News

More meat processing needed in Michigan’s U.P.?

An extension educator says access to processing is limiting the potential of Michigan’s meat industry in the Upper Peninsula.

Michelle Walk with Michigan State University Extension says a feasibility study was recently conducted to see if increasing demand from restaurants and food service businesses for locally grown meat could support an additional meat processing plant in the region.  “There’s definitely a demand that’s not being met and we hear from the farmers on a regular basis that if they had more access that they could increase the herd to be able to satisfy that.”

She says currently there is only one USDA certified meat processing plant in the U.P. and the seasonality of meat production can cause bottlenecks.  “There definitely was demand for processing that exceeded current capacity, but it wasn’t enough additional demand to really support another facility and be enough volume for that facility to be successful or be open year round.”

Walk says work is now being done to look at ways the currently facility can improve efficiencies, storage and distribution, as well as how farmers can increase access to transportation.

AUDIO: Interview with Michelle Walk