October 2021

OCTOBER 2021

IMPPA

Newsletter Indian a M eat Packers & Processors Association www.IMPPA.org /IndianaMeatPackers

President Kent Sander Past Presidents J.J. Everett Allison Boone Porteus Vice President Sam Gettinger

IMPPA GRANTS SUMMARY Compliments of Phenix Specialty Films

IN THIS ISSUE: • • • • • •

Grant Summary Mask Mandates Regulatory Updates So You Want to Start a Meat Plant?

Labor Law: Immigrant Labor Cured Meats Hall of Fame

Treasurer Darla Kiesel Executive Secretary Darla Kiesel Directors Allison Boone Porteus Shelby Krider Guy Whonsetler Sam Gettinger Kent Sander Supplier Directors Joey Roberts Dan Valenti Technical Directors Stacy Zuelly Brian Richert

IMPPA GRANT SUMMARY You have likely been hearing a lot about grant opportunities lately. The USDA and other agencies have been pushing out grant programs to offer assistance for a variety of projects and relief efforts in the last few months.

Some of these programs offered direct support, such as funding for improvements to become Federally inspected facilities. Many other opportunities offer indirect support for meat processors. This means another agency must apply for the funds and then pass through either Christi Southerland funding or technical assistance to meat processors. Below is a brief Prosperity Ag summary for some of the available funding at this time.

All States Indirect Programs • (Farmer and Food Worker Relief Grant Program This new competitive grant program, announced 9/7, aims to help farmworkers and meatpacking workers with pandemic-related health and safety costs. This relief is intended to defray costs directly to farm and food workers for reasonable and necessary personal, family, or living expenses related to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as costs for personal protective equipment (PPE), dependent care, and expenses associated with quarantines and testing related to the COVID19 pandemic. Funds will be awarded through grants to state agencies or nonprofit organizations to pass through to the workers. Stay tuned for more details on how to directly apply for funding. https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/grants/ffwr All States Direct Programs • Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) Round 2 The USDA is accepting new and modified CFAP 2 applications. Signups close October 12, 2021. CFAP was launched in March of 2021 to reach a greater share of farming operations and improve pandemic assistance. A variety of commodities are eligible for payments depending on type and yields. Applications can be completed online or through your local USDA Service Center. If you received CFAP 1 payments, you are still eligible to receive CFAP 2 payments. https://www.farmers.gov/coronavirus/pandemic-assistance/cfap2

Phenix Specialty Films Rich Henderson r.henderson@psfpkg.com • 317-223-1933

IMPPA GRANT SUMMARY • Pandemic Response and Safety (PRS) Grant This new program is to support agricultural stakeholders who haven’t yet received substantial federal financial assistance in responding to the COVIS-19 crisis.

These grant programs will provide assistance to small businesses in certain commodity areas including meat processors. Grants up to $20,000 will be available to qualified small business operations for COVID-19 related expenses such as PPE, facility retrofits, and medical leave. No equipment purchases will be eligible. https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/grants/prs Applications are expected to open early October and will be due 45 days after program release. Applications will need a DUNS number, which can be obtained for free from https://fedgov.dnb.com/ • Rural Energy for America Program This program reimburses agricultural producers or rural small businesses for energy efficiency improvement projects or renewable energy systems. A 25% cash reimbursement is available in this competitive grant program. Energy efficiency projects include the replacement of existing lighting, fans, motors, HVAC, and other related expenses. Renewable energy projects include Geothermal installation, solar PV panels, or wind turbines.

Applications are due November 1, 2021 and March 31, 2022, however, applications can be submitted at any time. https://bit.ly/3yZHkVO • USDA Overtime/Holiday Rate Reduction In the American Rescue Plan Act, enacted on March 11, 2021, Congress provided the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) with $100 million in budget authority to reduce the costs of overtime inspection for small and very small official meat and poultry establishments and egg products plants. FSIS will implement this provision by reducing overtime and holiday inspection fees for small establishments by 30 percent and very small establishments by 75 percent.

FSIS has developed an Overtime/Holiday Rate Reduction form that official establishments will need to submit to request an overtime or holiday inspection fee reduction.

Phenix Specialty Films Rich Henderson r.henderson@psfpkg.com • 317-223-1933

IMPPA GRANT SUMMARY FSIS will review the form to determine whether an establishment qualifies for the fee reduction. Establishments are encouraged to submit their completed Overtime/Holiday Rate Reduction forms by August 16, 2021 to expedite the process. However, establishments may submit their forms at any time. All establishments that submit their forms by March 11, 2022, and that qualify for a fee reduction, will receive a partial refund for overtime and holiday inspection fees paid since October 11, 2020, i.e., the first day of the pay period after the beginning of Fiscal Year 2021. Small and very small establishments should submit their completed forms to the FSIS inspection personnel assigned to their establishment or, alternatively, FAX the completed form to the appropriate FSIS District Office, “Attention Grant Curator.” Contact information for the FSIS District Offices, including FAX numbers, is available at: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/contactus/fsis-offices/office-field-operations-ofo. https://www.fsis.usda.gov/policy/federal-register-rulemaking/federal-registernotices/overtime-and-holiday-inspection-fee Indiana Indirect Programs • Indiana Next Level Jobs Employer Training Grant The Employer Training Grant, which reimburses employers who train, hire, and retain new or incumbent workers to fill in-demand positions within recognized job fields. The Employer Training Grant is available to help fill in-demand positions within six priority sectors (including meat packing). The grant will reimburse employers up to $5,000 per employee who is trained, hired, and retained for six months, up to $50,000 per employer. At the end of the training the grant likes to see a pay increase. This can be a projected pay increase. Wage requirements are waived for new hires. Applications were accepted 7/9/21 for funding to be completed 7/9/21 to 6/30/22. At the current time this funding has been spent.

There was anticipation that additional funding would be available at the end of September. Currently, there has been no additional funding however. https://www.indianacareerready.com/NextLevelJobs/Index?referredby=nljinquiry

Phenix Specialty Films Rich Henderson r.henderson@psfpkg.com • 317-223-1933

IMPPA GRANT SUMMARY • Indiana Manufacturing Readiness Grant This program is to financially incentivize companies to adopt smart, innovative and emerging Industry 4.0 technologies. Funding expansion for the program has been included in the 2022-2023 state budget at $10 million per year beginning July 1, 2021. Must be a manufacturer planning to make capital investment in the form of smart manufacturing technologies within their Indiana operation. While there is no size limitation for applicants, small- and medium-sized manufacturers (<500 employees) are heavily favored. Projects should directly affect manufacturing processes and focus on investments in commercial-ready equipment through established vendors. The equipment should be beyond ‘advanced’ in nature, i.e. more technologically intensive and broadly innovative than mere upgrades via standard automation, increased capacity, tighter tolerances, improved fabrication techniques, or other incremental improvements that are common for the applicant’s sector.

As long as the “Apply Here” button leads to an active form allowing an application to be completed, then the State of Indiana is continuing to fund select applications. Applications must be submitted through this portal: https://www.conexusindiana.com/smart-manufacturing/manufacturing-readinessgrants/ Kentucky Direct Programs • Meat Processing Investment Program The MPIP provides funding for meat processors who are currently or plan to become USDA certified to financially incentivize economical expansion of businesses to process Kentucky beef, dairy, pork, lamb, goat, and poultry products. KADF offers a Simplified Processor (maximum grant of $27,500), a Large-Scale Processor (maximum grant of $250,000) application, and a New Processing (up to $250,000) application, all requiring a 1 for 1 match. Applications are due quarterly, with December 23, 2021 as the upcoming rounds. https://bit.ly/3l1Lsj3

Phenix Specialty Films Rich Henderson r.henderson@psfpkg.com • 317-223-1933

Overtime and Holiday Inspection Fee Reductions for Small & Very Small Establishments Summary

Dates

Addresses DOCKET NUMBER DOCKET NO. FSIS-2021-0014 FEDERAL REGISTER STATUS NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY PROPOSED DATE JULY 15, 2021

OMB Number: 0583-0185 Expiration date: 01/31/2022 According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0583-0185. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 10 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information U. S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service

Overtime/Holiday Rate Reduction Form Purpose: The purpose of this form is to collect information to determine whether an establishment inspected by the Food Safety and Inspection Service qualifies for an overtime and holiday fee reduction.

Definitions: For the purposes of this form, terms are defined as follows: Affiliated Companies: Companies are considered affiliated with each other when one controls the other, or a third-party controls both. It does not matter whether control is exercised, so long as the power to control exists. Affiliated companies can be domestic or foreign. Affiliated companies do not typically include entities that perform contracted services, including human resource support and cleaning services, as defined in 13 CFR §121.103.

Company: Any organization/entity (including an Establishment) that buys or sells good or services. A company may be organized in various forms, including partnerships and corporations, and can be privately held or publicly traded.

Official Establishment: Any entity that slaughters or processes meat (including Siluriformes fish), poultry, or egg products at which inspection is required by the Federal Meat Inspection Act, Poultry Products Inspection Act, or Egg Products Inspection Act. Establishments that function solely as Official Import Inspection Establishments or exporting facilities are not eligible for fee reduction.

Employee: Employee means all individuals employed on a full-time, part-time, or other basis. The number of employees is the average number of employees, calculated by summing the number of employees at the end of each pay period over the preceding 52 weeks and dividing by the total number of pay periods.

1. How many employees does your establishment have? (Choose One) A.) Nine or fewer employees

C.) 500 or more employees

B.) Between 10 and 499 employees

Yes

2. Is your establishment affiliated with one or more companies? (If no, skip to #5)

No

3. If yes, how many total employees do the affiliated companies employ (not including your establishment) (Choose One) A.) Nine or fewer employees

B.) Between 10 and 499 employees

C.) 500 or more employees

4. How many total employees does your establishment and all of its affiliates have (i.e., likely the sum of your responses to Q.1 and Q.3) (Choose One) A.) Nine or fewer employees

B.) Between 10 and 499 employees

C.) 500 or more employees

5. Does your establishment have average annual sales of: (Choose One) A.) less than $2.5 million

B.) $2.5 million or more

6. Please provide below: Name, Title, Telephone Number, Email Address, and Work Address of Person Signing the Form Name:

Title:

Telephone Number:

Email Address:

Work Address:

City:

State:

Employee Signature:

Zip Code: Date:

7. Establishment Number and address of Establishment applying for overtime and holiday rate reduction Establishment Name:

Establishment Address:

City:

State:

Zip Code:

Persons making false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements or entries are subject to a $10,000.00 fine or imprisonment for not more than 5 years or both, as prescribed by 18 U.S.C §1001.

FSIS 5200-16 (07/01/2021)

USDA Pandemic Response and Safety Grant Program

The USDA has launched the Pandemic Response and Safety (PRS) Grant Program to provide funding to food producers, meat processors, and other related industries to respond to coronavirus. A maximum of $20,000 is available with no matching funds required. Applications must be submitted in the program’s online portal by November 22, 2021.

Eligible activities and costs Implement workplace safety measures to protect workers against COVID-19 • Provide personal protective equipment, thermometers, cleaning supplies, sanitizer, or hand washing stations • Installation and purchase of air filters or new signage • Implement market pivots to protect workers against COVID–19

Develop and implement online platforms • Utilize online or print materials to communicate market pivots

Retrofitting facilities for worker and consumer safety to protect against COVID–19 • Installation and purchase of protective barriers made of Plexiglas or plastic sheeting, walk up windows, heat lamps/heaters, fans, tents, propane, weights, tables, chairs and lighting

Provide additional transportation options to maintain social distancing and worker and consumer safety to protect against COVID-19 • Secure additional transportation services for workers • Offer new delivery routes or distribution services

Provide worker housing that protects workers against COVID-19 • Secure additional housing resources/services to maintain social distancing or to allow for quarantining of new or exposed employees

Provide health services to protect workers against COVID-19 • Offer or enable vaccinations, testing, or healthcare treatment of infected employees, including any paid leave due to COVID-19 infection.

*Activities outside of the above will not be eligible expenses

Information needed to apply The application process is very simple, but you will need some information and documents in order to fill out the online portal. Please gather these items prior to starting the application process or attending the webinar.

• • • • •

Organization’s DUNS number – one can be obtained for free: https://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/ Business’ legal address and contact information Industry type Receipts from COVID related expenses as detailed above If you applied for the ISDA Meat Processing Expansion & Development Grant Program in 2020, please have your project budget on hand to evaluate your eligible matching costs

Resources To learn more about how to obtain a DUNS number with detailed steps, watch this webinar hosted by IMPAA - https://fb.watch/8w315uU4eb/ To learn more about the PRS program in detail, watch this webinar hosted by the Indiana State Department of Agriculture - www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtHvAZAcEYw

IMPPA, Please pay attention to the below. We are staying on top of this grant as it should be very beneficial to many plants. This grant asked for a “Request for Information” (RFI) from industry professionals. IMPPA with the help of ISDA conducted a survey to decide what would be the best way to distribute the funds.

Based on the survey results we formulated a letter that was submitted to USDA on 8/30/21. The $500 Million grant, IMPPA Request for Information letter as well as the AAMP Request for Information letter is attached below. I will keep you all updated on the progress of this grant. I however to not think that we will know much more about this grant until the first of the year. I’ll update as soon as I hear more.

-Darla Kiesel

USDA Announces $500 Million for Expanded Meat & Poultry Processing Capacity as Part of Efforts to Increase Competition, Level the Playing Field for Family Farmers and Ranchers, and Build a Better Food System Press Release Release No. 0154.21 Contact: USDA Press Email: press@usda.gov Council Bluffs, I.A., July 9, 2021 – Today, USDA is announcing it intends to make significant investments to expand processing capacity and increase competition in meat and poultry processing to make agricultural markets more accessible, fair, competitive, and resilient for American farmers and ranchers. This is one of several key steps that USDA will take to increase competition in agricultural markets, pursuant to President Biden’s Executive Order on promoting competition and as part of USDA efforts to build a more resilient supply chain and better food system. Together, USDA’s actions will help farmers, ranchers, farmworkers and consumers all get a fair shake.

Specifically, USDA announced its intent to invest $500 million in American Rescue Plan funds to expand meat and poultry processing capacity so that farmers, ranchers, and consumers have more choices in the marketplace. USDA also announced more than $150 million for existing small and very small processing facilities to help them weather COVID, compete in the marketplace and get the support they need to reach more customers. USDA is also holding meat packers accountable by revitalizing the Packers and Stockyards Act, issuing new rules on “Product of USA” labels, and developing plans to expand farmers’ access to new markets.

