Most people in the United States had never experienced empty store shelves, but the pandemic in 2020 provided evidence of the lack of robustness in the meat supply chain. To help shore up the meat supply, the United States Department of Agriculture, as directed by the Biden Administration, allocated $1 billion toward strengthening meat supplies. The investment was spread across many programs, which included several different grants including the Meat and Poultry Processor Expansion Program, the Inspection Readiness grants, the Local Meat Capacity Program, and support for lenders to the meat industry.

Programs were also announced for workforce training grants through other USDA programs such as the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative and the Small Business Administration. Descriptions of the entire initiative can be found at https://usda.gov/meat , including links to funding recipients and other types of support. To ensure that grant and loan funds resulted in successful improvements and expansion to the meat supply, a network of technical assistance experts, the “Meat and Poultry Processor Technical Assistance (MPPTA)”, were contracted to aid all meat processing businesses including those that received loan or grants as part of the various programs.

The network has four scopes of assistance that any meat business can access:

SCOPE I: Federal Funding Technical Assistance. The many very small and small processors applying for the various programs likely lack the expertise and time to write and submit federal grants. Grant submission required registering with the federal system to receive identification called a “Unique Entity ID” to receive federal funds and registering with grants.gov to submit the application(s). The MPPTA network has experts that helped hundreds of meat businesses navigate the requirements to submit a proposal and also helped by providing insights and review of proposals. This service continues even though the initial supply chain grants have been completed, there are other ongoing programs that support meat businesses. Some examples of ongoing programs include local and sustainable foods, rural business development, and value-added producer grants. These opportunities are announced annually but can be challenging for small processors to find. The MPPTA network will help interested processors find and apply for these programs.

SCOPE II: Agricultural Business Development Technical Assistance. Even existing businesses can have difficulty when attempting to expand or improve their processes. The MPPTA network has many experts in business planning and development to assist with the writing of business plans and other financial inputs. They can assist processors that need help developing feasibility studies, business plans, or marketing plans; or understanding profit and loss statements, balance sheets, or any other business reports.

SCOPE III: Meat and Poultry Processing Technical Assistance. Businesses that are new or expanding into areas where they have little experience may need assistance. For example, processors that were operating exempt from USDA or state inspection but want to expand and add inspection may not have knowledge of Good Manufacturing Processes, Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures, or HACCP plans. Any processor can contact the MPPTA to ask for assistance and resources that will help them develop the various plans and processes needed to successfully operate a meat business. Other examples of operational technical assistance include animal handling, slaughter and dressing procedures, product formulations, equipment needs and uses, plant design, packaging, and the various other knowledge needed. Assistance for these needs can be provided remotely via phone or online calls, or in person. The MPPTA provides direct assistance to businesses or can match processors with high-quality consultants that can assist processors. The best part of this assistance is the initial consultation can be done at no cost to the processor as the technical assistance network has funds to pay the consultants.

SCOPE IV: Supply Chain Development Technical Assistance. An important part of the supply chain is making sure that livestock producers have the capacity to provide inputs to new and expanding meat businesses. Also, as new and expanding meat processors start working, they obviously need to find markets for products. Assistance to both producers and processors is available. For example, producers that are considering entering the meat business may need assistance with how to properly feed and market animals for high-quality meat products, and processors may need assistance on the best way to enter into various markets including wholesale, retail, and restaurants.

The American Meat Science Association (AMSA) is a part of the original MMPTA network. The AMSA provides assistance in all four scopes, leveraging the expertise of our staff and our more than 2,500 members. Dr. Robert Maddock is the technical assistance officer and leads AMSA’s support efforts by using his experience in academia and meat extension at South Dakota State and North Dakota State universities before coming to AMSA. Processors that may not have access to scientific, regulatory, HACCP, meat plant operations, business planning, or other types of experts can contact AMSA directly or utilize the request form found at https://meatscience.org/publications-resources/usda-ams-mpptap

The AMSA is also developing technical materials and other methods of outreach to be available for free, to those in need. In 2024, AMSA will roll out a technical assistance website that will have resources available for meat processors. These resources will include fact sheets, short videos, and more extensive white papers that processors can use to develop the processing, food safety, and business plans needed to successfully operate a new or expanding meat business.

The broader technical assistance network includes the Flower Hill Institute, which is the lead group and specializes in underserved populations; the Niche Meat Processor Network, which has served small and niche processors for several years and has several training opportunities online along with other resources for small processors; the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute, which focuses on the upper Midwest and has business and processing expertise; the Intertribal Agriculture Council, which focuses on Native American and Indigenous peoples; and Tuskegee University, which has a focus on underserved peoples in the southern U.S.

www.provisoneronline.com   |   DECember 2023