Progress 09/01/13 to 08/31/18
Outputs
Target Audience:The primary target audience for this project was small and beginning farmers in DE and the mid-atlantic region. Specifically, we are focusing this effort on small ruminant and small flock poultry producers, who, unlike their row cropping counterparts, have limited options with respect to value added production. Access toanimal slaugter and fabrication capacity for these small growers is limited. Through our grant, we wanted to provide the necessary education, and ensure that our growers had ready access to theinfrastructure they needed to supply thier clients with local meat products. Changes/Problems:When originally submitted the grant was intended to run from 10/1/13 to 9/20/16. We sought and were granted two no cost extensions. Progress towards completing our planned objectives steadily moved forward,though due to a number of extenuating circumstances we have not been able to adhere to our original timeframe, and needed additional time to finish. The first issue that we encountered was the final fit out of the MMPL, specifically the purchase, fabrication and installation of the custom processing equipment took significantly longer than we had originally planned, delaying the completion of the MMPL by approximately nine months. In addition, the loss of three of the project co-PIs, Dr. Dahlia Jackson-O'Brien, Ms. Stacy Hoffman, and Dr. Brigid McCrearesulted in the need for us to change our planned approach with respect to developing the curriculum and delivery of the training classes, andresulted in further, compounding delays. In regards to the development of the curriculum, Ms. Stacey Hoffman was slated to write the curriculum as she had experience in both curriculum development, and slaughter and fabrication. Unfortunately, delays in her schedule meant that this objective was pushed back almost a year. To further compound the problem, it was only once she left DSU to take a position at the Delaware Department of Agriculture that we realized that she had made significantly less progress than we'd hoped. In response to this set-back, we enlisted the assistance of a consultant to complete this task, who while very experienced with curriculum development had virtually no experience with slaughter and fabrication, meaning that the remaining members of the project team were responsible for researching and providing the correct content to our curriculum writer. Fortunately, through the efforts of our consultant, we were able to finalize thetraining materials. Similarly, the departure of Drs. McCrea and Jackson-O'Brien, our small flock poultry and small ruminant specialists, respectively,meant that wealso had to make significant adjustments to our planned approach to both attracting the correct audiences and delivering the MMPL farmer trainings. These tasks have largely fallen on the shoulders of PI McIntosh and co-PI Clendaniel, meaning that the anticipated project related workload has increased dramatically, further slowing progress. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Over the life of the project we have provided numerous opportunities for DSU faculty, staff and students to participate in professional development activities. Early in the project we organized an Abobe InDesign training to facilitate our development of the training curriculum materials. During the contruction/design process we organized tours of local processing facilities to learn more about the steps involved in humane animal slaughter and fabrication, including visits to Purdue, Sudlersville Meat Locker, and Sea Watch.Once the MMPL was built and fully outfitted, we had two seperate, hands-on triainings for the project team. These focused respectively, on slaughter and fabrication of small flock poultry, and slaughter and fabrication of small ruminants. In addition, select project staff participated in butchering training in VA, HACCP, GMP and SSOP trainings online. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Project results have and continue to be disseminated to both our target audience, as well as the local community. We reach out to our target audience through species specific field days and workshop, as well as our annual DSU Small Farms Conference, Profitting from a Few Acres.These, activities, along with word of mouth have ensuredwide dissemination of project activities and milestones.The final, formaleffort to disseminate infromation about this project was done during DEAg Week 2016, where we conducted two, 2-hour overviews of the MMPL, one in thesmall flock poultry session on 1/12/16 and the other in thesmall ruminant session on 1/13/16.Each of the sessions covered the follwoing topics: Intro to MMPL Process to use MMPL Requirements Regulations Value Added justification What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Over