“The COVID-19 pandemic led to massive disruption for growers, food workers, and consumers alike. It exposed a food system that was rigid, consolidated, and fragile. Meanwhile, those growing, processing and preparing our food are earning less each year in a system that rewards size over all else,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “To shift the balance of power back to the people, USDA will invest in building more, better, and fairer markets for producers and consumers alike. The investments USDA will make in expanding meat and poultry capacity, along with restoration of the Packers and Stockyards Act, will begin to level the playing field for farmers and ranchers. This is a once in a generation opportunity to transform the food system so it is more resilient to shocks, delivers greater value to growers and workers, and offers consumers an affordable selection of healthy food produced and sourced locally and regionally by farmers and processors from diverse backgrounds. I am confident USDA’s investments in expanded capacity will spur millions more in leveraged funding from the private sector and state and local partners as our efforts gain traction across the country.”

The announcement USDA is making today is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s historic commitment to fight monopolization and promote competition across the economy. They are also aligned with USDA’s vision of a food system that is fair, competitive, distributed, and resilient, one that supports health and ensures producers receive a fair share of the food dollar while advancing equity and combating the climate crisis. In the coming months, USDA will take additional steps to promote competition and make a series of additional investments under USDA’s Build Back Better Initiative focused on building a better food system.

Market Concentration in Agriculture As key agricultural markets have become more concentrated and less competitive, farmers and ranchers are getting squeezed from both sides. Markets for farm inputs—like seeds and fertilizer—are now dominated by just a few companies. Meanwhile, farmers and ranchers have fewer and fewer options for selling their products. The result is that often family farmers and ranchers are getting less, consumers are paying more, and those in the middle are taking the difference.

Dominant companies can use their power to engage in abusive practices and make it harder for farmers, ranchers, and consumers to get a fair price. Farmers’ share of every dollar spent on food has declined consistently from 35 cents in the 1970s to around just 14 cents in recent years.

Concentration in food processing has contributed to bottlenecks in America’s food supply chain, too. Just a few meatpackers, with a few large processing facilities, process most of the livestock that farmers and ranchers raise into the meat that we buy. For example, just four large meat-packing companies control over 80 percent of the beef market alone.

One of the lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic is that this system is too rigid and too fragile. When COVID slowed or shuttered meat processing, many farmers had no place to go. Farmers were forced to depopulate their animals, while grocery store shelves went bare and demand for food assistance spiked. These vulnerabilities are not new. And, given current concerns about climate and cybersecurity, these risks are likely to grow even more sharply in the future.

USDA is announcing the following initiatives to increase competition in agricultural markets, and build more resilience supply chains: Investing More Than $500 million to Increase Competition and Capacity in the Meat and Poultry Processing Markets.

USDA will commit $500 million of USDA’s Build Back Better Initiative funds through the American Rescue Plan to support new competitive entrants in meat and poultry processing. USDA will provide grants, loans, and technical assistance to address concentration within the meat and poultry sectors and relieve supply chain bottlenecks by supporting new meat and poultry processing facilities. These facilities will create competitive opportunities for producers in local and regional food systems so that farmers and ranchers have access to better choices and fairer prices. USDA has issued a Request for Information (RFI) to solicit public input into its strategy to improve meat and poultry processing infrastructure and will hold targeted stakeholder meetings and other public engagement to better understand the needs, gaps, and barriers to fair and competitive meat processing markets.

Providing more than $150 million to Strengthen Existing Small and Very Small Processing Facilities and Help Them Weather COVID, Stay in the Marketplace, and Expand Capacity USDA will invest more than $55 million in strengthening existing small and very small meat processing capacity, benefitting smaller producers and processing plants. USDA has made $55.2 million available for Meat and Poultry Inspection Readiness Grants to support expanded meat and poultry slaughter and processing capacity and efficiency while maintaining strong inspection and food safety standards.

USDA will dedicate $100 million to help small and very small processing plants weather the volatility and unexpected costs that COVID imposed. With American Rescue Plan funds, USDA will provide $100 million to reduce the financial burden of overtime inspection fees for small and very small poultry, meat and egg processing plants, which provide farmers with local alternatives and greater capacity to process livestock.

Leveling the Playing Field for Independent Family Farmers and Ranchers USDA will revitalize the Packers and Stockyards Act to fight unfair practices and rebuild a competitive marketplace. The Packers and Stockyards Act was designed to ensure a fair and competitive marketplace and protect farmers against abuse at the hands of large businesses in the livestock and poultry industry. But the previous administration systematically weakened the law’s scope. To facilitate effective enforcement of the Act, USDA will be conducting three rulemakings. First, the rulemakings will clarify the conduct that USDA considers a violation of the Packers and Stockyards Act, including conduct that is unfair, deceptive, or unjustly discriminatory against farmers and growers. Second, they will address oppressive practices in chicken processing. Third, the rulemakings will reinforce the longstanding USDA position that it is not necessary to demonstrate harm or likely harm to competition in order to establish a violation of the Act. USDA will develop a plan to increase farmers’ and ranchers’ access to new markets, and promote their ability to receive a fair return. As per the President’s Executive Order on promoting competition, USDA will develop a plan to increase opportunities for farmers to access markets, including by supporting value-added markets and local and regional food distribution systems. USDA will also analyze and recommend policies to address the impacts of concentration in seeds and in the retail sector on family farmers, and propose strategies to enhance transparency and accountability in key markets. Together, these initiatives will give farmers more choices on how they buy and sell so that they aren’t at the mercy of a handful of dominant processors and distributors.

USDA will issue new rules on labeling so that domestic farmers and ranchers don’t have to compete with foreign companies that mislead consumers. On July 1st, USDA announced intent to conduct a top-to-bottom review of the “Product of USA” meat labeling term.

Building a Better Food System and Strengthening the Food Supply Chain Citing lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and recent supply chain disruptions, earlier this month USDA announced plans to invest more than $4 billion to strengthen critical supply chains through USDA’s Build Back Better initiative to strengthen and transform the food system, using funding from the American Rescue Plan and the Consolidated Appropriations Act. The $500 million commitment to invest in meat and poultry processing today begins to detail how the $4 billion will be deployed. The new effort will strengthen the food system, create new market opportunities, tackle the climate crisis, help communities that have been left behind, and support good-paying jobs throughout the supply chain. A transformed food system will provide producers with a greater share of the food dollar and make agriculture a more compelling career. It will also improve nutrition and the health status of Americans, reducing the costs of healthcare and diet-related diseases.

Through USDA’s Build Back Better initiative, USDA will help to ensure the food system of the future is fair, competitive, distributed, and resilient; supports health with access to healthy, affordable food; ensures growers and workers receive a greater share of the food dollar; and advances equity as well as climate resilience and mitigation.

While USDA’s Build Back Better initiative addresses near- and long-term issues, recent events have exposed the immediate need for action. USDA’s actions to promote competition and the intention to invest in additional small- and medium-sized meat processing capacity will spur economic opportunity while strengthening resilience and certainty for producers and consumers alike.

This announcement also furthers the Biden-Harris Administration’s work on strengthening the resilience of critical supply chains as directed by Executive Order 14017 on America’s Supply Chains. USDA’s efforts to strengthen the food system is a vital component of the Administration’s whole-of-government response to address near-term supply chain challenges to the economic recovery. Through the Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force, of which Secretary Vilsack is a member, the Administration is convening stakeholders to diagnose problems and surface solutions—large and small, public or private—that could help alleviate bottlenecks and supply constraints related to the economy’s reopening after the Administration’s historic vaccination and economic relief efforts.

Additional Project Supporters

Dewig Meats, Haubstadt

Old Major, LLC

Beck’s Hybrids, Atlanta

Sander Family Meat Market

Farm Boy Meats of Evansville Inc.

Sander Processing

Fisher Packing Company

Brewer Meats

Merkley & Sons

First Capitol Meats

Culver Duck Farms, Inc.

Yoder's Meat and Cheese Co.

Knightstown locker

Gettinger Family Custom Meats

Holy Cow Farm Fresh LLC

4 Bar M Inc. J&J Quality Meats LLC Parretts Meat Processing Monon Meat Packing & Catering, Inc. Integrity Meats

Rihm Foods John's Butcher Shop Inc. Wabash Clay Custom Meats, Inc. Heritage Meat Haus

Odon Locker Inc.

Roeschlein Meat Processing LLC

Beutler Meat Processing Inc.

Guthrie Creek Butchery

Rices Quality Farm Meats Inc. Krider's Meat Processing

Oliver's Butcher Shop Martins Custom Butchering

Munsee Meats, Miller's Smoke House Hanford Packing Co. Inc. Moody’s Butcher Shop This Old Farm, Inc.

One Meating Place Elizabethtown, PA 17022 P: (717) 367-1168 F: (717) 367-9096 E-mail: aamp@aamp.com Website: www.aamp.com

August 30, 2021 The Honorable Thomas J. Vilsack Secretary of Agriculture U.S. Department of Agriculture 1400 Independence Ave. S.W. Washington, DC 20250 Dear Mr. Secretary: On behalf of the members of the American Association of Meat Processors (AAMP), and small processors across the country, we would like to thank you for providing an opportunity for grants that will allow small businesses to upgrade and improve their buildings, equipment, technical support, and workforce training in order increase their capacity and competitiveness in the market.

AAMP is North America's largest meat trade organization. Membership includes more than 1,500 medium-sized and smaller meat, poultry, and food businesses, slaughterers, packers, processors, wholesalers, in-home food service businesses, retailers, deli and catering operators, and industry suppliers. It is the mission of AAMP to provide quality service, knowledge through education, regulatory representation, and networking opportunities for our members.

The small processors need for this grant are crucial. We witnessed a decline in the small slaughter and processing facilities each year for about 15 years, dating back to the early 2000s. In recent times, we observed a changing trend with the local food and farm-to-table movement, as there was a lot of interest among consumers in knowing where their meat originated. These consumers began turning to small local processors, thereby creating a need for these types of plants.

During the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, we saw a weakness in the supply chain. It became obvious that there was not enough slaughter or processing capacity on the small side of the industry to keep up with the demand of the small producer. Historically, there has never really been any type of grants for small processors until now. The agency has done a tremendous job with grants and loans over the years for small producers which have helped them to flourish; however, the small processor has fallen behind and now there is a large gap in what is produced by farmers and what can be processed by processors. Most of the small plants that provide slaughter and processing services to local producers are booking slaughter dates over a year in advance or more.

One Meating Place Elizabethtown, PA 17022 P: (717) 367-1168 F: (717) 367-9096 E-mail: aamp@aamp.com Website: www.aamp.com

Excitement has slowly been building in the small processor community. A lot of new blood and younger generation business owners are coming into the industry. This is an ideal opportunity to close the supply chain gap in a short time; however, there needs to be an infusion of funds due to the high cost of equipment and buildings needed to increase the capacity at existing plants and new ones being built. To give you an idea, here are some of the average costs facing small processors in the industry today. The average cost for doing any type of construction to expand a small facility is over $200 a square foot and, in some places, almost $400 a square foot. Equipment costs in the industry are also high; a stuffing machine can cost $50,000 and up, a rollstock packaging machine can be $100,000. A new smokehouse can be $60,000 to $200,000 or more depending on the size. AAMP recommends the grant be for up to $500,000 if we want to make a significant impact. We would also encourage the agency to consider more long-term investments into the small processors by having grants, low-interest loans, and other funding programs available each year for small processors just it has done for small producers so successfully.

As the agency works to determine those who should be eligible to apply for the grant, AAMP would ask that it focus its efforts on the truly small businesses who would receive the most benefit from the money, whether they would be federally inspected, state inspected, custom exempt or even new businesses coming into the industry. AAMP requests the grant for meat and poultry processors be limited to companies with 200 or fewer employees. We would also encourage the agency to concentrate on funding existing small processors as well as the new startups. Existing processors have the knowledge and experience to make the quickest impact on the supply chain and the best chance for the long-term success of the project. We still believe the new startups will also play a vital role in meeting the needs of their communities and deserve to be considered for the grants as well.

AAMP would also ask that the agency evaluate the application process and make sure it’s not so difficult that it discourages small businesses from applying. After seeing the application process for the recent $55.2 million grant, I believe there were some difficult and not clearly explained portions of the application. An applicant should be able to complete the application without difficulty and be able to tell the story of their need and project without difficulty. We would ask the agency to consider outreach programs and educational materials designed to help applicants understand what the agency is looking for from them to judge the viability of the project and its potential for success.

AAMP asks that the agency offer funding to develop and deploy state or local workforce training programs to support knowledge around food safety programs such as HACCP, humane handling, good manufacturing practices, meat cutting, product development, and other related curricula that help processors to grow and sustain the progression and quality of service to producers and consumers alike. Training programs could be

One Meating Place Elizabethtown, PA 17022 P: (717) 367-1168 F: (717) 367-9096 E-mail: aamp@aamp.com Website: www.aamp.com

targeted directly to companies for in-house use or through local land grant universities and are needed regularly by facilities of all sizes to train employees of varying skill levels.

AAMP would again like to thank the agency for providing this opportunity to small businesses to apply for these funds, knowing the change that it could bring not only for small processors and producers but also to consumers in the communities in which they operate. Providing ongoing funding to small processors and producers is vital to the long-term success and sustainability of providing wholesome animal proteins to consumers, not only in rural areas but in communities everywhere. AAMP strongly believes that the small producers and processors provide a strong foundation to animal agriculture in America and are thankful that the need to ensure their sustainability has been recognized.

