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Date: Wed, 20 Mar 2002 17:06:25 -0500
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To: [log in to unmask] (FAP-NE-AG-DEVEL-L)
From: Heidi Mouillesseaux-Kunzman <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Lopez Community Land Trust's
Mobile
Slaughter Unit
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Hi Folks,
Please see the following from a colleague in Washington
State. I understand that there are units in use in the Northeast
Region. We would like to feature these in an upcoming issue of the
Farming Alternatives Program Newsletter. Any information you
can provide would be most appreciated.
Heidi
PRESS
RELEASE
February 3, 2002
THEY SAID IT COULDN’T BE DONE!
Mobile Meat Processing Unit Receives USDA Grant of
Inspection
The Island Grown Farmers Cooperative recently received their Grant
of Inspection to operate a US Department of Agriculture-inspected Mobile
Meat Processing Facility. The first on-farm USDA inspected processing of
beef and lamb took place last week on Lopez Island, WA. The first of its
kind in the U.S., the Mobile Meat Processing Unit is the result of
several years of patience and hard work on the part of local livestock
producers, Washington State University Cooperative Extension, Lopez
Community Land Trust staff and numerous supporters. Funded and developed
by the LCLT, the Unit will be operated by the Co-op, traveling throughout
San Juan County to slaughter beef, lamb, pigs and other meat right on the
farm. The USDA inspection will enable local farmers to directly sell
their meats by the piece to local residents, stores and
restaurants.
The Mobile Meat Processing Unit is the first phase of the San Juan County
Food Processing Center, which will eventually house a meat cut-and-wrap
and cold-storage facility as well as other food product preparation and
educational facilities at the site recently secured by the LCLT near
Lopez School. It is hoped that educational and research opportunities in
sustainable agriculture will be incorporated into the Center through
partnership with the school and local 4-H. WSU Cooperative Extension
Service has been integrally involved in the planning and development of
the Food Processing Center and Extension Service Director Tom Schultz
looks forward to the day when the FPC will enable Extension Services to
be more readily available to farmers and residents throughout the
islands.
While rural communities across the nation watched the process, the LCLT
and the IGFC discovered that creating the mobile unit was no easy feat.
In fact it required many partners to make it happen. USDA Rural
Development, and the U. S. Forest Service provided grant funding for the
project and the LCLT is conducting a major donor campaign throughout the
islands to match the grant funding with local monies. Bob Dickson of
Oregon State University and Dr. Richard Dougherty at Washington State
University have provided immeasurable assistance from the early planning
stages through the test slaughter last week. Locally, the project has
benefited from the active support of the WSU Cooperative Extension
Services, the Islands District Economic Development Council and dozens of
local residents. Lopez farmer, Bruce Dunlop, has served as a consultant
to the LCLT providing project management and engineering design work for
the development of the Mobile Unit.
Now that the USDA Grant of Inspection has been received and a trial
slaughter held, the unit will undergo several months of testing and
commissioning, including demonstrations both locally and in nearby
counties. By June the Co-op and the Mobile Unit will be ready to offer
full services to local farmers. County farmers who wish to join the
Island Grown Farmers Cooperative may contact the President, Bruce Gregory
at 360-378-2309 or [log in to unmask] No farm is too small to benefit
from the support of local farming provided by the Mobile Meat Processing
Unit.
For further information contact the Lopez Community Land Trust at
360-468-3723 or [log in to unmask]