No-Cost Assistance that Really Adds Up

It’s a common phrase: “The whole is worth more than the sum of its parts.”

USDA’s Meat and Poultry Processing Technical Assistance(MPPTA) program clearly demonstrates that statement’s validity.

Three years ago, USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service pulled together a diverse and divergent group of organizations to provide no-cost technical assistance for new and expanding smaller meat and poultry processors. As grant opportunities emerged for processors, the MPPTA program initially helped companies and individuals develop their funding proposals. But the network’s scope is much broader, just as processors’ needs are more extensive.

Processors developing HACCP plans and other food safety protocols can draw upon the expertise within the American Meat Science Association (AMSA) and the American Association of Meat Processors (AAMP). Business development, marketing resources, and plant operations are available through the Niche Meat Processing Assistance Network (NMPAN) and the New Mexico-based Flower Hill Institute (FHI). The Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI) is developing resources to assist with byproduct utilization and to help processors measure their economic performance. And the Intertribal Agricultural Council (IAC) is helping to support new processors that will strengthen food security within Tribal nations.

The list goes on.

As Christi Calhoun of AMSA recently noted, “The MPPTA brought together a group of organizations that probably should have been working together previously but weren’t. Now we have a strong network that can provide processors with a variety of tools.”

Tapping into this network of no-cost technical assistance is as simple as submitting this form to the Flower Hill Institute, which serves as the coordinator for the network. We’ll get back to you immediately and connect you with the best resources within the network.

Dave Carter

Director, Regional Technical Assistance Coordination, Flower Hill Institute