Sincerely,

Christopher J. Young Executive Director American Association of Meat Processors

IMPPA – BOAH – ISDA Monthly Meeting, September 2, 2021 IMPPA is happy to announce that we are now starting monthly meetings with the Indiana Board of Animal Health (BOAH) and the Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA)! This is a very exciting opportunity for all three organizations to meet, discuss relevant topics, ask each other for help, discuss updates in grants and inspection status and much more. The meetings are held the first Thursday of every month. Meeting members included IMPPA Representatives Tim Rice, Rice Quality Farm Meats; Bob Culler, Culler Consulting; and Darla Kiesel, IMPPA Executive Secretary. Agency representatives included: Andrew Carty, Economic Development Director of ISDA, as well as Dr. Kerri Suhr, Director BOAH Meat & Poultry Inspection, and Renae Swiatkowski, Deputy Director BOAH Meat & Poultry Inspection. As we continue these monthly meetings, I would ask that you please send me your comments or concerns in advance so that we can ensure we bring those up in our discussions with BOAH and ISDA. The first meeting was a huge success, and IMPPA would like to share some minutes from this meeting: Inspector Status Currently BOAH has 39 inspectors in the field as well as 6 supervisor inspectors. BOAH is very happy to announce that they have hired one full time inspector and have three full time inspectors starting the end of September. They have one position still open and do plan to fill that position soon. Once the inspectors are hired it takes between two weeks and two months to completely train the inspectors. This variation depends on the inspectors’ background in the industry. The goal is to have all new inspectors completely trained and in their plants by the end of 2021. BOAH states that the new hires are very qualified, very energetic, and excited to be in that position! BOAH is working with IMPPA to see if it is possible to send out some information about the new inspectors so IMPPA members in those regions can begin putting faces to names.

New Plants BOAH has multiple new facilities across Indiana that have either reopened or started construction and are actively working on becoming inspected. BOAH will need to staff these plants; however, there is no current concern that BOAH will need to take inspection days away from current establishments to service these new plants: Type New/Reopened Custom Exempt New/Reopened Inspected

2020

2021

3

4

Current Possible Pipeline for 2022 9

2

8

7

When new plants contact BOAH they receive a “New Member Packet” detailing the process to become inspected. IMPPA information is included in that packet, and we have been providing information to them as plants can become members even before they open! If you have any thoughts on critical information a new plant should know or be aware of, please always feel free to share.

Meat Grader BOAH is interested in hiring a USDA Meat Grader. BOAH has worked previously trying to acquire a grader, but it is very costly due to training and constant travel. We are going to continue to watch the $500 million grant and see what the provisions of that grant are. There are some cost options that ISDA and BOAH could possibly work together on to potentially minimize the cost of this position, but any scenario would likely include some cost to any plants that would want the service. We will continue to investigate and revaluate this option monthly.

If you feel your plant might be interested and willing to pay for such a service, please let me know!

African Swine Fever African Swine Fever is real, and APHIS/FSIS is working to keep in out of the US. Currently African Swine Fever is in the Dominican Republic which is close to Puerto Rico. If it is found in Puerto Rico foreign trade could possibly be halted. BOAH is investigating and putting a plan together incase this problem does hit the US. They will continue to update us monthly or even more often if need be, but please see the webpage with more info on current planning https://www.in.gov/boah/species-information/swinepigs/securing-indianas-pork-supply/.

USDA Mask Mandate The USDA Mask Mandate has stirred up some controversy. At the current time Federal plants are mandated to wear masks if the establishment is located in a county with “substantial” or “high” community transmission of COVID-19. Employers may visit https://covid.cdc.gov/coviddata-tracker/#county-view to view the current status of their county in deciding if the mask mandate is in effect for them. State inspected meat plants are operating under the guidance of the Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb. Since the Governor has not mandated mask wearing in Indiana the state plants are not required to wear masks. It is recommended, but not mandatory. CIS plants are stuck in the middle. Since they are inspected on a daily basis by State inspectors, they are not required to wear masks. If they do have a federal inspector come to their facility, the visit will be announced, and the plants will be required to wear masks just like the Federal plants.

Custom Exempt and Retail Exempt The National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection is being tasked for recommendations to clarify the Agency’s position on the custom and retail exemptions to ensure that meat, poultry, and egg products produced under the exemptions are safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled and packaged. For Custom Exempt the main issue is cooperative organizations owning the animal(s) vs. individual(s). For Retail Exempt the issue is

further processing of their “non-inspected” product by another company. Dr. Suhr has the information and will update us on her thoughts concerning making comments and/or attending the virtual meeting.

CIS program FSIS seeks recommendations for Improvements to the CIS Program. The Consolidated Appropriations Act directs FSIS to submit a report to Congress that describes recommendation for possible improvements to the CIS program. Dr. Suhr has submitted her comments. Items such as allowing state inspectors to do voluntary inspection, recommendations to make exporting easier, raise or eliminate the employee number figure for CIS plants, and increase federal dollars used for this program are all recommendations that Dr. Suhr listed. Dr. Suhr has shared BOAH’s recommendations, and IMPPA will also write a recommendation for improvements letter. BOAH’s letter and IMPPA’s letter is attached in this newsletter.

USDA Overtime Inspection Fees (for federal plants only) In the American Rescue Plan Act, enacted on March 11, 2021, Congress provided the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) with $100 million in budget authority to reduce the costs of overtime inspection for small and very small official meat and poultry establishments and egg products plants. FSIS will implement this provision by reducing overtime and holiday inspection fees for small establishments by 30 percent and very small establishments by 75 percent. FSIS has developed an Overtime/Holiday Rate Reduction form that official establishments will need to submit to request an overtime or holiday inspection fee reduction. FSIS will review the form to determine whether an establishment qualifies for the fee reduction. Establishments are encouraged to submit their completed Overtime/Holiday Rate Reduction forms by August 16, 2021, to expedite the process. However, establishments may submit their forms at any time. All establishments that submit their forms by March 11, 2022, and that qualify for a fee reduction, will receive a partial refund for overtime and holiday inspection fees paid since October 11, 2020. Small and very small establishments should submit their completed forms to the FSIS inspection personnel assigned to their establishment or, alternatively, FAX the completed form to the appropriate FSIS District Office, “Attention Grant Curator.” Contact information for the FSIS District Offices, including FAX numbers, is available at: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/contactus/fsis-offices/office-field-operations-ofo.

IMPPA Updates Membership IMPPA currently has 82 meat packing plant members and 69 supplier members. We are actively growing. Darla has sent out membership information to every meat packing plant in Indiana and Kentucky as well as membership information to our current supplier members. We still have the three-year initiative in place and are going to push with our supplier members to try to gain more IMPPA meat packer members. IMPPA is also formulating a more extensive supplier

excel sheet of non-IMPPA supplier members. We will soon mail membership information to non-IMPPA suppliers. Please see attached our most recent IMPPA Join US flyer!

Grants IMPPA conducted a survey with the help of ISDA on how we feel the best way to implement the $500 million grant to small and medium size meat packing plants. Based on the survey results that were submitted by 37 IMPPA plants, we formulated a letter with the help of Indiana Beef, Indiana Pork, Indiana Poultry, Indiana Farm Bureau, and Indiana State Department of Agriculture. We submitted our letter to USDA the end of August. Darla submitted the finished letter to the above-mentioned associations as well as Purdue University and BOAH, both of whom could not make formalized comments based on their position. IMPPA’s letter is attached in this newsletter.

Christi Southerland from Prosperity Ag is formulating a grant update to submit to IMPPA meat packing plants. Christi is working with Dewig Meats as well as some other meat packers in the state. IMPPA has used her services multiple times now, and we have her on retainer to assist us in these type tasks. Christi is going to start writing up some information on available grants for both meat packing plants as well as IMPPA possibilities. Christi will give us a short breakdown of the grant, the amount of money available for these grants, starting and ending time periods of the grants, etc. Darla had been doing this job in the past, but we felt that Christi would be better suited for this job since it is her professional occupation. Christi will send us an update either bi-monthly or monthly depending on time periods of available grants. See the first update located in this newsletter.

Mask Mandate IMPPA is in opposition of the Federal Mask Mandate. We feel as a board that USDA is overstepping their boundaries. USDA is not thinking about little packers needs including kill floor situations where wearing a mask is impossible. We have written a letter to Mr. Vilsack at USDA as well as the Governor, Lt. Governor, State Senators, and Representatives asking them to please repeal this mandate. IMPPA’s letter as well as AAMP’s letter are both attached in this newsletter.

HACCP Training The HACCP training sessions were a success! IMPPA had 18 attendees at the Indianapolis training and 11 attendees at the Ft. Branch location. We will continue to investigate the best option for us to provide periodic HACCP trainings (or even refresher courses) for our membership. Special thanks to our Supplier Sponsors that are mentioned in this newsletter. If you are interested in this training in the future, please let me know!

Butcher Boiler Basics Purdue Butcher Boiler Basics was a huge success! Purdue had approximately 50 attendees split up between pork, lamb/goat, beef, and poultry cutting classes. Purdue surveyed attendees before and after the programs and the responses were overwhelming positive, exceeding many expectations. Purdue is currently planning sessions for 2022 which will most likely be 4 separate sessions held the end of April thru the beginning of June. If you are interested in these trainings in the future, please let me know!

IMPPA Outreach IMPPA has some plans to become more involved with our legislators and media. Dan Titus and Darla Kiesel attended the Rural Caucus at the Indiana State Fair to speak to legislators about the Meat Processing Expansion Grant given out the end of 2020, and what the current needs are of the meat packers in Indiana and Kentucky. Indiana Farm Bureau is hosting a virtual “Lunch and Learn” on 10/27/21 where Darla will be speaking about IMPPA. More information will be sent out about that soon. IMPPA has also formulated an introduction letter to send out to state legislators in September/October. This letter tells what IMPPA is, what we do, who we support, our regional tours we took in 2021, HACCP trainings, convention information etc. We are inviting representatives to visit our plants so we personally can explain and show these representatives our needs. Please be open to requests from these representatives to visit you.

This is the best way to show these folks our part of Indiana agriculture.

If you as a meat packer or even supplier member have a comment or concern that you would like us to address with either BOAH or ISDA, please let Darla know so that we can properly address the situation.

Bob Culler said it best, “What we have in Indiana is special. It’s really something to have all three of these organizations working together.

It’s something to be proud of.”

INDIANA STATE BOARD OF ANIMAL HEALTH

Eric J. Holcomb, Governor Bret D. Marsh, DVM, State Veterinarian

Office of the State Veterinarian Discovery Hall, Suite 100 1202 East 38th Street Indianapolis, IN 46205-2898 Phone: 317/544-2400

August 30, 2021 Food Safety and Inspection Service – USDA Submitted via: CISProgram@usda.gov The Indiana State Board of Animal Health (BOAH) submits the following in response to USDA’s request for recommendations for improvement of the Cooperative Interstate Shipping (CIS) program.

There are currently 18 Indiana state plants participating in the CIS program. BOAH is aware of 13 more plants that are actively pursuing CIS designation. BOAH’s goal is to accommodate any plant in our program that wants to sign up for the CIS program.

CIS Benefits Indiana has greatly benefitted from the Cooperative Interstate Shipment program. In April 2020 BOAH conducted a survey of Indiana state meat program plants participating in the CIS program. The 12 plant owners participating in the survey reported the following benefits from being in the CIS program: • Interstate shipment and distribution • Extend customer base • Being able to distribute through food distributors and grow a wholesale business • Increased sales tremendously • Allows customers to sell products in interstate commerce • Being able to sell to out-of-state restaurants • Able to offer federal inspection to farmers who can then expand their markets interstate Seventy-five percent of the plant owners reported they hired additional employees since joining the CIS program. Eighty-three percent reported the CIS program allowed them to expand their business. Eleven of the participants reported they would recommend the CIS program to other plants and one was undecided on that question. Since this survey was conducted the number of Indiana plants participating in the CIS program has continued to grow and BOAH believes that the benefits reported by the survey participants are being realized by the plants that have more recently joined the CIS program.

Safeguarding Indiana’s animals, food supply and citizens for more than 125 years.

An equal opportunity employer and provider.

Indiana State Board of Animal Health CIS Program Comments August 30, 2021 Page | 2 The 2020 survey participants reported the following challenges with joining the CIS program: • “Undefined roles” between BOAH & USDA regarding where products can and cannot go • None, same as state inspection • Navigating the CFR • Approval of labels, label changes. Initial label approval was time-consuming • Having to make changes in the plant, required by federal inspectors • Building/processing room improvements CIS Improvements BOAH has a few suggestions for improving the CIS program and we thank you for the opportunity to share them with you.

The CIS program requirement that a participating plant may have no more than 25 employees is cumbersome and acts as an artificial restriction on the ability of plants to innovate and grow in the program. The 25 employee limit, including part-time employees, is too easy to reach and surpass for small plants. The purpose of the state meat inspection programs and the CIS program is to serve small and very small plants. Many of these plants have spent generations with the MPI program and are happy to see the growth of their business but would prefer to stay with the State program. Plant owners are faced with an artificial and unnecessary choice when their business grows to the point they are considering hiring that 26th employee. Many do not, limiting the economic benefits of the CIS program.

The metric “number of employees” is cumbersome because plants do not know which employees count and which do not count for this purpose. Part-time and intermittent employees only add to the confusion. The number of employees is not a good indicator of the volume of product produced at a meat plant, the food safety risk of the plant or the ability of the state program to provide inspection at the plant. The arbitrary nature of the 25 limit is obvious, cannot be reasonably explained to the plants and undermines confidence in the rules governing the program.

BOAH proposes two potential solutions: 1. Stop using the number of employees as the metric to determine which plants are too big for the CIS program. Instead, institute a policy/rule that any plant that is classified as “small” or “very small” under the FSIS classification criteria is eligible for the CIS program, no matter how many people the plant employs.

2. If the number of employees remains the metric, substantially increase the number from 25 to 75 or 100 and limit the employees counted to only those that are directly involved in the slaughtering of animals and production of meat products. And, part-time employees and intermittent employees should count only as a fraction of an employee.

Indiana State Board of Animal Health CIS Program Comments August 30, 2021 Page | 3 Indiana has one CIS plant that slaughters deer and elk under the voluntary inspection program.

This plant must bring in a FSIS employee to conduct this voluntary inspection activity.

Therefore, there is often one Indiana CIS and one USDA inspector in the plant at the same time.

This is wasteful, unnecessary, and not possible to reasonably explain to the meat plant.

Plants participating in CIS plants are determined to be “same as” in their inspection of amenable species. Therefore, state employees in CIS plants should be able to also inspect non-amenable species under voluntary inspection and apply the federal mark for these species.

Indiana program inspectors are required to pass the same courses- Inspection Methods and Livestock Slaughter- in order to be assigned to a CIS plant. Therefore, BOAH should be able to assign its inspectors to regulate voluntary inspection. This would support the Indiana CIS program as well as assisting the plant and producer. BOAH inspectors are there on a consistent basis and are knowledgeable with the plant management and procedures. Allowing state employees to conduct this function would save both the federal and state programs money and resources and align the program functions with the “same as” designation.

