Midwest Meat Summit

Stop 1 – Carney Family Farm

Bruce Carney and his wife, Connie, operate Carney Family Farms near Maxwell, Iowa. Located on pastures that once grew corn soybeans, Bruce now focuses on grazing the land as well as extensive conservation efforts. Come hear how Bruce grass-finishes his cattle on annuals and his efforts to establish warm-season native perennials as part of his forage chain. Bruce will talk about how having the right type of cow is important for successful production, and what that cow looks like, as well as the work his daughter does direct-marketing quarters and halves.

Stop 2 - Cory Family Farm

Tom Cory and Mary Cory raise livestock on their farm outside of Elkhart, Iowa. For the last seven years, they’ve been grazing cattle and sheep together in a rotational system. After raising wool sheep and direct-marketing for decades, Tom is trialing a move to hair sheep and now sells them at the sale barn because of the economics. He’ll share the meticulous budgets he has kept over the years that convinced him to make that change. He’ll also show the pastures where his budget allowed him to put in infrastructure without NRCS money. And he’ll share how his grazing system affects the nutrient analysis of his lamb.

Stop 3 – Story City Locker

Ty and Bobbie Gustafson own and operate Story City Locker, an abattoir and artisan butchery business in central Iowa practicing ethical animal harvest and sustainable butchery. On this tour, Ty will walk us through their livestock pens and handling, which follow Temple Grandin’s guidelines and are Animal Welfare Approved by A Greener World. He’ll discuss the locker's processing system, which focuses on one animal at a time. He'll also explain why sanitation is so important in their facility and how they achieve it.

Seasonality creates real cash‑flow, labor and pricing challenges that quietly drain profitability for both livestock farmers and meat processors. This plenary examines how fall congestion and winter under‑use affect profitability. You'll hear why underpricing is common on both sides and how better coordination around livestock flow, scheduling and pricing can reduce risk and stress while improving business resilience for farms and plants alike.

For grass‑fed livestock farmers, winter costs often feel unavoidable – but freezer time can be even more expensive. This interactive breakout digs into the real dollars behind slaughter timing, frozen inventory and seasonal cash flow. Using relatable examples, we'll compare winter feed costs versus inventory costs and explore when frozen meat sells fastest. Attendees will leave with practical decision-making tools to reduce their financial stress without changing production values.

One of the biggest pinch points and headaches facing processors today is the difficulty in recruiting and retaining employees. How, then, does one create a welcoming environment that attracts workers? And how do you create a workplace where people feel fulfilled in their work? Come hear Cecka and Lou share insights from their experience in the world of butchering. They’ll give insights into what employers can do to make meat processing a long-term opportunity for employees from both a cultural and practical perspective.

Learn how tapping into the Iowa Hub to Hub Network can open up new market opportunities, streamline logistics and make scaling your farm’s sales more manageable. We’ll cover the infrastructure that makes it work, the potential market impact and practical ways farmers can plug into the hub network. In addition to market opportunities to schools and institutions, the Iowa Hub to Hub Network also provides for-hire delivery services that can include locker pick-up or delivery direct to consumer.

This session will focus on current challenges facing smaller-scale and local meat processors, the emerging policy trends shaping the future of meat processing and what this means for livestock farmers across the Midwest. Tucker Maxwell, owner of Maxwell Custom Beef in Des Moines, will discuss the how working with a local processor benefits farmers. He'll also discuss challenges he faces as a local processor and how he navigates policy changes and the regulatory environment.

You'll also hear from Connor Kippe of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. Connor will address recent shifts in how USDA is addressing concentration in meat processing, policy changes being proposed in the farm bill that would affect meat processors and what this all means for producers in the Midwest.

Value-added products can be an important part of a farm business. But current consumer trends have made lard- and tallow-based products especially hot commodities.

In this session, Laura will share how she's been tapping into this market demand for years by selling her own range of lard-based soaps and skin care products alongside her ready-to-eat products. She’ll share what she has heard from customers and describe her home setup to create products herself. We'll also hear what it's like working with an outside manufacturer.

As demand grows for meat raised with higher animal welfare and environmental standards, processors have an important role to play in ensuring compliance, transparency and supply chain integrity. This session brings together the Regenerative Agriculture Alliance, A Greener World and the ASPCA to explore how processing infrastructure, third-party verification and policy advocacy intersect.

Presenters will discuss how processors can help farmers meet certification requirements, maintain chain of custody and ensure credible product claims. ASPCA will highlight current policy efforts to advance higher-welfare farming and the opportunities for alignment across the sector. Together, this conversation will offer practical insights and systems-level strategies for building a more transparent, accountable and humane meat system.

Feed is a key part of getting significant and efficient finishing on livestock. Brice Hundling grows and mills the feed for his animals himself. Doing so gives him direct control over the quality and content of what his pigs and cattle eat. Come hear Brice share how what he grows influences what goes into his feed. He'll explain his feed mill setup and describe how he creates the rations that finish his livestock.

Charcuterie is an increasingly in-demand product that can create extra value for the farmer and processor. But it’s not yet commonly produced in Iowa. Dry curing to make products like salami or prosciutto comes with its own set of regulations and specifications. Come hear how Calvin navigated these requirements to start one of Iowa’s only licensed dry-curing facilities. He’ll also give an overview of the production process, as well as safety concerns to be aware of.

Exciting new poultry processing ventures are taking place right here in Iowa. Jason Grimm started with processing his own chickens on the farm in converted buildings in 2015. Since 2021, he has been able to process his own chickens using a custom poultry license under the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship in a converted building on family land. In 2025, Jason and his family finished building a new facility on their own farm.

Grimm Family Farm will continue processing their own poultry and offer processing services to others farms as well. Come learn how Jason has scaled up to meet the demand he sees, and the logistics it takes to create a poultry processing plant.

In the triangle of consumer, producer and processor, much focus is put on the relationship to the customer. But what about the needs of the farmer and the butcher? Life is busy and relationships can be challenging to navigate. In this session, a panel of processors will answer questions from farmers and share what will make work more sustainable for them as well. Come with questions you've wondered but never been able to ask your processor!