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A Small Step for Small Processors, A Giant Leap for the Local Food Movement

10/8/2016

8 Comments

 
As we are all well aware of, there will be big changes in January no matter which side of the ticket proves to be victorious in the November election.  With a new President comes a new Secretary of Agriculture.  Ferd Hoefner, the Policy Director for the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, saw an opportunity to gather valuable information to be included in the transition documents that will be given to the new Secretary of Agriculture.  Yesterday, a group of some of the most well-known individuals in the sustainable agriculture and small processing industry, as well as representatives from the USDA/FSIS (Food Safety & Inspection Service) gathered at Gunthorp Farms to discuss what information shall be included in the report.
The day was scheduled to begin at 10 am with tours of our processing facility and then of our farm.  Unfortunately the USDA representatives could not make it to the tour, but that did not stop all of us "industry representatives" from watching pig slaughter and hiking across the farm.  All of the attendees were farmers and processors themselves, so the conversations throughout the day were so valuable to listen to.  We broke at noon for lunch and anxiously awaited the USDA representatives arrival so we could begin the meeting that would be focusing on issues that small & very small processors face.  Thankfully they arrived at 1 and our meeting was shortly brought to order.
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The group was excited to witness pig slaughter, though it wasn't an unusual sight for most of them.
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Get a group of farmers together and where do they choose to have the first group discussion of the day? In the chicken pasture, of course!
The meeting was set up rather informally, with all of us sitting in a large circle in the basement of my parents' house. As the FSIS representatives took the floor first, I began wondering how beneficial this meeting was actually going to be. Did these people have any idea what a small plant even looks like, let alone what struggles they go through? After their 30 minute introduction regarding the resources and opportunities USDA has for us, I was feeling as if they were not interested in hearing what any of us industry representatives had to say at all.

Finally, Mike Callicrate took the floor. When I was growing up, many conversations centered around Mike and the challenges he was facing (and overcoming) and I have always held his name as that of a celebrity. Being able to finally meet him this week was an honor (and probably the topic of a different blog post). Anyways, Mike took the floor and laid it all on the table.

"Listen, what it comes down to is we are afraid of you all. You intimidate us. I know the USDA has a job to do and I know you are not supposed to be intimidating, but this is the reality right now." I felt the urge to stand up and clap when he finished what I would consider the description of why we all were gathered. I scribbled into my notes, "thank you Mike for saying what we are all sitting here thinking!"

There are definite issues that small plants face when obtaining and maintaining USDA inspection. We came to a consensus that intimidation/fear of retaliation is definitely one of the barriers to building the local food market. There has to be some sort of process that can verify small plants are still producing safe food without being a burden that prevents them from succeeding.

Pete Eshelman of Joseph Decuis Restaurant & Farm pointed out that Indiana alone spends $18 billion on food. Shockingly 90% of that is imported from other states or even other countries. Think of how many food dollars could be brought back to the state if more processors were able to stay in business? How many more jobs would be created in the state if even a fraction of those food dollars could come from in the state and not imports? What if we applied that thinking nation wide and created more food for Americans here in America?

The USDA realizes that creating regional food markets will be beneficial to local communities, rural development, and national food security. "In 2009, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) launched the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Initiative (KYF2) to better support the farmers, ranchers, food businesses and communities engaged in local and regional food systems." (Copied directly from a handout at the meeting yesterday.) Industry estimates show that the $1 billion that USDA has invested into local food systems have helped local food sales grow from $5 billion in 2008 to $12 billion in 2014 and it is expected to hit $20 billion by 2019. This is great news, but without reforming small processing regulation, the initiative will miss the bar. Access to legal processing is the bottleneck in this local food movement. Small processors are not asking for "easier" regulations, we are just asking for scale appropriate regulations that plants without bountiful human, financial, and capital resources can comply with.

Did
we solve the whole problem during the course of the meeting yesterday? Of course not. Many issues were brought to the table and many were discussed, but many were only touched on and I know there are many more that should be brought up as well. However, there is hope. The most successful thing that came from the meeting yesterday was a plan for more meetings. Quarterly meetings, even, with the FSIS representatives and industry representatives to continue this dialogue until change happens.