Indiana has been very fortunate to have a Select Establishment Coordinator since the onset of our program. Many other states do not have a set coordinator to oversee the program in their state.

Mr. Baburam helps with many questions and problems that arise and is an invaluable asset to the CIS program. BOAH suggests that a coordinator be assigned to every state or at least every area.

This coordinator should be someone who has the knowledge and experience to coordinate the cooperative effort between the state, plant owners and USDA. Indiana has had some plants interested in exporting CIS products to Canada. The process to reach an agreement for exporting products appears to be very lengthy. The interested party has decided not to pursue it at this time because of the uncertainty surrounding the process. If FSIS could pave the way for product from CIS plants to be exported to Canada it would further enhance the market opportunities for CIS plants.

USDA is to provide 50% of the funding for the state base inspection program and 60% of the funding for the CIS program. This funding is critical to the continued operation of state programs and is much appreciated. Indiana has seen unprecedented growth in state plant activity in the last 24 months. Existing plants are growing and demanding more inspection service, many new plants have opened requiring inspection services and there are many more plants in the pipeline that are expected to open in 2021 and 2022. Therefore, Indiana is challenged to hire additional inspectors to accommodate this demand for inspection services. The staffing and operational costs are increasing as a result and Indiana expects costs to continue to rise for at least the next 2 years. Congress and USDA must increase funding for state programs to fully fund the federal share of the growing base and CIS programs. Without increases, the funding limits will translate

Indiana State Board of Animal Health CIS Program Comments August 30, 2021 Page | 4 to limits on state programs’ ability to provide inspection which will limit state plants’ ability to grow.

Indiana has experienced exponential growth in interest in the state meat and poultry inspection program that continues today. Interest in the CIS program has grown dramatically giving the participants many marketing opportunities that they would not otherwise have. We appreciate you taking the time to hear our concerns and suggestions. This is a worthy program and our participants see the value and are experiencing growth as a result.

Sincerely,

Kerri Suhr, DVM Director, Meat and Poultry Inspection Department cc:

Bret D. Marsh, DVM, Indiana State Veterinarian Bruce Kettler, Director, Indiana State Department of Agriculture

September 11, 2021 Food Safety and Inspection Service – USDA Submitted via: CISProgram@usda.gov The Indiana Meat Packers & Processor Association, Inc (IMPPA) appreciates the opportunity to submit the following in response to USDA’s request for recommendations for improvement of the Cooperative Interstate Shipping (CIS) program.

IMPPA represents regional meat and poultry establishments located in Indiana and Kentucky. Our members include Retail Exempt, Custom Exempt, State Inspection, Cooperative Inter-State Shipment (CIS) Inspection & Federal Inspection establishments.

Indiana’s Board of Animal Health, Meat & Poultry Inspection Department has informed IMPPA that there are currently 18 Indiana establishments participating in the CIS program. Currently, there are 13 more establishments plants that are actively pursuing CIS designation. Thus, IMPPA considers this a very important program to our members.

CIS Improvements Employee count The purpose of the state meat inspection programs and the CIS program is to serve small and very small plants to allow expanding opportunities for distribution of their products. Under current USDA definitions a very small establishment is fewer than 10 employees or annual sales of less than $2.5 million and small establishments is 10 or more employees but fewer than 500. This widespread in the number of employees for small establishments resulted in a cumbersome employee count metric for CIS establishments.

The CIS limitation for employee count (9 CFR § 332.3 (b)) is 25 or fewer employees on 12-month average and the total number of employees can never exceed 35 individuals at any given time. Employees are all individuals, both supervisory and non-supervisory, employed by the establishment on a full-time, part-time, or temporary basis (including temporary agency employees and volunteers) whose duties involve handling the meat or meat food products prepared by the establishment. This restriction has forced the establishment that have retail sales section as part of their facility to maintain 2 separate businesses.

IMPPA recommends simplifying and increasing the maximum number of all employees for the establishment to 100 at any given time (regardless if they do or do not handle the meat or meat food products).

Non-amenable species under voluntary inspection Plants participating in CIS plants are determined to be “same as” in their inspection of amenable species. However, CIS plants that request voluntary inspection of non-amenable species, such as deer and elk, need USDA inspection.

Indiana program inspectors are required to pass the same courses- Inspection Methods and Livestock Slaughter- in order to be assigned to a CIS plant. With this requirement, qualified State inspectors should be eligible to preform voluntary inspection. This would support the Indiana CIS program as well as assisting the plant and producer.

Allowing qualified State employees to conduct this function would save both the federal and state programs money and resources and align the program functions with the “same as” designation.

IMPPA recommends that qualified state employees in CIS plants to be able to also inspect non-amenable species under voluntary inspection and apply the federal mark for these species.

Funding USDA provides 50% of the funding for the state base inspection program and 60% of the funding for the CIS program. Since the CIS program requires equivalency to the federal program, this funding is critical, but not totally sufficient for the continued operation of state programs.

Indiana has seen unprecedented growth in state plant activity in the last 24 months. Existing plants are growing and demanding more inspection service, many new plants have opened requiring inspection services and there are many more plants in the pipeline that are expected to open in 2021 and 2022.

Therefore, Indiana is challenged to hire additional inspectors to accommodate this demand for inspection services.

The staffing and operational costs are increasing as a result and Indiana expects costs to continue to rise for at least the next 2 years. Funding limits will translate to limits on state programs’ ability to provide inspection which will limit IMPPA member plants’ ability to grow.

IMPPA recommends that Congress and USDA must increase funding for state programs to fully fund the federal share of the growing base and CIS programs.

Closing Indiana has experienced continual in interest in the state meat and poultry inspection program. This interest has been exponential as a result of the COVID pandemic and local processing needs. Interest in the CIS program has grown dramatically giving the participants many marketing opportunities that they would not otherwise have. The CIS program and our IMPPA members see the value and are experiencing growth as a result.

Respectfully,

Darla Kiesel Executive Secretary, Indiana Meat Packers & Processors Association, Inc.

Robert Culler

Robert Culler Culler Consulting

3. Your sales staff should be polite, knowledgeable, and respectful.

We’ve all had the salesperson that asks several times to help, and it can be off-putting, but on the other hand you have probably had a moment when you couldn’t get any help. Neither is a good way to show customers that you care about their experience. If you find you often have customers waiting for service, investing in a numbering system may save you from asking “who’s next?” to a group of busy customers. There are several options for systems that vary in expense, but these systems allow customers a feeling of order, and removes some unnecessary anxiety for customers that aren’t as pushy as others, while given customers an estimation of waiting time. Additionally, sales staff should have at least some general knowledge of the products, and even be willing to offer advice or suggestions to customers that are new or that are having a hard time deciding on purchases.

SAME PORK CHOP

Dewig Meats, Haubstadt, IN

4. All products should be displayed to their best.

Having good lighting throughout your retail area and within your case gives brightness, which translates to freshness in the eyes of the customer. If your cases are a bit dated, perhaps adding a string of LED lighting can be a cost-effective method to add some brightness. The packaging and background of your product can also add a lot of attractiveness. They say dark colors “don’t show dirt”, well they also don’t show blood/purge either. There isn’t a magic color that will cause people to spend more money, but if you can have good contrasting color with trays or paper, your product may “pop” a bit more. But if you like the colors you have, one important step may be just to keep it tidy and free of spill or product splashes. Last, but not least, discolored product is always a turn off to consumers, so try to avoid it at all costs or re-work product that is looking dim. Key things that will discolor your product are heat, light, and oxygen; so good case temperatures, mindfulness of proximity to lighting sources, and good packaging can extend A: White tray with low light. your products’ shelf life.

B: White tray with bright lighting.

C: Black tray with low lighting.

D: Black tray with bright lighting

LOOK GOOD!

TARGETS

LIGHT TYPES FLUORESCENT - wide variety of tubular bulbs from which light is emitted by a layer of fluorescent material; vary widely in spectral energy distribution, and some are not good for meat color INCANDESCENT - light is produced by heating a filament via electric current (i.e. common household bulb)

Color Temperature of 2800 to 3500 Kelvin.

Note: this is the single best reference for meat

Color Rendering Index (CRI) of 80 to 90.

Note: best used in conjunction with color temp.

HALOGEN - halogen gas reacts with a tungsten filament to produce light (i.e. some spotlights) HIGH INTENSITY DISCHARGE (HID) - a group of lamps, including mercury vapor and metal halide lamps (i.e. gymnasium or auditorium lamps) LIGHT EMITTING DIODE (LED) - emerging category of low voltage, efficient lamps that can have a color temperature suitable for meat; potential new lighting option

Light intensity of 150 to 200 footcandles.

Note: high intensities accelerate discoloration

AVOID

MEAT LIGHTING FACTS

Cool white fluorescent bulbs emit too much blue and green light.

A guide to selecting the best light for your meat product display

Bulbs with a color temperature of 4000-6500 Kelvin are too blue.

Incandescent bulbs emit nonuniform illumination and often heat the product.

LIGHT TERMS COLOR RENDERING INDEX (CRI) - numerical score referring to the ability of a light to reveal the actual color of an object COLOR TEMPERATURE - numerical value (in Kelvin) indicating its ability to make an object appear a certain color, from cool to warm

HID lamps can make meat appear yellow or blue.

Lamps with high amounts of UV light accelerate discoloration and fading.

M.C. Hunt, M. Seyfert & D.H. Kropf Kansas State University

C. R. Raines

INTENSITY - quantity of light at the product surface measured in foot candles (square feet) or lux (square meters); 10.76 lux = 1 foot candle

Penn State University Questions, please contact C.R. Raines (craines@psu.edu).

This publication available in alterntive media on request.

Penn State is committed to affirmative action, equality opportunity, and the diversity of its workforce.

How light affects color Violet Blue Green Yellow Orange Red

Light Intensity

Light Type

Why Light Matters

Light is emitted from the source with a given intensity.

Light is a combination of colors emitted from a light source.

Light determines how all things look.

Various lighitng can make meat look redder, bluer, greener, yellower or grayer. The same product can look different under different light sources.

Too great of light intensity accelerates discoloration of meat, whereas too low intensity does not adequately illuminate the product.

Higher proportions of red light are desirable for meat product display.

Remember: Light sources may emit some invisible UV rays, which can shorten display life.

See below.

Optimizing the variables of lighting type and intensity results in the best appearance of your product and increases display life.

Different lighting affects perceived color Beef

Pork

Chicken

The same products illuminated by different light sources

Salami

Color Temperature = 6500 K CRI = 86

Bluish appearance Not recommended

Color Temperature = 3500 K CRI = 86

Desirable red appearance Recommended!

Color Temperature = 4100 K CRI = 64

Grayish or faded appearance Not recommended

IMPPA.ORG

MINORS IN THE WORKPLACE

RICH

ARD

ALA

NIZ

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: Stephanie McFarland Phone: (317) 602-1546, ext. 2 Email: media@dol.in.gov

Hoosier Employers Who Hire Minors Face New Requirements Schools will no longer be responsible for issuing work permits effective July 1 INDIANAPOLIS (May 4, 2021) – The Indiana Department of Labor’s Bureau of Youth Employment announced today that Hoosier employers must adhere to new requirements regarding minor employees younger than 18 years old, beginning July 1, 2021.

The announcement comes just weeks before the school year ends, and the biggest youthemployment season begins. The new requirements will eliminate the need for work permits and replace them with a new employer registration platform known as the Youth Employment System, or YES. “Schools will no longer be responsible for issuing work permits, or tracking and registering minor employees,” said State Labor Commissioner Joe Hoage. “That latter responsibility will now fall to employers via YES.” Effective July, employers who employ five or more employees at each individual location who are under 18 years old will be required to register via the new YES online platform.

The change is part of amendments to Indiana Code 22-2-18.1-26 made during the 2020 state legislative session, which also mandated implementation of the YES registry and effective date of employer registration by July 1, 2021.

“Employers who meet the criteria must register themselves as a youth employer, and provide specific minor employee information” said Michael Myers, director of DOL’s Bureau of Youth Employment.

Required information will include the employers’ corporate and individual facility location, and minor employee information, such as name and age, once the minor is officially employed. Upon termination of employment, the employer must remove the minor’s information from the YES active-employee registry.

The YES registry will go live in early June, giving employers an opportunity to register and “test drive” the system, Myers said. As of July 1, employers who fail to comply with the new registration requirements may face penalties of up to $400 per infraction.

The new YES requirement will not impact the state’s work-hour requirement for minors, and all employers must still comply with the Teen Work Hour Restrictions and Prohibited and Hazardous Occupation restrictions for minors.

For more information about the new state requirements and the YES registry, click here. ### About the Indiana Department of Labor: The mission of the Indiana Department of Labor is to advance the safety, health and prosperity of Hoosiers in the workplace. In order to make significant strides, we emphasize both enforcement and voluntary compliance by employers. Follow the Indiana Department of Labor on Twitter at @INDeptofLabor and Like on Facebook at www.facebook.com/IndianaDepartmentofLabor.

With any questions regarding the Master Meat Crafter Program, please contact:

Jeff Sindelar, Ph.D. 608-262-0555 jsindelar@wisc.edu

2022-2023 Master Meat Crafter Program

-Department of Animal & Dairy Sciences -UW-Meat Science & Animal Biologics Discovery -Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection -College of Agricultural & Life Sciences

What is it?

The Master Meat Crafter Program is a highly regarded and first of its kind meat industry training program offered by the University of Wisconsin Meat Science program. It is designed to provide participants with a wellrounded, in-depth, and comprehensive knowledge of meat science, food safety, and meat processing principles.

The approximately 2-year program requires completion of four elements for successful graduation and subsequent distinction as “Master Meat Crafter.” Acceptance into this program will be based upon the quality and content of the required training program application. Applicants with at least 5 years of experience in ownership, operation, or employment in a meat processing facility will be viewed favorably. The program is limited to 40 participants per class.

Coordinated by: Jeff Sindelar, Ph.D., UW-Madison Jeff Swenson, WI DATCP

Program Elements Six 2.5-day Workshops 1) Animal Harvest & Product Utilization School (January 11-13, 2022) 2) Fresh Meats School (May 3-5, 2022) 3) Food Safety & Meat Microbiology School (September 13-15, 2022) 4) Meat Curing School (January 10-12, 2023) 5) Cooked & Emulsified Sausage School (May 9-11, 2023) 6) Fermented & Dry Cured Meat Product School (September 12-14, 2023) HACCP Training for Meat and Poultry Processors – Required if not previously taken Homework Assignments At least six homework assignments will be administered throughout the program to expand on specific learning objectives.