the course of the project we were able to successfully comeplete the majority of our planned objectives. Our accomplishments for each objecttive are included below: Complete the Final Fit-Out of the MMPL With funding from this grant we were able to purchase and install the custom processing equipment that we needed to make the DSU MMPL fully functional. Since the completion of this step, we have tested the MMPL multiple times with both poultry and small ruminants. These efforts have solidified our resolve that the DSU MMPL is well designed and functions as planned. We have not had to make any substantial modifictions to increase functionality or improve through-put. The MMPL is opperating as expected, capable of processing approximatly 200 chickens, or 8-10 small ruminants per day. Develop and Refine Curriculum Modules to be used in Conjunction with the MMPL The MMPL curricum was finalized and has been used twice for group trainings. Fololwing the first training course, we refined multiple areas of the the curriculum's content and delivery to improve usabability. In addition, following these initial trainings, we also significantly upgraded the intructors' manual for the MMPL training. This was done primarily to ensure that new users (new DSU extension personnell) who were not actively involved with the project from its inception have the necessary experience, background, and scope to successfully provide traingin to new extension clients in thier respective areas (i.e. small flock poultry and small ruminants). Implement Trainings We have conducted two formal training clases, and have begun using the MMPLto reach K-12 agri-sciences students and their teachers. The second success story is the use of the DSU MMPL as a training tool for the DE K-12 agri-science educators and their classes. While not a planned objective in the original grant, this has proved to be in much demand. Though our collaborations with teachers at Middletown High School and William Penn High School (New Castle County), and Bridgeville High School (Sussex County) we have provided hands-on educational experiences for students in the agri-science and culinary arts programs. These efforts are not only building bridges between these diverse sectors (food production vs. food preparation/service) of the food universe by connecting students in both programs with one another, but we were also able to provide training on animal slaughter and fabrication. This has enabled these K-12 programs to strengthen their meat science programs, by providing hands-on experiences to student who can then use that skill in their FFA CDE judging as well as their future employment. Establish a Network of Demonstration 'Docking Stations' We formally established two of the five planned docking stations, with commitments from two local farms to establish two others. Refine MMPL Operational Budget As for the economic development, since economics are based on volume of product being processed per day and the unit hasn't been used enough yet to know how many birds or small ruminants could be processed by a farmer team per day. We know to have the birds processed at a USDA inspectable facility will cost the farmer a minimum of $5 per bird plus the travel to another state. If they can rent the MMPL unit for $150 per day and can process 200 birds a day, it will bring a better return on their time and making each bird have a higher profit margin. Once the MMPL becomes used a little more we will know if the DSU rental fee still covers the cost of disposable materials need for each day's use and if there are any regular repairs that we will need to figure into the rental cost. Evaluate the MMPL Initiative The overall project evaluation was a challenge because none of our trained participant have completed the USDA process to be certified to use the unit. There are a few currently going through the process, but to date none have finished as of the end of the grant cycle. The positive we can claim is the fact there are farmers working on getting their certification, so they will have access to the MMPL in the future. Specifically, we have poultry producers that have already installed the 50-amp electrical service and have a suitable site where the MMPL can be parked on their property which lets us know the future success of the MMPL is looking good. In addition, on at least three occasions we have used the MMPL to provide hands-on trainings, on-farm to process birds for small, private growers under the USDA poultry exemption.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/16 to 08/31/17
Outputs
Target Audience:
Nothing Reported
Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Our activities for the current year focused primarily on disseminating infromation about the project, both in Delaware across the region. These included particiaption in anumber of local events to inform our clientel, and the local public about our initiative. When ever possible, we used the MMPL itself as a marketing tool by allowing visitor to tour the unit and learn about our project. We displayed the MMPL at the following events: Kent County Extension Advisry Committee 3rd quartermeeting in 2016 The 2016 Delaware Cooperative Extension Annual Conference The 2016 National Small Farms Conference 2017 Harrington Heritage Days festival What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In the final year of the project we will: Complete the DSU application for a USDA grant of Inspection Conduct additional farmer trainings for using the MMPL Seek additional funding for our Mobile Meat Processing initiative Contnue to expand the scope of our meat processing initiaive by working more closely with our K-12 partners.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The departure of another project participant, Dr. Brigid McCrea,from our team further stresed the remaining particiants ability to complete planned objectives within the original time frame. To that end, we requested a second no-cost extension to extend the project end date to 9/30/18. When originally submitted the grant was intended to run from 10/1/13 to 9/20/16. Progress towards completing our planned objectives is moving forward, though due to a number of extenuating circumstances we have not been able to adhere to our original timeframe, and need additional time to finish. The first issue that we encountered was the final fit out of the MMPL, specifically the purchase, fabrication and installation of the custom processing equipment took significantly longer than we had originally planned, delaying the completion of the MMPL by approximately nine months. In addition, the loss of three of the project co-PIs, Dr. Dahlia Jackson-O'Brien, Ms. Stacy Hoffman, and Dr. Brigid McCrea has resulting in the need for us to change our planned approach with respect to developing the curriculum and delivery of the training classes, and has resulted in further, compounding delays. In regards to the development of the curriculum, Ms. Stacey Hoffman was slated to write the curriculum as she had experience in both curriculum development, and slaughter and fabrication. Unfortunately, delays in her schedule meant that this objective was pushed back almost a year. To further compound the problem, it was only once she left DSU to take a position at the Delaware Department of Agriculture that we realized that she had made significantly less progress than we'd hoped. In repose to this set-back, we enlisted the assistance of a consultant to complete this task, who while very experienced with curriculum development had virtually no experience with slaughter and fabrication, meaning that the remaining members of the project team were responsible for researching and providing the correct content to our curriculum writer. Fortunately, through the efforts of our consultant, we now have a working draft of the training materials, which we have used to train our first class of farmers. We are now working closely with the consultant to make edits and finalize the curriculum. Similarly, the departure of Drs. McCrea and Jackson-O'Brien, our small flock poultry and small ruminant specialists, respectively, has meant that we have also had to make significant adjustments to our planned approach to both attracting the correct audiences and delivering the MMPL farmer trainings. These tasks have largely fallen on the shoulders of PI McIntosh and co-PI Clendaniel, meaning that the anticipated project related workload has increased dramatically. During the requested no-cost extension, our intention is to conduct additional farmer trainings so that our small farm clients can begin to utilize the MMPL to process their own animals, and make additional refinements to the training curriculum materials. Part of this will include bringing DSU's new small ruminant specialist on board with this project to ensure we can be successful moving forward with the MMPL initiative. Our major accomplishment for the current year is to incease our proficiency in the use of the MMPL through a number of processing demonstrations. With each demonstration that we conduct, we refine the processes and procedures associated with using the MMPL.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
McIntosh, D. and J. Clendaniel. 2016. Delaware State University Mobile Meat Processing Lab (MMPL) Curriculum Development and Implementation. Poster Presentation at the 2016 CBG Project Directors Meeting, Virginia Beach, VA.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
McIntosh, D. and J. Clendaniel. 2017. Delaware State University Mobile Meat Processing Lab (MMPL) Curriculum Development and Implementation. Poster Presentation at the 2017 National Aquaculture Extension Meeting, Boise, ID
