NNY Ag Development Program

Northern New York Agriculture

Livestock Marketing Toolkit

Northern New York Agricultural Development Program Livestock Marketing Project 2006
See bottom of page for updated resource links, 2016

Project Leader: Bernadette Logozar, CCE Franklin County, 518-483-7403

How about some locally-raised beef, pork or lamb for dinner tonight?

With funding from the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP) and the New York Farm Viability Institute, Inc., Bernadette Logozar of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Franklin County has assembled a marketing toolkit to help livestock farmers sell their products and capitalize on the increasing numbers of people looking to connect to local farms and local food sources.

The kit debuted at November 2006 meetings with speakers from the NY Beef Industry Council and the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets in Lowville and Saranac Lake.

Logozar (at left) a rural and economic development specialist, says potential income streams for livestock producers include direct-to-consumer marketing, freezer trade, live sale, central pooling for auction sales, contracting with meatpackers.

The NNYADP project’s current emphasis is on beef, pork, and lamb.

“Livestock producers can expand their market potential by learning about the income options and resources available to them – often at little to no cost, and by choosing the best fit for their farm business,” says Logozar. “The biggest learning curve is with product marketing.”

The new livestock marketing toolkit includes best management practices profiles, promotion materials, and a 17-page checklist that covers production costs, processing, pricing, food safety, advertising, PR, industry associations and where to find resources.

Logozar, a native of Alberta, Canada, adapted materials from Alberta livestock producers for use in New York. One of the suggested resource books includes a section titled “Make $10 mistakes not $1,000 ones.”

Logozar says producers often begin by selling to neighbors and friends. Among the tools she has gathered to help the farmers communicate with consumers are quick and easy recipes; nutrition facts; tips for how to cook grass-fed meats for best quality and flavor; Mediterranean and other regional-style recipes; and recommendations for pairing meats with wine, cheeses, and desserts.

For customers who want to deal directly with the meat processors, farmers can provide charts that illustrate and estimate the types and quantity of roasts, rounds and rib eyes one can expect from, for example, a 1,500-lb steer.

Although the current focus is on beef, pork, and lamb production, Logozar allows that interest may drive the project to include goats, poultry and other livestock; value-added on-farm processing; and fiber and hide processing.

Updated Livestock Marketing Toolkit Resources, 2016
American Lamb Board

ATTRA: free and low-cost publications on livestock marketing

Building Your Brand by Nancy Giddens