News Release
For Immediate Release
May 29, 2009
Contact: Sally Worley, Practical Farmers of Iowa, (515)232-5661, sally@practicalfarmers.org
Sarah Carlson, Practical Farmers of Iowa, (515)232-5661, sarah@practicalfarmers.org
Make Sense of Meat Marketing at Practical Farmers of Iowa Workshop
Indianola--Successful meat marketing relies on the four P’s: product, pricing, placement/distribution, and promotion. Join Practical Farmers of Iowa on Monday, June 22, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Warren County Conservation Annett Nature Center in Indianola to hear how Mike Lorentz, of Lorentz Meats, and a producer panel made up of four Iowa farmers implement these marketing tactics.
Mike Lorentz, Lorentz Meats, Cannon Falls MN, will discuss: “Understanding Commodity Meat Markets” and “What Business Are We In?” Mike is a second generation butcher at Lorentz Meats. Lorentz Meats has been in business since 1967 and employs 45 people. They ship meat across the United States and also welcome farmers to process single animals. Lorentz Meats is a USDA certified, organic certified, and a European Union certified facility.
After lunch, a farmer panel will talk about their approaches to the four P’s. Cindy Madsen, Audubon County Family Farms, markets her products through Niman Ranch and direct to consumers through farmers markets and local food cooperatives. Ryan and Kristine Jepsen, Grass Run Farm, Dorchester, sell direct to consumers as well as to Iowa institutions, restaurants, and cooperatives. Chris Lerch, Blue Heron Organics and Natural Products, Milo, markets products directly to customers at a local farmer’s market and via his website, and also sells beef through a local food cooperative.
Registration is due by June 17. To register, call the PFI office at (515)232-5661 or email sarah@practicalfarmers.org. The cost of this workshop is $10 for PFI or Grass Based Livestock Working Group (GBLWG) members and $25 for others. Lunch and snacks, plus a copy of “Beef Carcass Evaluation, Fabrication, and Marketing” are included.
Directions: Warren County Conservation Annett Nature Center, 15565 118th Ave., Indianola. From Indianola take Highway 65/69 south and continue south on 69 to Country Road G58 (old name: Highway 349). Go west to 118th Ave. and turn north. The Annett Nature Center is on the east side of 118th. It is across the street from Lake Ahquabi State Park where you can fish, swim, and camp.
This workshop is sponsored by the Grass Based Livestock Working Group, Value Chain Partnerships Project, and the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture.
Sustaining sponsors for Practical Farmers of Iowa field days are the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Iowa State University Extension, American Natural Soy, the Wallace Chair for Sustainable Agriculture, Albert Lea Seed House, Seed Savers Exchange, and the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES). Major sponsors are the Center for Energy and Environmental Education, Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, ATTRA National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service, Organic Valley and Organic Prairie Family of Farms CROPP Cooperative, Iowa Forage and Grassland Council, and King Corn.
Practical Farmers of Iowa includes a diverse group of farmers and nonfarmers. Corn, soybeans, beef cattle, and hay are the top enterprises for PFI farmers, although many have a variety of other operations, including fruits and vegetables. PFI’s programming stresses farmer-to-farmer networking through research and demonstration, field days, conferences, and more. For more information, call 515-232-5661 or visit www.practicalfarmers.org.