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Progress 09/01/15 to 08/31/16
Outputs
Target Audience:Our target audience continues to be small farmers in DE and the surrounding states that are growing small flock poultry, small ruminants and fish, and those that are considering doing so. In late 2016/early 2016 we bagan discussing the possibility of using the MMPL in a K-12 setting to assist agri-science classes with technical training and hands-on opportunities inmeat processing/meat quality and culinary program in meat fabircation. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?In addition to the presentaiton made by the MMPL project team at DE Ag Week 2016, we broght in Dr. Greg Rentfrom from UK. He provided training on meat quality at both the Small Ruminant and Beef sessions. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?In addition to theJanuary 12 and 13 presentationatDE Ag Week 2016 inthe Small Rumnant and Small Flock Poultry sessions, we createdan informational card to inform the comminuty of our planned trainingon using the MMPL. The card was professionally printed and handed out at a number of DSU Cooperative Extension events, and was includeded as an insert in the Dalmarva Farmer, a local farm-focused newspaper that has acirculation of ofapproximately 4,000. In addition, two articles were written in this same publicationshowcasing our project.The final method of dissemination was to have the MMPL itself lettered so that is serves as a sort of rolling billboard while in transite and when parked at various locations. The DSU Small Farms' contact informaiton, including the facebook page, phone number and QR code printed on the MMPLallow people to find more information. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In the final year of the project we will work with various member of our clientle to assit them with finalizing thier USDA Grants of Inspection, continue to refine our curriculum and offer at least one more training class. Additionally, with the addition of a new small-ruminant specialist at DSU and the strong interest from both the farming community andK-12 teachers we will contonue to seek funds to reinviogorate the meats program (academic classes, outreach, etc.) at DSU.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
In this year of the project we worked on completing several project tasks, including disseminating project information, completing a number of repairs and modifications, hosting multiple demonstration/trainings, finalizing the training curriculum, and conducting our initial training class.Below is a breif accounting of the project related activites for this year: 9/11/15 - MMPL taken to local autobody reapir shop to fix iussues with the exterior skin of the unit. The adhesive on a few of thepanel worked loose and neede to be re-affixed. This was conduceted under warranty from the MMPL manufacture, Nomad Global Commuinications. 10/1/15 - PIs McIntosh and Clandaniel met with the DSU lawyer to discuss drafting aleasing agreement governing the use of the MMPL by our small farmer clinetle. Discussions continued for a number of months until we had drafted and edited a suitable document. 10/13/15 - Members of the project team met with Ms. Karen Furrici, our curriculum writer to review progress and provide content feedback. 1/12 & 13/16 - Was invited to give a presention at DE Ag Week 2016 in both the Small Rumnant and Small Flock Poultry session on using the MMPL. This presentation entitled 'Opportunities for using the new Delaware State University Mobile Meat Processing Lab,' was usedas a segway to introduce our planned training class to these audiences. 2/3/16 - Was appraoched by a local chef that is interested in producing value added meat projects (with an initialfocus on artisan bacon made from heritage swine breeds). We shared what we could with this individual, but this intereaction helped foment the concept of re-invigorating the meat science program at DSU. This inturn helped us clarify the goals and objectives of our 2016 CBG submission. 4/18/16 - we were invited to conduct a demonstration atBridgeville High School in conjunction with the animal scince students. The students had raised a small flock of chickens and were interested in learing about slaughter and fabrication. 5/17/16, 6/9/16 and 6/23/16 - We offerend our first MMPL training for farmers.This was attended by 10 local farmers that are interested in using the MMPL on thir own farms.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
John Clendaniel and Dennis McIntosh. 2016. Opportunities for using the new Delaware State University Mobile Meat Processing Lab. Presentation at DE Ag Week 2016 in the Small Ruminant Session.
