Meaty initiative in the Hudson Valley
For those who like to know where their porterhouse steak or lamb chops are coming from, many are turning to local farms for beef, lamb and goat products and are willing to pay above-average prices for grain-fed, free range meat from local farms.
Hudson Valley meat producers within distance of a USDA-approved slaughtering facility don”™t face many as many obstacles as their smaller counterparts who would like to see a return on their investment for their farm-raised animals rather than selling them off to larger producers at harvest time.
A new modular slaughtering system already in use in Delaware County will roll out to four other sites within the region, enabling meat producers to bring their animals to be harvested and thus reap the benefit of the income generated in the New York City marketplace, where “fresh from the farm” is synonymous with “fantastic food.”
Cold Spring”™s nonprofit Glynwood, and its affiliate, LILA (Local Infrastructure for Local Agriculture), have launched a mobile modular slaughterhouse, the first of its kind, in New York. It is currently being operated at the Ecklund Dairy Farm in Delaware County and is capable of processing 20 cattle a day (or a larger quantity of smaller animals.)
The mobile harvest system (MHS) has four modules: a 53-foot trailer that provides for inside-unit slaughter, carcass preparation and chilling; a refrigeration truck where quartered sides or whole carcasses can be railed after chilling and then delivered to a “cut and wrap” facility or given back to the farmer; an “inedible parts” trailer providing for hygienic disposal of waste; and a small office trailer for the USDA inspector and MHS employees. The MHS unit costs approximately $750,000.
“The goal is to develop at least four more docking sites located throughout the Hudson Valley, so the MHS can rotate through those sites during the season. That will allow farmers to schedule an appointment when it is most convenient,” said Judy LaBelle, president of Glynwood.
Glynwood”™s partnership on the first MHS trailer system with the Ecklund family went smoothly “because it is operated on their farm, so there were no issues with the town,” said LaBelle. “The family was already in the process of creating a facility where they could handle meat processing and was in discussion with the municipality, so the mobile unit fit nicely with their plans.” LaBelle says the entire process, from permitting to constructing the pad site, took six months.
“We started in the slow season ”“ right now, there is a lot of grass and farmers are pasturing their animals. Some are looking for immediate use, but most will be ready by the fall and early winter,” said LaBelle. “It”™s a learning process for all of us.”
The meat is certified USDA and Kosher. “Eventually, we will have a separate unit for pig slaughter, because in order to remain Kosher, they must be kept separate. Again, the demand is great,” said LaBelle.
LaBelle says four USDA slaughterhouses in the Hudson Valley are “often at or very near capacity. It can make it very difficult for smaller farmers to schedule having their animals processed, If they can”™t get them processed when they need to, they can”™t reach the market where their livestock, they end up selling it off to another meat producer for much less than they would receive if they were able to sell it directly to the marketplace.”
The demand is high for organic foods and vegetables and grain-fed free range cattle, sheep and goats is at a premium in the lower Hudson Valley and metropolitan area ”“ the goal is to help small farmers get their products to that market, said LaBelle. “It is a much better return on their investment, and that”™s what helps them keep going. A lot goes into farming and producing, so the more they can get for their goods, the more sustainable the farm will be.
Unfortunately, says LaBelle, “Farming is almost invisible. Through Glynwood, we encourage farmers to stay active and keep themselves visible. Three to five acres of land in suburbia can produce a lot of food. So many people don”™t realize what an important economic driver agriculture is to New York state.”
The effort also has garnered a partner with Cornell Cooperative Extension.