Mentorship Program Each participant will be expected to mentor an employee or other individual on various meat science and meat processing topics based upon the knowledge and principles learned from Master Meat Crafter Training Program. Participants must develop their own mentoring program (approved by training program personnel) prior to the beginning of mentoring.

Plant Project Participants will be required to conduct an in-plant research project. Projects are chosen by the MMC candidate and approved by the training program personnel. For example, a participant might choose to research the role phosphates have on yields.

That participant would need to research phosphates develop and carry out a small in-plant study regarding phosphates (i.e. impact of cook yields from different levels or types), and write a report about the project. Scheduled progress reports for your project will occur as needed. A final written report will be required in order to graduate.

Participants will be required to present their plant project at the graduation program ceremony.

Program Timeline Year One Animal Harvest & Product Utilization School First Homework Assignment Fresh Meats School Second Homework Assignment Food Safety & Meat Microbiology School Third Homework Assignment Presentation and Approval of Plant Project and Mentorship Programs

Year Two Meat Curing School Fourth Homework Assignment Cooked & Emulsified Sausage School Fifth Homework Assignment Fermented & Dry Cured Meat Product School Sixth Homework Assignment Mentorship Program/Plant Project Updates Completion of Mentorship and Plant Projects Graduation Ceremony and Presentation of Plant Projects & Mentorship Programs

Program Fee Program costs are $9,000. Fees can be paid in full up front or broken into 8 quarterly installments. Fees include registration for all schools and graduation, participant materials and handouts, business meals/banquets and transportation to events in Madison.

Applications and additional program details can be found at https://livestock.extension.wisc.edu/programs/ master-meat-crafter-training-program/ and are due by August 31, 2021. Enrollment is limited to 35 people.

Distinction as Master Meat Crafter After successfully completing the four program elements, participants will receive the distinction of “Master Meat Crafter.” During a formal graduation ceremony on December 7-8, 2023 to signify the completion of the program.

Master Meat Crafter Graduating Class 2012 Master Meat Crafter Graduates

W H AT I S I N D I A N A G R O W N ?

Spanning 19 million acres of farms, forestry and woodlands, Indiana’s 57,500 farms grow, produce and process some of the highest-quality products around the world. However, even as the tenth-largest farm state in the nation, Indiana hardly feeds itself with locally sourced items. Hoosiers spend $16 billion per year buying food, but less than 10 percent of that is sourced from within the state.

Despite this staggering statistic, the demand for locally made products is at an all-time high, which is what prompted the Indiana State Department of Agriculture to create Indiana Grown – a statewide branding initiative. By allowing our members to use the Indiana Grown logo on their products, the initiative aims to not only form a clearer designation of which products truly come from Indiana, but to also help Hoosier consumers easily identify and buy these products.

T H E T H R E E M A J O R C O M P O N E N T S O F T H E I N I T I AT I V E I N C L U D E : Helping Indiana farmers and producers have a greater market for their products.

Supporting Indiana processors in their effort to process more Indiana Grown products.

Educating consumers on the importance of buying Indiana Grown products.

Hoosiers and consumers are able to identify Indiana Grown products using the following categories: 100% Indiana

Prepared in Indiana

Products must be grown in Indiana and/or all ingredients must come from Indiana.

Product ingredients can be sourced from anywhere, but 100% of production must be done in Indiana.

Partner

Indiana Grown

A company or institution that assists in marketing Indiana grown products and members.

This category applies to all other Indiana Grown members.

Indiana Grown | Indiana State Department of Agriculture | indianagrown@isda.in.gov | indianagrown.org

WHO ARE INDIANA GROWN MEMBERS? Indiana Grown has more than 1700 members and 50+ business partners which include farmers, farmers markets, distributors, producers, processors, wineries, breweries, artisans, as well as retailers, grocers, hospitals and restaurants. At Indiana Grown, we truly believe everyone has a chance to share in the success of the initiative; whether it’s a large or small operation, high-tech or low-tech, traditional or non-traditional.

WHERE CAN I FIND INDIANA GROWN PRODUCTS? Indiana Grown products can be found in a variety of locations across the state, such as grocery stores, restaurants, farmers markets, convenience stores, wineries, breweries, and many more.

You can also find great Indiana Grown products online by visiting our members’ websites and the Shop Indiana Grown online store at shopindianagrown.org.

WHY SHOULD I BUY INDIANA GROWN PRODUCTS? When you buy Indiana Grown products, you are keeping dollars and food close to home and supporting your fellow Hoosiers. You are also supporting job creation and building sustainable communities, while preserving Indiana’s agricultural heritage. With extensive planning and forward-thinking strategies, Indiana Grown is set up for long-term success and could put more than $1 billion into the Indiana economy simply by making it easier for Hoosier consumers to identify and buy local products.

TO BECOME AN INDIANA GROWN MEMBER,

visit IndianaGrown.Org Indiana Grown | Indiana State Department of Agriculture | indianagrown@isda.in.gov | indianagrown.org

On Tuesday, July 20, Knightstown Locker hosted Indiana State Department of Agriculture Director, Bruce Kettler and Economic Development Director, Andrew Carty for a morning of beef harvesting. Dan Titus and the hard working crew spent time explaining and showing ISDA proper and sanitary beef slaughter procedures. Thank you to Knightstown Locker for opening their facility for a great learning experience for our friends at ISDA.

INDIANA RURAL CAUCUS

Dan Titus and Darla Kiesel represented IMPPA by presenting at the Indiana Rural Caucus Lunch at the Indiana State Fair on August 12, 2021. Rural Caucus is a group of bipartisan legislators who come together periodically during the year to learn and discuss issues affecting Indiana agriculture and rural communities. Sen. Jean Leising (Rush County, and portions of Decatur, Fayette, Franklin, Henry, Ripley and Shelby counties) chairs the caucus. The agenda included a look at the meat processing industry and the impact of the COVID grants, Indiana Soybean Alliance Student Soybean Innovation Competition, and the American Connection Corps which is supporting two-year paid fellowships to help grow internet connectivity in Indiana. Dan and Darla spoke after BOAH representatives Dr. Marsh and Dr. Suhr about current issues in our industry such as labor, equipment and structure expense, lead times, training grants, additional meat plants coming on board throughout the state, inspection personal availability, etc.

GET VERIFIED ON SOCIAL MEDIA Many meat packers, and companies of all kinds, have been victims of 'spoofing'

By Darla Kiesel, Executive Secretary, IMPPA

Spoofing is when uncredible people download a profile picture and recreate a shallow version of a page with the intent of stealing information. Many IMPPA packers have had this problem. Some spoofers try to contact the company's friends and tell them that they have won a prize, compliments of the credible company. However, the spoofer continues to ask personal questions such as entering a credit card, etc. While this seems fishy to some people, others believe it to be a legitimate request since a credible company is behind the request.

Many people do not understand that uncredible people would steal information from a credible company or even the credible company’s customers. While it is an unfortunate problem, it is real, and we should address it individually in our companies. One way for our customers to realize that we are credible companies is to have a verified badge beside our social media pages such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. A verified badge is a blue circle that appears next to a Facebook page or profile. It means Facebook has confirmed the page or profile is the authentic presence of the brand it represents.

The verified badge is a tool to help people find the brand's real pages. If a page has the verified badge, Facebook (or other social media platforms) has confirmed that it represents who it says it does. If the badge is not there, it may not be the real page. Posts, stories, and other content from verified Pages are not verified by the social media company, but the page itself is verified by the social media company.

For more information use the links below: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/help/1288173394636262/ Twitter: https://blog.twitter.com/en_us/topics/company/2021/relaunching-verification-and-whats-next Instagram: https://help.instagram.com/854227311295302

Indiana Meat Packers & Processors Association, Inc.

UPPING YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA GAME

“SOCIAL MEDIA IS NOT JUST AN ACTIVITY; IT IS AN INVESTMENT OF VALUABLE TIME AND RESOURCES.”

Looking at social media in this way completely changes the way you view the game. Social media is not just a means to be social anymore, it has become one of the most effective means to advertise your business. In that respect, it makes sense that investing in time and resources is valuable when it comes to social media.

ARTICLE BY:

JENNIFER DEWEY ROHRICH PRAIRIE CALIFORNIAN JENNY@PRAIRIECALIFORNIAN.COM PRAIRIECALIFORNIAN.COM

So, How Can We Up Our Game?

Enlist the help of college or high school students to help with posting. Volunteer hours or work experience hours can be counted for this.

Post at least 1 time per day. This is vital in order to keep current in the constantly changing algorithm.

Develop a calendar to help you stay organized, even a simple paper calendar can be used. If you want to get more advanced, there are programs that will help you schedule posts.

Utilize special days of the year or months of year, ie: National Hot Dog day. These days are essentially free content ideas you can capitalize on.

Most every social media platform gives priority to videos. You can still utilize photos but think about utilizing videos. Even more than posted videos, Facebook and Instagram really like when you go Live or utilize the story function. Stories are a great way to keep your customers current on what is going on day to day. They are simple to make and don’t need to be as formal as a post or edited video.

Host a contest occasionally. Contests are a great way to garner engagement and also get people to share your page. People always like to win free stuff, too.

Become a verified business. This will help people ensure your page is actually your business and can help you recover your page in the event your page gets hacked. For more information on becoming a verified business check out the article "get verified on social media."

What Platforms to Utilize?

At the minimum, Facebook, Instagram, and Google are good places to start. If you want to get more YOUR LOGO advanced video platforms like Tik Tok and SnapChat are wildly popular. Twitter is also still extremely relevant. Email newsletters are also a great way to keep in contact with your customers and keep them up to date on products, sales, or events.

SNAPCHAT

FACEBOOK

TIK TOK

INSTAGRAM

GOOGLE

TWITTER

Use Common Sense Be cognizant of your appearance and the background of when you are videoing and taking photographs. Simple actions can have big impacts such as putting on a clean apron before filming versus having a dirty/messy apron can tell a completely different story.

Make simple posts. No need to tell a life story.

Just show what you are up to for the day.

Make your products pop. Use a flash in low light situations and seek good lighting for videos and photos.

Take your own photos or use legitimate stock photos. If you use anything that isn’t your own, cite where you got it. Copyright infringement is a real thing and you can avoid it by simply including where you found any graphic.

Enlist a second set of eyes on posts and videos.

They can check for spelling or grammatical errors or if anything looks off before posting.

Have fun. Everything doesn’t have to be all business, you can have some fun all while remaining professional.

SIMPLE BUSINESS TOOLKIT Graphic Creation Canva

SOURCING STOCK IMAGES Unsplash Pixabay Canva

NEWSLETTER PLATFORMS MailChimp Delivra Squarespace iContact

IMPPA.ORG INDIANA MEAT PACKERS & PROCESSORS ASSOCIATION, INC.

IMPPA Convention rd

th

March 3 -5 , 2022 @ French Lick Springs Hotel

Plan to attend!

We are working on a great convention full of demonstrations, educational sessions, cured meat show, and even tours of Sander Processing in Celestine, IN and Sander Family Meat Market in St. Henry, IN!

IMPPA.ORG

HIRING IMMIGRANT LABOR

RICHARD ALANIZ

Rick Alaniz, JD, of Alaniz Associates, has been at the forefront of labor and employment law for over forty years. He began his legal career as a trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Labor, served on the President's Cost of Living Council during the Nixon Administration and also held prominent posts within the National Labor Relations Board, first in Washington D.C. and later in Minneapolis where he coordinated the NLRB's enforcement actions in the five-state Midwestern region.

MEAT SCIENCE UPDATE FALL 2021

DR. STACY ZUELLY

Purdue Animal Sciences Assistant Professor of Animal Sciences

THE LAST YEAR HAS BEEN ONE TO REMEMBER… MAYBE NOT FOR ALL THE RIGHT REASONS, BUT THE PURDUE MEAT SCIENCE PROGRAM HAS MARCHED ON.

Government business is good for GROWING business.

Spanning 19-million acres of farms, forestry and woodlands, Indiana’s 57,500 farms grow, produce and process some of the highest-quality products around the world. Who’s buying these products? Among others, the government is. However, many farms and other agricultural businesses have never considered going after government contracts because of the misconception that it would be too difficult or that the government wouldn’t be interested. In fact, there are several federal agencies that depend on the goods and services businesses like yours can supply— from food to soap to lotions and skin care. Government contracts ARE for you.

Growing Indiana Agriculture

Top 5 Federal Agencies That Contract With Agricultural Businesses: Department r t re Department of Defense Department of Justice Department of Veterans Affairs Department nter r

Just like traditional customers, government agencies need access to all types of products that are packaged, raised, processed and grown in the U.S. With the help of PTAC, we can ensure more goods are being supplied by Indiana and help connect farmers to government contracts.

The PTAC mission is simple: We help Hoosier businesses identify, compete for, and win government contracts. Our confidential counseling services and free workshops give you the knowledge and tools you need to sell your products or services to the appropriate government agencies. The Indiana PTAC is here to serve you!

IND IA NA P R O C U R EM ENT TEC HNIC A L A SSISTA NC E C ENTER | IndianaPTAC.com

Here are a few of the ways PTAC can help: One-On-One Counseling

Subcontracting Assistance

Our counseling staff works with you to identify and target local, state, and federal agencies and develop marketing strategies to get your foot in the door. From the first session, we will familiarize you with our offerings, help you determine if you want to pursue government contracting, and begin crafting a personalized government marketing strategy.

We can help identify subcontracting opportunities with major prime contractors, particularly those located here in Indiana.

Workshops and Events We hold numerous training events and workshops throughout the year to help you better understand the contracting process.

Take a look at our website to view a schedule of all upcoming events!

Certifications and Registrations Doing business with the government involves a complex maze of registrations...but we can help you navigate that! We can also help determine if you are eligible for any set-aside programs and assist in the certification process.

Bid-Matching Service We can automatically match your company’s product or service with daily bid notices that show you exactly what the government is buying or planning to buy.

GSA Schedules GSA Schedules are long-term, governmentwide contracts that allow businesses to sell their products and services to government buyers. We help navigate these contracts and determine if it is appropriate for your business to register for the program.

Product & Procurement Histories We provide businesses with technical descriptions and relevant background information regarding products with national stock numbers (NSN).