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Progress 09/01/14 to 08/31/15
Outputs
Target Audience:
Nothing Reported
Changes/Problems:There were two major issue that impeded our progress inyear two of the project. The more serious of these was thatone of our key personnell, Ms. Stacey Hoffman, left DSU for a position elsewhere. As Stacey was charged with writing the training curriculum, we were left in a difficult position. To address this lack of extertise form the remaining members of the project team we are looking at seeking permission to use a consultant to do this aspect of the project. Secondly, we did experience two mechanical issues with the MMPL. We had a problem with one of the installed air conditioning units, and had a few of the exterior panels come loose. In both instances, we were able to work with the vendor and have these repairs made through our warranty. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We conducted a three oftrainings for the project staff in year two of the grant. The first was held on 10/31/14 and was intendedas an initial test of the MMPL and the associated processing equipment inside. As the majority of the specialized equipment (picker and scalder) are poulty specific, we chose to process a small batch of heritage breed chickens for this initial test run. This initial run highlighted numerous changes that were necessary, which were subsequenlty addressed. In addion we held two professional development trainings. The first was held on December 15th, and was planned to provide practical, hands-on training in poultry processing using the MMPL. This training was held at Hickory Hill and was conducted by Dr. Greg Martin from PSU. Greg provided us with instruction on humane slaughter, proper methods of scalding, picking and evisceration. Further, Greg provided many hints and tips on what to avoid doing to jeopardize our ability to pass USDA inspection, as well tricks to make the whole process easier. Similarly, on December 18 and 19th, we hosted Dr. Greg Rentfrow from University of Kentucky to provide us with practical, hands-on training in red meat slaughter and fabrication. On day one, Greg showed us how to prepare our site and handle the animals to minimize stress on them, and, to the extent possible, eliminate the potential for injury to any people involved in the process. Day one was long, as we learned the proper techniques to kill, eviscerate, and skin four goats. Day two was spent learning how to cut up the carcasses into 'standard' cuts. Through all three days of training the MMPL and associated equipment were thoroughly tested and found to perform quire well. In processing both the poultry and goats, it was apparent that we will need to spend additional time working with our respective species to become sufficiently proficient in processing. However, despite our lack of previous experience designing a processing facility, it was encouraging to see how well the MMPL performed. Additional training opportunities included, PI McIntosh working alongside a fellow faculty member, Dr. Nandita Das,from the Business Department tohelp her students prepare a business planfor thier annual competetion. I worked closely with a group of upperclassmen to teach them about meat processing, the regulations, demand, etc. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?A number of events were organized in year two of the project to inform people of our project's progress. These included hosting a tour for a USDA delagation that visited DSU on 8/17/15, conducting site visits to a number of prospective user sites, and participating infour outreachevents. The first of these was our participation in the DSU Proffiting from a Few Acres conference on 3/9/15. At the conference we conducted a PPT and provided a tour of the MMPL to our small farm cleints. The second event was the DE Cooperative Extension Ag Professionals In-Service held on 3/27/15. We used this opportunitty to explain to folks what the project was about, and allowed folks to tour the MMPL in person.Thethird such event wasshowcasing the MMPL at the a dedicated open-house. This was held at Hickory Hill on May 21, 2015 and was attended by local farmers and prospective users. Our last outreach effort was to bring the MMPL to the Delaware Agri-Science teacher's annual summer in-service. Like the other three events weprovided an overview of the MMPL project and allowed folks to tour theunit. In addition, at this event we also conducted a short survey aboutthe possibilityof incorporating the MMPL into the K-12 curriculum and received an overwhelmingly positive response. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Our plans for the final year of our project are the pilot our curriculum with our inaugural class of farmer-collaborators.This will be initiated in January 2016 at the annual Delaware Ag Week conference, a week long compilation of winter extension meetings. Specifically we are planning tohave a two 2-hour sessions on the smallflock poulty and small ruminant sessions, respectively. These will beprovide a breifoverview of the MMPL, an outline of the training curriculum and offer insights into value-added meat production and the role it can play. These sessions will conclude with a sign-up for the training class, planned to begin in spring 2016.