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Freezing fruits and vegetables Formulating, jarring, and pasteurizing USDA inspected meat and poultry slaughter and cut and wrap facilities Warehousing for dry, fresh, and frozen products Distribution methods that support smaller producers10
Opportunities Despite the barriers, producers reported that if facilities and infrastructure like co-pack facilities and commercial kitchens were made available, they would produce more food.11 These facilities could include the ability to do post-harvest handling, drying and dehydrating, freezing, central distribution and storage, co-packing, poultry and/or livestock processing.12 These barriers suggest a need for post-harvest handling, co-packing (where multiple producers products are combined under the same label), and processing facilities. It also suggests that there would be a demand for individually quick-frozen facilities in order to supply seasonal institutional markets like schools. Such models would need to ensure economically affordable access for producers. Recently, two online communication tools have been established to facilitate communication between producers and buyers: the Puget Sound Food Network run by Northwest Agriculture Business Center in Mount Vernon, Washington and Food Hub, run by Ecotrust in Portland, Oregon. These tools could be used to promote food processing connections as well. Livestock & Poultry Processing Recent innovation addresses livestock processing barriers in this region. Two groups have established Mobile Meat Processing Units (MMPU) to respond to the inability for small-to medium-sized producers to access the three USDA processing facilities in the central Puget Sound region. These MMPUs involve a 45-foot trailer designed to meet USDA specifications (including organic certification) that travels to farms and ranches. Staffed by a trained USDA inspector and processing personnel, the unit processes the animals, then transports the animal carcasses to cut & wrap facilities for further processing. The presence of USDA certification and inspection means that the products can now be delivered and sold in retail markets rather than simply on-farm. •
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The Puget Sound Meat Producers Cooperative (PSMPC) incorporated in 2008 as a nonprofit cooperative of local ranchers, farmers, butchers, and restaurant owners. Beginning in July 2009, they operate a mobile, USDA-inspected meat processing unit that serves King, Kitsap, Lewis, Mason, Pierce, and Thurston counties. The Island Grown Farmers Cooperative has fixed facilities in Bow, Washington and provides MMPU service to Island, Skagit, Snohomish, and Whatcom counties.13
An agricultural assessment by Doug Collins of Washington State University notes that most of these USDA-inspected facilities are already operating at capacity.14 Ibid., 4. Ibid., 1. 12 Ibid., 3. 13 “About IGCF,” Island Grown Farmers Cooperative, accessed March 10, 2011, http://www.igfcmeats.com/2. html. 14 Doug Collins, “King County Food and Fitness Initiative Agricultural Assessment,” June 15, 2009, http:// 10 11
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