Regulations & Specifications We guide businesses through local, state and federal government regulations, including Military Specifications (MIL-SPECs) and Federal Acquisitions Regulations (FAR).

Proposal Preparation While we can’t write your proposal for you, we can assist you in understanding the solicitation and its requirements. We will review it as it evolves and offer recommendations to make it stronger and more accurate, giving you the best shot at success.

Ready to get started?

We’re here to help you out. Contact your regional PTAC counselor for more information or to schedule an appointment.

1. NORTHWEST Diana Hunter 219.214.2126 dhunter@iedc.in.gov

3. CENTRAL Nate Lofton 317.607.0575 nlofton@iedc.in.gov

Jim Haddan 812.340.5174 jhaddan@iedc.in.gov

2. NORTHEAST

4. SOUTH CENTRAL

LEAD CENTER

Robert Warner 260.458.4753 rwarner@iedc.in.gov

Andrew Alexander 812.340.4342 aalexander@iedc.in.gov

5. SOUTHWEST

Chris Jeffers, State Director 317.903.7399, cjeffers@iedc.in.gov Katelyn Colclazier, Program Manager 317.431.1560, kcolclazier@iedc.in.gov

IND IA NA P R O C U R EM ENT TEC HNIC A L A SSISTA NC E C ENTER | IndianaPTAC.com

2021

IMPPA.ORG

82ND AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF MEAT PROCESSORS Darla Kiesel, IMPPA Executive Secretary This year the bus tour visited & toured: Schwab Meat Co. in Oklahoma City, OK Ralph’s Packing in Perkins, OK AAMP 2021 Board of Directors

The convention was held in Oklahoma City, OK on July 14-17, 2021. Below are some highlights of this exceptional event.

Wednesday was spent at the pre-convention bus tour.

The bus tour is quite possibly my favorite part of the AAMP convention. It is always so beneficial to get into other plants to see what they do right and see where your plant can improve.

Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, OK

Schwab Meats Co. was founded in 1912 and is currently being ran by the 5th generation. They specialize in high quality, “old world” traditional sausages. We enjoyed a tour of their retail, processing, and packaging areas. Schwab Meats sells to major groceries in 48 states and produces approximately 30,000 lb. of sausages per day.

Ralph’s Packing is a family owned and operated business in Perkins, OK. Members of Ralph’s Packing have been active in AAMP for generations. Gary and Tess Crane can be seen in their official tiedied t-shirts along with Gary’s almost patented hat that states, “HACCP Sucks.” Their fun personalities have made them staples at AAMP for demonstrations and bull sessions over the years. Third generation owner, Erica Hering, along with her sons, Josh and Logan, have made a name for themselves in further processed products such as smoked sausage, snack sticks and beef jerky. Ralph’s packing is undergoing a 12,000 square foot expansion to increase their ready to eat product lines. They are currently running five routes per day as well as selling to numerous distributors who sell their products throughout Oklahoma and the southwestern United States.

Oklahoma State University was the final stop of the tour. The Robert M. Kerr Food and Agricultural Products Center was started in 1997.

Their research laboratories, pilot-processing facilities, educational programs and seminars have kept the food and agricultural industries on the forefront of cutting-edge value-added processing and technology. Their vision is to support the food and agricultural business sectors of Oklahoma, increase food safety for consumers, assist in the development of students for food industry careers, and support and enhance the economic impact on the state, region and nations. They offer training and seminars along with research laboratories and equipment focusing on harvesting, food manufacturing, prototype testing, along with many other services to help the food industry. OSU also offers a Mobile Meat Processing Laboratory which travels to technology centers, high schools, and industry partners to offer on-site training. The Mobile Meat Processing Laboratory also offers a customizable training program up to 64 hours of coursework with hands-on learning in the processing of beef, pork, lamb, and goat.

Wednesday ended with a President’s Reception full of summer sausage and snack sticks from our AAMP President, Rick Reams and friends of the industry.

Thursday of convention started out with a great motivational speaker, Major Ed Pulido, U.S. Army (Ret.). Major Ed works with Folds of Honor Foundation, Warriors for Freedom Foundation, is a spokesperson for AROGA Health and Warrior Nation and he focuses his efforts on helping the mental health of wounded warriors, their families, and supporting military families in scholarships. His motivational speech was about perseverance, appreciation, and dedication to the task at hand.

Thursday was also the day to enter products in the annual American Cured Meat Championships. Once products were registered 12 professor judges from universities around the United States as well as two industry professionals began the tedious job of judging 29 categories spanning from Andouille Sausage, Bone-In and Boneless Hams, Snack Sticks, Wieners, Lunchmeat, Summer Sausage, Beef Jerky, Bacons, Bologna and much more. There was a total of 53 plants exhibiting and 490 products were entered into competition.

A conference for state officers as well as sessions over digital marketing, incineration, costs, pet foods, and educating your customers gave attendees many opportunities to learn and ask questions from the presenters.

Thursday was the first day of the exhibit hall. The “Ribbon Cutting” was in true meat fashion by a cutting board, a meat cleaver, and a string of red hots in place of the ribbon. The exhibit hall was packed with 109 exhibiting suppliers taking up 226 booths. Many booths had machinery running and available to demo. Machinery such as grinders, tumblers, clippers, rollstock machinery, smokehouses, vacuum machines, slicers, dicers, flakers and even incinerators were on hand. Packaging supplies, film, hand tools, seasonings, chemicals, legal representation, casings, laboratory services, inventory control, cutting software, and even fly catchers were all available.

The Executive Secretaries of all the states were asked to gather a basket or item to auction off in the silent auction. IMPPA really stepped up and we had a great variety of items from the packers and suppliers in Indiana and Kentucky. Thank you to our donors, Quality Casings, Manley Meats, Dewig Meats, Integrity Meats, Rice Quality Farm Meats, Boone’s Butcher Shop, Indiana Grown, Culver Duck Farm, and Oliver’s Butcher Shop. We had enough items to make two baskets, and our baskets alone brought $420.00 for the AAMP Scholarship Fund. Great job IMPPA! Thank you to those that donated!

A Welcome Reception was held at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum where we enjoyed a delicious meal together as well as exhibits, outdoor spaces, a tour thru Prosperity Junction, a turn-of-the-century cattle town located inside the museum, and even lassoing lessons for the children (or adults.) 😊 Friday was also about education, and a demonstration on beef cutting and evaluating costs started our day. An excel program was displayed where the packers could insert weights and prices of cuts from beef carcasses as well as taking into account labor, processing supplies, and time. This demo was to help packers better evaluate their costs and was very informative.

Friday early afternoon consisted of additional trade show hours, silent auction items viewing and bidding, as well as a cookie decorating contest for the kids. The early afternoon offered a value-added products demonstration as well as a meeting for all executive secretaries throughout the U.S.

Saturday was the final day of the convention and it started bright and early with the awards from the American Cured Meat Competition. Aaron Kiesel from Dewig Meats entered product and received 10 awards: 1st- Light Weight Bacon 1st- Braunschweiger 1st- Semi-Boneless Ham 1st- Summer Sausage 1st- Bone In Turkey 2nd- Dried Beef 2nd- Boneless Traditional Ham 2nd- Large Diameter Lunchmeat 3rd- Cured & Smoked Sausage 4th- Ring Bologna A Cured Meats Excellence Award is also given which is similar to our IMPPA Tom Katen Cured Meat Excellence Award. Points are given based on placing of the competition. A Grand Champion Award receives four points, Reserve Grand Champion Award receives three points, Champion Award receives two points, and a Reserve Champion Award receives one point. Aaron Kiesel from Dewig Meats also won that award. The Best of Show Award is given to the best single product of the entire competition. The judges take all the first-place awards in the 29 categories and evaluate them for perfection. This year the judges stated that it took 1 hour and 14 minutes to decide the winner as there was much discussion. Thankfully Dewig Meats came out on top with the Best of Show for their Lightweight Bacon.

The highlight for the Dewig family was after the cured meat show awards were given out. Chris Young, Executive Director of AAMP, announced that Aaron Kiesel was going to be inducted into the Cured Meats Hall of Fame. This is a very prestigious award that is decided upon by past recipients of the Cured Meats Hall of Fame. Aaron was very surprised, honored, and humbled by the kind words that were spoken about him. His writeup can be read on the next page.

The afternoon was spent learning again in the trade show along with additional “Bull Sessions” by the Oklahoma Association members of costing and marketing. The evening consisted of a closing banquet and live auction. Many exciting items were auctioned off such as a training session at Ultrasource University, meat short courses from Iowa State University, hunting and fishing trips donated by packers and suppliers, as well as monetary donations that were given. All proceeds from the silent auction and the live auction went towards the AAMP Scholarship Fund that gives scholarships to deserving students pursuing meat industry careers. In total over $30,000.00 was raised to support the AAMP Scholarship Fund!

The evening ended with recognition of the current AAMP Officers which IMPPA Executive Secretary, Darla Kiesel was promoted to the office of Treasurer. Darla will be AAMP President at the 2023 convention in Charleston, SC. Indiana Attendees at the AAMP Convention Dewig Meats Fisher Packing Integrity Meats Oliver’s Butcher Shop Yoder’s Meat and Cheese

83rd AAMP Convention July 14-16, 2022 Des Moines, IA

! ent sid wing e r e P sho ill b ood . w a g ana nd! rla Da have Indi atte ’s from n to Let pla ase Ple

84th AAMP Convention July 13-15, 2023 Charleston, SC

Please mark your calendars now to attend the upcoming AAMP Conventions!

Your business can’t afford for you not to come!

85th AAMP Convention August 1-3, 2024 Omaha, NE

Optimism abounds at the AAMP Show

By: Sam Gazdziak gazdziaks@bnpmedia.com

Ever since I have been writing for Independent Processor magazine, I’ve been attending the AAMP Annual Convention. It’s just one of multiple trade shows and conventions that I attend each year, but it’s much different from the massive expos that take up multiple halls in Chicago, Atlanta or Las Vegas. The sight of hordes of children going from booth to booth looking for freebies and candy like it’s Halloween is pretty much exclusive to the AAMP show.

This year’s convention was especially welcome because it was the first such event in two years.

Last year’s show in Iowa was a COVID casualty, and the return of a face-to-face show in Oklahoma City provided a welcome dose of normalcy. Admittedly, many of the conversations touched on last year’s pandemic and how their companies were affected. But as the processor community navigated through the most trying times in recent memory, this show almost felt like a reward.

Congratulations, you survived 2020, your business is growing, you got your vaccine, and now you get to go to Oklahoma City and drink a beer at the Cowboy Museum while talking with friends you haven’t seen in a couple of years.

The show floor was packed, with many new attendees and new exhibitors. The seminars were helpful, and the American Cured Meat Championships were challenging. My June cover story company, Dewig Meats, won a slew of awards, including the Cured Meats Excellence Award and the Best of Show Award for its lightweight bacon. I sure can pick ‘em, right? It was good to see Aaron Kiesel of Dewig Meats and John Tiefenthaler of Tiefenthaler Quality Meats be inducted to the Cured Meats Hall of Fame. I’ve interviewed both of them multiple times, and their meat processing know-how and willingness to share their knowledge make them worthy inductees.

Louis and Barbara Muench of Louie’s Finer Meats were deserving winners of the AAMP Achievement Award.

The show represented a return to normalcy, but not quite — something has changed in the small meat sector. The companies that found success as niche meat markets aren’t really niche anymore – they’re bustling stores with a need for expansion. There were more new companies in attendance in Oklahoma City than any other show in recent memory. I think the industry has reached a turning point, one that was sped up dramatically by the pandemic, that favors small businesses. It will be interesting to see where the momentum carries these companies by the time next year’s AAMP show rolls around.

AAMP Product Show - Final Standing Report Number of Plants Participating

53

Total Products # of Plants Placing in Top 5 Product Class:

1

Andouille Sausage

Number of Entries

Grand Champion

Louisiana Craft Butchers

Kenner

LA

Andouille Sausage

Reserve Grand Chanpion

Dayton Meat Products Inc.

Malcom,

IA

Andouille Sausage

Champion

Tulare Meat Locker & Sausage Co.

Tulare,

CA

Andouille Sausage

Reserve Champion

Paradise Locker Meats

Trimble,

MO

Andouille Sausage

Product Class:

2

Bacon (Heavyweight)

Number of Entries

Grand Champion

Tulare Meat Locker & Sausage Co.

Tulare,

CA

Bacon (Heavyweight)

Reserve Grand Chanpion

RJ's Meats

Hudson,

WI

Bacon (Heavyweight)

Champion

Stroot's Meat Company

Mulvane,

KS

Bacon (Heavyweight)

Reserve Champion

Country Meat Shop

Moberly,

MO

Bacon (Heavyweight)

Product Class:

3

Bacon (Lightweight)

Number of Entries

Grand Champion

Dewig Meats

Haubstadt,

IN

Bacon (Lightweight)

Reserve Grand Chanpion

Haun's Meat and Sausage LLC

Walla Walla,

WA

Bacon (Lightweight)

Champion

Karl's Country Market

Menomonee Falls,

WI

Bacon (Lightweight)

Reserve Champion

Alewel's Country Meats

Warrensburg,

MO

Bacon (Lightweight)

Product Class:

4

Braunschweiger

Number of Entries

Grand Champion

Dewig Meats

Haubstadt,

IN

Braunschweiger

Reserve Grand Chanpion

Gentert Packing Company

Holstein,

NE

Braunschweiger

Champion

Den's Country Meats Inc.

Table Rock,

NE

Braunschweiger

Reserve Champion

Karl's Country Market

Menomonee Falls,

WI

Braunschweiger

Product Class:

5

Country Bacon – Dry Cured

Number of Entries

Grand Champion

RJ's Meats

Hudson,

WI

Country Bacon – Dry Cured

Reserve Grand Chanpion

Holland Bros. Meats

Duncansville,

PA

Country Bacon – Dry Cured

Champion

Schmidts' Meat Market, Inc.

Nicollet,

MN

Country Bacon – Dry Cured

Reserve Champion

Haun's Meat and Sausage LLC

Walla Walla,

WA

Country Bacon – Dry Cured

Product Class:

6

Cured Specialty Meat Products

Number of Entries

490

32 18

22

27

11

16

21

Grand Champion

Louie's Finer Meats, Inc.

Cumberland,

WI

Jalapeno & Cheddar Summer Sausage

Reserve Grand Chanpion

Den's Country Meats Inc.