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The following accomplishments were made in year 2 of the project insupport of our five planned objectives. : There was an issue with the exterior of the MMPL, specifically, one of the panels worked loose. This was repaired through the manufacture's warranty.They wereable to make the repair without needing to use mechanical fasteners, so we were able to retain the smoother exterior. To help promote the MMPL and our other small farms programs, the the outside of the MMPL was lettered. This contains a contact phone number, and link to our facebook page so folks canget more information about the project. We continue to refine our opperational proceedures and use the challengesthat we encounteraslearning opportunities to provide critical feedback to ensure that once the MMPL is available for use by our farmer clients they expereience minimal mechanical issues. We have identified the locations of our 5 docking stations and have begun to develop the two, on-campus locations. The Hickory Hill farm site was supplied with a 50-amp receptacle, a frost-free water supply and a 12 x 60 concrete pad. The Aquaculture Research and Demonstraion Facility site has a 100-amp electrical sub-panel, frost free water supply and a 12 x 60 pavillion. This will serve as the primary location for storage and maintenence of the MMPL. Our three cooparting farmer sites (one each in New Castle, Kent and Sussex counties) have been evaluated for suitability. We are negotiating with the DSU legal team to finalize docking station demonstraion agreements that will define and govern the respective roles and responibilites for DSU and our cooperating farmers. We experienced a second change of kep personal with the departure from DSU of Ms. Stacey Hoffman. This has left us without the technical expertise to write our training curriculum. We are exploring ideas to address this need. With each use, we continue to make minor modifications to the MMPL to improve the functionality (ex. adding storage shelves, etc.). I met with DSU's lawyerabout liability and use agreements. We areworking to find some example documents from other mobile processing/slaughter facilities that we can use as a jumping off point to informour development of the necessary policies and documents.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/13 to 08/31/14
Outputs
Target Audience: The target audience for our grant overall is small farmers in Delaware and the mid-Atlantic that are currently, or are interested in, producing small flock poultry, small ruminants, or fish and processing thier animals for valuae added sales. In yearoneof the current grant, our focus however,has largely been on development of curricula, and professional development for the faculty and staff associated with the project. Changes/Problems: As originally planned, Dr. Jackson-O’Brien was to assist in the development of training materials, organize trainings and offer insight into the nuances of small ruminant slaughter and processing. Unfortunately, since we submitted our proposal for funding, Dr. Jackson-O’Brien has left Delaware State University, and is no longer affiliated with this project. The tasks that she was going to help with will now fall to the other key personnel. Both John Clendaniel and Mike Wasylkowski have experience with small ruminant production, and have interacted with many of the small ruminant producers that were working closely with Dr. Jackson-O’Brien. This existing connection will facilitate our reaching out to this segment of the small farm community as planned. Small-ruminant centered processing workshops will be organized by the remaining member of the project team, Drs. McIntosh and McCrea, along with Mr. Clendaniel and Mr. Wasylkowski. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Training was provided in Adobe InDesign for members of the MMPL team to develop publications to support of this initiative. In addition to the MMPL team, we opened the training opportunity up to other members of the DSU College of Agriculture and Related Sciences. A total of nine individuals participated in the three day training. Training ws held at Delaware Technical and Community College, here in Dover, DE over three days andcovered the following topics: 1. Introduction to Adobe InDesign and printing, 2. Basic Page Layout using InDesign, 3. Tips and Tricks for Efficiency and Originality. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? At this point we have made a few intial steps to disseminate this information to our target audience. Specifically, we displayed the MMPL at the 2014 Delaware Ag Week, a week-long winter extension conference that brings together agriculture producers from NJ, MD and DE. DE Ag Week is a coordianted effort of the Delaware Department of Agriculture, the Universitry of Delaware and Delaware State University. Extension specialists plan and coordinate topical sessions relavant to their own programs. Of particulaatre interst this year were the small flock poultry,andsheep and goat sessions. Further, the Agriculture Education Program Leader has shared information of the MMPL with 70+ secondary agriscience teachers at their bimonthly meetings. The teachers are interested in utilizing the MMPL for professional development in meat science and evaluation. They also see a use for the MMPL as a way to engage their animal science students in niche marketing. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Over the next reporting period,the curriculum will be completely written and field tested,and we will have our network of demonstration/docking stations completed
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
During the current reporting period we have been working with Draper Equipment, a local company to design, build and install the necessary processing equipment. These items include a poultry killing station, a scalder, a picker, and an eviseration station. In addition Drpaer Equipment supplied us with a bandsaw to cut-up the producets for retail packaging. Installation is not yet compete, though the equipment has been delivered. We are currently awaiting a visit from our local USDA and State of Delaware officals with pertinent regulatory authority over our MMPl prior to making the final equipment connections and securiing it to the floor of the MMPL. In addition, the Agricultural Program Leader has worked on literature review for curriculum development for the manual that Extension and Small Farms educators will use to train producers.
Publications
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