obstacles for this producer group are the lack of local, qualified poultry processing plants and a steep learning curve in marketing through retail supermarkets. This project will examine key issues in developing an integrated production/processing/marketing program for pastured poultry raised on small family farms. Specifically, it will 1) outline the requirements for modifying existing small meat processing plants or erecting new buildings and outfitting them for processing poultry to State and federal inspection standards, 2) prepare a product cost analysis, including production, processing and distribution costs, and 3) evaluate retail consumer feedback and willingness to pay for the product to gage demand and price. The result of this project will be a report useful to small poultry farming groups interested in capturing a greater share of higher volume retail sales opportunities ANTICIPATED RESULTS & POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS OF RESEARCH The results of this study will assist small farm producer groups in evaluating the feasibility of establishing local small poultry processing facilities and provide benchmark product cost and retail pricing data for business planning purposes. Should the data predict favorable economic returns, it will support the addition of small poultry processing plants in a number of rural communities, bringing economic benefits associated with additional employment. Establishing a more reliable market will further benefit these communities by providing an incentive to small producers to adopt affordable, higher profit pastured poultry operations.