Table Rock,

NE

Hunter's Sausage

Champion

Country Meat Shop

Moberly,

MO

kansas city style beef bacon

Reserve Champion

Edgewood Locker Inc.

Edgewood,

IA

Cottage Bacon

Product Class:

7

Dried Beef

Number of Entries

Grand Champion

Tiefenthaler Quality Meats

Holstein,

IA

Dried Beef

Reserve Grand Chanpion

Dewig Meats

Haubstadt,

IN

Dried Beef

Champion

Schmidts' Meat Market, Inc.

Nicollet,

MN

Dried Beef

Reserve Champion

Our Hand Crafted, LLC

Spring Valley,

WI

Dried Beef

AAMP Product Show Results

Page 1 of 4

10

Friday, July 16, 2021

Product Class:

8

Frankfurters/Wieners – Coarse Ground

Number of Entries

1

Grand Champion

McDonald's Meats Inc.

Clear Lake,

MN

Frankfurters/Wieners – Coarse Ground

Reserve Grand Chanpion

Jerome Country Market

Jerome,

MI

Frankfurters/Wieners – Coarse Ground

Champion

RJ's Meats

Hudson,

WI

Frankfurters/Wieners – Coarse Ground

Reserve Champion

Country Meat Shop

Moberly,

MO

Frankfurters/Wieners – Coarse Ground

Product Class:

9

Frankfurters/Wieners – Emulsified

Number of Entries

20

Grand Champion

Karl's Country Market

Menomonee Falls,

WI

Frankfurters/Wieners – Emulsified

Reserve Grand Chanpion

RJ's Meats

Hudson,

WI

Frankfurters/Wieners – Emulsified

Champion

Cunningham Meats

Indiana,

PA

Frankfurters/Wieners – Emulsified

Reserve Champion

Jerome Country Market

Jerome,

MI

Frankfurters/Wieners – Emulsified

Product Class:

10

Ham – Bone-In (Heavyweight)

Number of Entries

Grand Champion

Tiefenthaler Quality Meats

Holstein,

IA

Ham – Bone-In (Heavyweight)

Reserve Grand Chanpion

Holland Bros. Meats

Duncansville,

PA

Ham – Bone-In (Heavyweight)

Champion

Edgewood Locker Inc.

Edgewood,

IA

Ham – Bone-In (Heavyweight)

Reserve Champion

RJ's Meats

Hudson,

WI

Ham – Bone-In (Heavyweight)

IA

Ham – Bone-In (Lightweight)

Product Class:

11

Ham – Bone-In (Lightweight)

Number of Entries

Grand Champion

Tiefenthaler Quality Meats

Holstein,

Reserve Grand Chanpion

Holland Bros. Meats

Duncansville,

PA

Ham – Bone-In (Lightweight)

Champion

Dayton Meat Products Inc.

Malcom,

IA

Ham – Bone-In (Lightweight)

Reserve Champion

Dewig Meats

Haubstadt,

IN

Ham – Bone-In (Lightweight)

WI

Ham – Boneless (Commercial)

Product Class:

12

Ham – Boneless (Commercial)

Number of Entries

Grand Champion

RJ's Meats

Hudson,

Reserve Grand Chanpion

Wahoo Locker

Wahoo,

NE

Ham – Boneless (Commercial)

Champion

Tulare Meat Locker & Sausage Co.

Tulare,

CA

Ham – Boneless (Commercial)

Reserve Champion

Our Hand Crafted, LLC

Spring Valley,

WI

Ham – Boneless (Commercial)

MO

Ham – Boneless (Traditional)

Product Class:

13

Ham – Boneless (Traditional)

Number of Entries

Grand Champion

Country Meat Shop

Moberly,

Reserve Grand Chanpion

Dewig Meats

Haubstadt,

IN

Ham – Boneless (Traditional)

Champion

Dayton Meat Products Inc.

Malcom,

IA

Ham – Boneless (Traditional)

Reserve Champion

Den's Country Meats Inc.

Table Rock,

NE

Ham – Boneless (Traditional)

Product Class:

14

Ham – Semi-Boneless

Number of Entries

Grand Champion

Dewig Meats

Haubstadt,

IN

Ham – Semi-Boneless

Reserve Grand Chanpion

Dayton Meat Products Inc.

Malcom,

IA

Ham – Semi-Boneless

Champion

RJ's Meats

Hudson,

WI

Ham – Semi-Boneless

Reserve Champion

Holland Bros. Meats

Duncansville,

PA

Ham – Semi-Boneless

original

Product Class:

15

Jerky – Restructured

Number of Entries

Grand Champion

Schmidts' Meat Market, Inc.

Nicollet,

MN

Reserve Grand Chanpion

Edgewood Locker Inc.

Edgewood,

IA

Champion

Tiefenthaler Quality Meats

Holstein,

IA

Beef Jerky

Reserve Champion

Hartman's Butcher Shop Inc.

New Tripoli,

PA

Hillbilly Jerky

Product Class:

16

Jerky – Whole Muscle

1

10

8

1

1

Number of Entries

Grand Champion

Tulare Meat Locker & Sausage Co.

Tulare,

CA

sweet and sassy jerky

Reserve Grand Chanpion

Chico Locker & Sausage Co. Inc.

Chico,

CA

Hot & Sweet Beef Jerky

Champion

Crippen's Processing

Lake George,

CO

Peppered Jerky

Reserve Champion

Louie's Finer Meats, Inc.

Cumberland,

WI

Sweet & Hot Whole Muscle Jerky

AAMP Product Show Results

1

Page of 4

Friday, July 16, 2021

Product Class:

17

Luncheon Meat – Large Diameter

Number of Entries

Grand Champion

Country Meat Shop

Moberly,

MO

bologna

Reserve Grand Chanpion

Dewig Meats

Haubstadt,

IN

Smoked Bologna

Champion

Newhall Locker & Processing

Newhall,

IA

Old Fashion

Reserve Champion

Tulare Meat Locker & Sausage Co.

Tulare,

CA

mortadella

Product Class:

18

Meat Snack Sticks

Number of Entries

Grand Champion

Stroot's Meat Company

Mulvane,

KS

Reserve Grand Chanpion

Tulare Meat Locker & Sausage Co.

Tulare,

CA

traditional pepper stick

Champion

Project Meats & Ranch House Sausage Co.

Billings,

MT

Beef Sticks

Reserve Champion

McDonald's Meats Inc.

Clear Lake,

MN

beef snack sticks

Product Class:

19

Meat Snack Sticks – Flavored

Number of Entries

Grand Champion

Louie's Finer Meats, Inc.

Cumberland,

WI

Jalapeno & Cheddar Sticks

Reserve Grand Chanpion

Cunningham Meats

Indiana,

PA

Honey Flavored Snack Stick

Champion

Timber Creek Meats

Parsons,

KS

Regular w Cheese

Reserve Champion

Tulare Meat Locker & Sausage Co.

Tulare,

CA

serrano pepper jack stick

WI

soppressata

Product Class:

20

Old World Dried Fermented Sausage

Number of Entries

Grand Champion

Our Hand Crafted, LLC

Spring Valley,

Reserve Grand Chanpion

Louie's Finer Meats, Inc.

Cumberland,

WI

Mushroom Romano

Champion

Karl's Country Market

Menomonee Falls,

WI

Smoked Sausage

Product Class:

21

Ring Bologna – Cooked

Number of Entries

Grand Champion

Schmidts' Meat Market, Inc.

Nicollet,

MN

Reserve Grand Chanpion

McDonald's Meats Inc.

Clear Lake,

MN

Champion

Den's Country Meats Inc.

Table Rock,

NE

Ring Bologna

Reserve Champion

Dewig Meats

Haubstadt,

IN

Ring Bologna

Product Class:

22

Semi-Dried Sausage (Cooked, Non-Ferm)

Number of Entries

Grand Champion

Dewig Meats

Haubstadt,

IN

Summer Sausage

Reserve Grand Chanpion

Karl's Country Market

Menomonee Falls,

WI

Summer Sausage

Champion

Den's Country Meats Inc.

Table Rock,

NE

Summer Sausage

Reserve Champion

McDonald's Meats Inc.

Clear Lake,

MN

garlic summer sausage

Product Class:

23

Small Diameter Hot Link Sausage

Number of Entries

Grand Champion

Den's Country Meats Inc.

Table Rock,

NE

Hot Links

Reserve Grand Chanpion

Ralph's Packing Company

Perkins,

OK

Hot Links

Champion

Country Meat Shop

Moberly,

MO

hot link sausage

Reserve Champion

Krehbiels Specialty Meats Inc.

McPherson,

KS

Beef Hot Link

Product Class:

24

Small Diameter Smoked & Cooked Sausage

Number of Entries

Grand Champion

Holland Bros. Meats

Duncansville,

PA

Kolbassi

Reserve Grand Chanpion

Country Meat Shop

Moberly,

MO

smoked sausage

Champion

Dewig Meats

Haubstadt,

IN

Polish Sausage

Reserve Champion

Den's Country Meats Inc.

Table Rock,

NE

Smoked Brat

Product Class:

25

Smoked Turkey

Number of Entries

Grand Champion

Dewig Meats

Haubstadt,

IN

Smoked Turkey

Reserve Grand Chanpion

Tiefenthaler Quality Meats

Holstein,

IA

Smoked Turkey

Champion

Edgewood Locker Inc.

Edgewood,

IA

Smoked Turkey

Reserve Champion

McDonald's Meats Inc.

Clear Lake,

MN

Smoked Turkey

AAMP Product Show Results

Page 3 of 4

17

27

26

3

16

13

11

21

9

Friday, July 16, 2021

Product Class:

26

Specialty Flavor Small Diameter Smoked/Cooked Sausage

Number of Entries

Grand Champion

Den's Country Meats Inc.

Table Rock,

NE

Mac and Cheese Brat

Reserve Grand Chanpion

Strick's Specialty Meats

Hattiesburg,

MS

Smoked Apple Pork Sausage

Champion

McDonald's Meats Inc.

Clear Lake,

MN

smoked maple blueberry wild rice

Reserve Champion

Louie's Finer Meats, Inc.

Cumberland,

WI

SmikedBeer & Cheddar

Product Class:

27

Specialty Game Meats

Number of Entries

2

1

Grand Champion

Jerome Country Market

Jerome,

MI

Elk Jalapeno & Cheese Bologna

Reserve Grand Chanpion

Louie's Finer Meats, Inc.

Cumberland,

WI

Venison Jalapeno Cheddar Snack Stick

Champion

Den's Country Meats Inc.

Table Rock,

NE

Bison Cheddar Jalapeno

Reserve Champion

RJ's Meats

Hudson,

WI

Elk Sticks

Product Class:

28

Summer Sausage – Cooked

Number of Entries

Grand Champion

McDonald's Meats Inc.

Clear Lake,

MN

beef summer sausage

Reserve Grand Chanpion

Krehbiels Specialty Meats Inc.

McPherson,

KS

Garlic Summer Sausage

Champion

Den's Country Meats Inc.

Table Rock,

NE

Fermented Summer Sausage

Reserve Champion

Edgewood Locker Inc.

Edgewood,

IA

Old World Summer Sausage

Product Class:

29

(2021 Featured Class) Pepper Flavored SD Smoked & Cooked Number of Entries

21

17

Grand Champion

Gentert Packing Company

Holstein,

NE

Peppered Polish

Reserve Grand Chanpion

Country Meat Shop

Moberly,

MO

peppered smoked sausage

Champion

RJ's Meats

Hudson,

WI

Black Pepper Country Sausage

Reserve Champion

Dayton Meat Products Inc.

Malcom,

IA

Peppe Flavor Smokey Link Pork Sausag

AAMP Product Show Results

Page 4 of 4

Friday, July 16, 2021

AAMP Cured Meats Hall of Fame Citation

Aaron Kiesel Aaron Kiesel is co-owner of Dewig Brothers

2021

Packing Company, Inc., Haubstadt, Indiana.

He started working at Dewig Meats in June of 1996 during high school. He did various jobs around the plant such as clean up, packaging, and waiting on customers. His work at Dewig Meats interested him, and he went on to pursue a degree at Purdue University in Meat Science with an emphasis in processed meat. Aaron came back to Dewig Meats full time after college where he eventually took over the sausage kitchen and the job responsibilities that the job entails.

Aaron started dating the bosses' daughter, then Darla Dewig, in 2004 and they were married in 2007.

Aaron and Darla now have three children, Jarrett age 14, and twin girls, Addison and Heidi, age 8. Aaron's responsibilities at Dewig Meats have continuously grown, and his dedication and attention to detail has not only improved the entire processed line at Dewig Meats, but also made Aaron a tough cured meat competitor at the state, national and international level of cured meat competition. Aaron oversees Dewig Meats' entire processed meat division, curing and smoking departments, along with daily HACCP responsibilities.

Aaron and Darla work with many members of both the Dewig and Kiesel families including Tom and Janet Dewig, Dean and Karen Dewig, Austin and Jade Dewig and many cousins and relatives. Dewig Meats added on a 12,000 square foot addition in 2011 including 102 feet of meat case and 39 self-serve cooler and freezer doors packed with their extensive line of fresh and smoked sausages, cured and smoked meats, fresh and frozen beef, pork, chicken, turkey, fish, frozen fruits, vegetables and additional condiments. Dewig Meats is a federal inspected meat processing facility that slaughters, sells both wholesale and retail and has a catering department. Dewig Meats has grown drastically in the past 15 years and now has approximately 85 employees.

Dewig Meats produces over 200 varieties of fresh and smoked sausages such as bratwurst, Polish sausage, hot dogs, bologna as well as several authentic German sausages such as head cheese, liver sausage, blutwurst and scrapple.

Aaron enjoys competing in many cured meat competitions such as the Indiana Meat Packers & Processors Association, the American Association of Meat Processors, the Wurstfest in Hermann, MO and the IFFA competition for sausage and ham. Aaron has received 253 awards in his 13 years of cured meat competition. This includes at the Indiana Meat Packers and Processors Association competitions where he has won 51 Grand Champion awards, 21 Reserve Grand Champion awards, 20 Champion awards, 7 Reserve Champion awards, 3 Tom Katen Cured Meats Excellence awards, and 2 Best of Show awards. In AAMP competitions Aaron has received 28 Grand Champion awards, 26 Reserve Grand Champion awards, 11 Champion awards, 14 Reserve Champion awards, 4 Cured Meat Excellence awards, and 1 Best of Show award.

