Today’s consumers are increasingly aware of the fragility of our conventional food supply chain. The good news is that this creates enormous opportunity to promote the advantages of buying sustainably raised meat, poultry, and eggs from local farmers.

FARFA’s sister non-profit, the Council for Healthy Food Systems, announces a new workshop series to give farmers the marketing and business skills they need to tap into this expanding market.

The Council’s “Profiting from Pastured Animals” workshops launched in April in Beaumont and will occur in a variety of locations in Texas over a period of three years.  

Upcoming workshops are set for Nixon (near San Antonio), Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 6-7, 2022; Harlingen/Rio Grande Valley, Friday and Saturday, Sept. 16-17, 2022; Bullard/East Texas, Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 24-25, 2022; and Waco, Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 15-16, 2022.

The cost of the two-day workshop is just $20, including lunch both days. Workshop attendees will also get ongoing support after the workshop through group and individual calls, as they apply the information to their own farms.

Registrations for Bullard and Waco will be posted soon!

Building the Market for Texas-Raised Pastured Animal Products

This new program will not only help farmers build business skills … it will bolster a community of farmers and ranchers who share their challenges and successes and work together to build a statewide movement in support of locally raised food. CHFS will host regular group calls with workshop attendees to get support from the workshop instructors and their fellow farmers.

All those in attendance also have the opportunity to receive a full marketing package they can customize to promote their Texas-raised products. And the Council will launch its own campaign to educate consumers about the importance of buying Texas-raised meat, poultry, and eggs, to help increase consumer demand and loyalty.

More About the Workshop

The workshop is designed to particularly benefit:

• Beginning farmers, or any farmer who feels that they need help with the business, marketing, and regulatory aspects.
• Existing farmers who are considering diversifying their operations.
• Conventional livestock farmers who might be considering direct marketing alternatives for their businesses.

The main topics covered during each two-day event include:

• Market analysis to determine the products on which to focus.
• Financial considerations, including how to do a cost-benefit analysis.
• Marketing techniques for selling direct-to-consumer.
• Options for how to handle sales and distribution.
• Regulatory issues related to sales of animal products.

QUESTIONS? Email Shanna@healthyfoodsystems.org.