Maybe someday, the local food movement and small processors will not need their own "initiatives". Maybe someday the "A" in USDA will stand for all agriculture and there will not need to be special committees to make sure that the little guys are not walked on or pushed out. We might not be there yet, but events like yesterday's meeting and the individuals who were in attendance are pushing us in the right direction.
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Huge thank you to these individuals (and the others who were in attendance but not pictured) for all of the advocacy & policy work they do for this industry that we are all so passionate about.
8 Comments
Angela Jackson link
10/9/2016 12:09:25 pm

Way to go Mike! You said what I have felt and seen for years in my many visits to USDA FSIS inspected organic plants. I have seen first hand the "fear" and the "threats". This conversation has to continue at a higher level. Thank you, Greg!

Reply
Kara Gunthorp
10/13/2016 06:42:18 am

That is why I think the most successful aspect of the whole meeting was agreeing to meet quarterly. This will ensure that we stay on their radar and it wasn't just a "one and done" type meeting. It won't happen over night, but hopefully these conversations will continue until changes can be made.

Reply
Elaine Hite
10/12/2016 07:49:36 am

Hello Kara,

Would you be available for an informal phone conversation?
202-760-5037

Reply
Kara Gunthorp
10/13/2016 06:37:14 am

Hi Elaine. I left you a voicemail. Feel free to call back or shoot me an email.

Kara Gunthorp
kara@gunthorpfarms.com

Reply
Debbie Farrara
10/13/2016 06:32:30 am

Awesome move. Would love to learn more about what was discussed and also would be willing to be involved in any way we could. Many of the issues are the same regardless of where we sit in the USA. Thanks!

Reply
Kara Gunthorp
10/13/2016 06:40:15 am

Hi Debbie.

I was just talking with my dad about what the "call to action" should be... how others can be involved and help! Right now I would suggest getting in touch with your branch of the Sustainable Ag Coalition. Their national division was the one who set up this meeting and I think they have the resources needed to help push for new policy. As USDA told us, they are just regulators. They do not make the laws, they just enforce them, so we need to do whatever we can to make the little guys' voice heard with lawmakers.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me.

Kara Gunthorp
kara@gunthorpfarms.com

Reply
Adam Danforth link
2/27/2017 09:35:18 pm

Just caught wind of this blog post. How are those quarterly meetings going, and I'm curious about what new concerns are being raised? Thanks for all the work you folks do for local ag in your region, and beyond through your inspiring model.

Reply
Kara Gunthorp
2/28/2017 04:33:07 am

Hi Adam.

Thanks for swinging by my blog. The next meeting is actually scheduled for the middle of March in Arkansas. The group will be touring Falling Sky Farm the day before the big meeting with USDA. Al Almanza, Department Under Secretary for FSIS, will be in attendance this time around. I think this one took a little longer to get rolling due to the election and switching offices, but now there is one in the works over the summer and again in the fall as well.

Unfortunately I have to drive our Indy delivery route on the day of the meeting so I will not be attending, but I am anxiously awaiting the minutes from the meeting and hopefully several blog posts/write ups from those in attendance. I'll be sure to post a link here so you can follow up.

Thanks so much for the support, it means a lot to us!

Reply



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    Author-Kara Babinec

    Allow your passion to become your purpose and it will one day become your profession.

    ​Director of Sales & Marketing at Gunthorp Farms. Truck Driver. Blogger. Purdue Alum. Daughter of Greg & Lei Gunthorp. Wife of Ed Babinec.

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  • Home
    • Information
  • Our Animals
    • Turkeys
    • Pigs
    • Chickens
  • Our Processing Plant
  • Our Products
    • Items Available For Purchase & Pick Up At Farm
    • Wholesale
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    • Gunthorp Farms Turkey Jerky
    • Hog Roasts
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  • Employment Opportunities
  • Contact