Aaron is an active member of St. Lucas United Church of Christ where he serves on the board of directors. In his free time, he enjoys watching sports such as the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars, St. Louis Cardinals Baseball, University of Evansville and Indiana University basketball and Purdue University football.

Congratulations to Aaron Kiesel on being inducted into the AAMP Cured Meats Hall of Fame for 2021.

Chris Young Executive Director, American Association of Meat Processors

IMPPA hosted two fantastic HACCP trainings in August.

The Indianapolis training held August 5 & 6, 2021 consisted of 18 attendees. The Ft. Branch training on August 19 & 20, 2021 had 11 attendees. The trainings were led by IMPPA Supplier Member, Peter Nielsen from Alliance Analytical Lab in Coopersville, Michigan. Peter has decades of laboratory experience. Alliance Analytical Lab’s goal is to be the technical extension to support companies in research and development, quality control, process validation, product specifications, and supplier qualifications.

Peter spends much of his time training companies and organizations just like our HACCP training and facilitating third party audits.

Peter also was assisted by IMPPA Supplier Member, Bob Culler from Culler Consulting in Avon, Indiana. Peter and Bob worked well together sharing different industry views on HACCP topics, trainings, validations, SSOP’s, CCP’s, etc.

Peter started the training explaining what HACCP is. Peter explained the Slaughter program steps and answered many questions. Once the attendees started to feel comfortable plans such as Raw Not Ground and Cooked Not Shelf Stable plans were given to groups of attendees. The packers worked together in these groups to fill in the blanks, and formulated their own plans based on the particular category. Once completed the groups explained their findings to the class, and between Peter and Bob the attendees learned if their thinking was thorough enough, applicable, and attainable.

The attendees enjoyed lunch and dinner together, and much time was spent listening and learning from each other. A certificate of competition is being sent to the attendees, and they can share with their inspectors that they are HACCP certified.

IMPPA could not have had such successful trainings without the financial help of our supplier members. Please read thru the suppliers listed and thank them for their financial support.

HACCP TRAINING SPONSORS! Dinner Sponsors $1,000.00 Darling Ingredients Miller Scales Lunch Sponsors $500.00 BIP Supply Phenix Films Ultrasource Gold Sponsors $500.00+ Alliance Analytical Lab Ultrasource BIP Supply Silver Sponsors $300.00 TemPac Bronze Sponsors $200.00 Culler Consulting We are working right now thinking about what would benefit the packers for 2022 either by additional HACCP trainings, or even HACCP refresher courses. We have also considered HACCP trainings every other year as well as other options. Please share your recommendations with us.

2021 IMPPA Suppliers Company

Contact

E-Mail

Telephone

Nature of Business

john.mcpherron@aclegg.com

1-800-422-5344

Custom Blended Seasonings

ralaniz@alaniz-law.com

281-833-2200

Legal

Alaniz Law & Associates, PLLC

John McPherron Richard Alaniz

Alliance Analytical Labs

Peter Nielson

peter@aatestlabs.com jeremy@aatestlabs.com audrey@aatest.com

616-837-7670

Austin Brown Company

Douglas Brown

doug@austinbrownco.com

513-492-7933

Berkel Midwest

Jeff Hausenfleck

jeff@berkelmidwest.com mail@berkelmidwest.com

800-921-9151

BIP Supply

Bob Taylor

bip@ccrtc.com

765-292-2403

Skip Muir

sales@birosaw.com skipm@birosaw.com

419-798-4451

Joel Kennon

joel.kennon@bunzlusa.com

800-456-5624

A.C. Legg Inc.

Biro Manufacturing Co. Bunzl Processor Division/ Koch Supplies Bush Brothers Coloma Frozen Foods, Inc. Competitive Strategies, Inc. (Meat Order Pro) Con Yeager Spice Co.

Mark Bush Eric MacLeod

217-344-1111

Industry Support Lab, Microbiology & Chemistry Testing, HACCP Training, Consulting, Nutritional Labeling Distributor of Metl-Span Insulated Panels, Frank Doors, & Extreme Microbial Technologies Equipment, Hand & Automatic Wrappers, Scales, Labels, Supply Items Packaging, Paper Products, Chemicals for Food Processing Retail & Industrial Food Processing Equipment Plant Operating Supplies & Equipment Paper Products & Supplies Frozen Fruit & Vegetables, Fruit Purees, Juice Concentrate

ericm@colomafrozen.com

269-876-5918

Jackie Lingg

jackie@comstrategies.com

920-993-1077

Software Consultant/Developer

Tim Gwin

tim.gwin@conyeagerspice.com sales@conyeagerspice.com

724-202-6513 800-222-2460

Seasoning & Spices Corrugated Boxes for use Across Many Industries, with a Large Presence in the Food and Food Processing Industry Meat Processing Equipment, Slicers, Patty Machines, Curing Cabinets, Grinders, Spices Consulting, Meat & Poultry Processing Microbiological Services for Products and Environmental Sampling

Covington Box and Packaging

Mike Rogers

mrogers@covingtonbox.com

260-837-2000

CRM North America

Luigi Pintore

crm@crmnorthamerica.com

847-916-2051

Culler Consulting, LLC

Robert Culler

cullerhome@sbcglobal.net

616-666-0495

Daily Laboratories

Lisa Strickland

dailylab@gmail.com

309-691-4513

Darling Ingredients

Jim Hollenbaugh

jhollenbaugh@darlingii.com

317-784-4486

Rendering

815-472-6515

Buying, Selling & Trading All Types of Used Machinery & Industrial Equipment Servicing the Metalworking, Fabrication & Food Processing Industries

Diligent Equipment Exchange

Duane Oosterhoff

sales@diligentequipment exchange.com

D.R.E.A.M. Equipment

Dwight Freymiller

Energy Impact

Marcus Fehman Patrick Martini

New & Refurbished Used Equipment, Plant Design & Setup.

Complete Line Start to Finish. Up to 0-500 Per Day. Utility Sales Tax Exemption Engineering Studies Manufacturer of Food Processing Equipment

dwightfreymiller@gmail.com dreamingbearranch@gmail.com

618-899-0323

marcus@energyimpact.us

317-345-6685

sales@enviro-pak.com

503-655-7044

John Brewer

sales@excaliburseasoning.com

800-444-2169

Kirk Azbell

kirk@gawintzer.com

800-331-1801

George Lapsley

glapsley@comcast.net

267-221-2426

Handtmann, Inc.

Sam Jodka

sam.jodka@handtmann.us

708-340-5865

Herd Pack, LLC

Matthew Gibson

kelsey@herdpack.com matt@herdpack.com

812-297-1312

Cattle Hides

Donovan Daws

donovan@highplainssupply.com dawn@highplainssupply.com

970-776-9881 970-776-9600

Processing Equipment, New & Used

Enviro-Pak Excalibur Seasoning G.A. Wintzer & Son Co. George Lapsley Enterprises

High Plains Frontier Supply LLC

Seasoning Supplier Rendering & Used Cooking Oil Recycline Food Safety, HACCP, PCQ, SQF Practitioner, USDA Consulting Equipment, Vacuum Suffers, Linkers

Sales & Service of Food Equipment, Food Prep, Meat Production, Weight-Wrap, Refrigeration, Cooking, Bakery, Chemical Sales Food (Meat) Processing Equipment

Dan Roth John Glosson

danr@glossonfoodequip.com johng@glossonfoodequip.com

260-478-1658

Steve Madison

stevem47460@aol.com

708-579-3700

Joe Moore

jmoore@indianabeef.org

317-293-2333

Greg Slipher

gslipher@infb.org

317-432-3816

Josh Trenary

jtrenary@inpork.org

317-872-7500

Advocating for Indiana Agriculture and Rural Needs Agriculture Commodity Group

Kurt Zetah

sales@intcollagen.com

507-799-0092

Casings

Jarvis Products Corporation

Greg Hanson

greg@jarvisomaha.com

402-334-4990

Kent Butchers' Supply

Ben DeMots

ben@kbsmi.com

616-534-4050

Kerres USA

Tom Springman

tom@kerresusa.com

570-279-2989

Kwalyti Tooling & Machinery

Gordon Erickson

info@kwalyti.com

630-761-8040

Linker Machines

Michael Hebrank

sales @linkermachines.com

973-983-0001

MadgeTech

Kelly Wright

603-456-2011

Manica USA

Dale Schmidt & Andrea Schmidt

info@madgetech.com kelly@medgetech.com andreas@maincausa.com

314-408-3880

Hobart/Glosson Food Equipment Hollymatic Corporation Indiana Beef Cattle Association Indiana Farm Bureau Inc. Indiana Pork International Collagen Resource

Agriculture Commodity Group

Equipment Manufacturer, Blade Sharpening Service, Equipment Repairs Meat Packaging Supplies and Equipment Smokehouses, Roasting Houses, Cleaning Houses, Climatic Rooms, Industrial Cleaning Equipment, Bowl Cutters, Grinders, Mixer Grinders, Mixers - Schiwa High Capacity Slicing Lines Supplier of Packaging Machines, Tooling, Parts & Service Including Tool Repair & Machine Rebuild String Tying Linkers, Hotdog Peelers, Sausage & Hotdog Linkers Temperature Monitoring for Meat Processing Meat & Sausage Processing Equipment, Utensil & Parts Washers, Batter & Breading Systems, Brine Injectors

Mar/Co Sales Inc.

Dave Downs

dave@marcosalesmn.com

800-552-9237

Casings, Packaging Electric Hog Stunners, Hog Scalder Dehairers for Hubert Haas, Meat Consulting, HACCP & Food Safety Plan Development, PAACO Certified Meat Plant Animal Welfare Auditor, Product Development Sales & Service of Food Processing Equipment & Supply Items Seasonings, Supplies, New & Used Equipment, Parts, Service Department Packaging Equipment Manufacturer & Supplier Waxed, Coated & Printed Interleavers For Food

Mark Schad Online

Mark Schad

mark@markschadonline.com

305-509-3382

McCarthy Food Equipment

Dan Valenti Kevin

mcfoodequipment@cs.com mfe.kevin@yahoo.com

317-257-7391

Miller Scales & Food Machines

Shaun Blake Bryan Hanlon

srb@millerscales.com wbh@millerscales.com

260-482-1548

Multivac

John Powers

john.powers@multivac.com

847-271-7774

sherry@pattypaper.com

574-935-8439

r.henderson@psfpkg.com

317-223-1933

Packaging Supplies

mpieper@piazzaproduce.com

317-450-9664

Produce, Processing, Specialty

m.sullivan@polyclip.us

847-949-2800

Clipping Equipment, Clips

csoutherland@prosperityag.com

317-650-7069

Grant Writing

Jeff Warren

sgore@psseasoning.com jbaehr@psseasoning.com jeff@pro-smoker.com

1-800-328-8313

Seasonings & Smokehouses

Pat Darpel

pdarpel@qualitycasing.com

800-328-8701

Natural & Artificial Casings, Vacuum Bags

Tina Couch

tcouch@coolingdesign.com

317-498-3435

Refrigeration

info@reichertspice.com

888-698-2702 815-698-2634

Spices & Seasoning Blends

adesimone@reiser.com

781-821-1290

Patty Paper Phenix Specialty Films Piazza Produce Poly-Clip Systems Prosperity Ag PS Seasoning & Spices/Pro Smoker Quality Casing Co., Inc. Refrigeration Design of Indiana Reichert Spice Co. Reiser

Sherry Simmons Rich Henderson Matt Pieper Mike Sullivan Christi Southerland Steve Gore

Jim Ferguson Wayne Jorgensen

Food Processing & Packaging Equipment Meat & Deli Scales, Wrap Stations & Supplies, POS Equipment Vacuum Fillers, Sausage Systems, Alginate Sausage Systems, Minced Meat Systems, Forming Systems, Grinders, Mixers, Tying Machines Manufacturer of Rollstock Machines Clips, Clippers, Loops, Code Date Printers

Retail Data Systems

Bryan Buckner

bbuckner@rdspos.com

502-277-1940

Risco USA Corporation

Paul Kean

info@riscousa.com pkean@riscousa.com

508-230-3336

jkaszuba@rollstockkc.com

800-295-2949

sales@silver-clip.com

734-354-6551

joey@standardfertilizer.com

800-742-9761

Rendering

amy@surfacesolutionsusa.com

317-340-3633

Meat Processing Flooring

303-418-4747

Pressure Sensitive Labels, Scale Labels, Insert Labels, Label Printers & Software, Heavy-Duty Scale System

Rollstock Inc. Silver-Clip, LLC Standard Fertilizer Surface Solutions Inc. TemPac LLC

Josh Kaszuba Mike Prokurat Joey Roberts Amy Manghelli David Temming

robin@tempac.net

Troyer Foods

Conrad Faust Richard Repollet Shelly Rassi

Ultrasource LLC

Pat Brune

ultrasource@ultrasourceusa.com

816-753-2150

UW Provision Van Hessen USA, Inc. VC999 Packaging Systems

Nick Marron Jon Chovanec

nick.marron@uwprovision.com

608-836-7421

Equipment, Supplies, Process and Packaging Machine Supplier Slicing, Dicing & Portion Cutting Machines Food Distributor Meat Processing, Packaging & Labeling Equipment, Parts & Supplies Meat Supplier

jon.chovanec@vanhessen.com

800-825-5151

Natural Sausage Casings

Matt Harper

sales@vc999.com

800-728-2999

ViskoTeepak

Deya Puente

Packaging Machine & Material Manufacturer

deya.puente@viskoteepak.com

262-697-6566

Meat Casings and Packaging

Walton's, Inc.

Kurt Carter

kurt@waltonsinc.com

800-835-2832

World Pac International USA, Inc.

Dan Hiebing

info@worldpacusa.com

262-598-0062

Tipper Tie Treif USA Inc.

conrad.faust@jbtc.com

919-362-8811

cornelia.bischoff@treif.com

203-929-9930

shellyr@troyers.com

574-533-0302

Food Processing Equipment, Supplies & Seasonings Casings, Supplies, Innovative Food Packaging Materials and Casings

Indiana Meat Packers & Processors Association P.O. Box 186 Haubstadt, IN 47639 812-768-6208 www.imppa.org PLEASE SEND INFORMATION FOR THE NEWSLETTER TO: DARLA KIESEL DARLA@DEWIGMEATS.COM

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