The Allegheny Grass-Fed initiative aims to market locally produced grass-fed meat from northwestern Pennsylvania. It focuses on soil health and environmental stewardship through grazing management. The initiative organizes producers, identifies processors and consumers, and develops a brand. Products must meet certification standards for animal welfare, grass-feeding, and environmental practices. Current work includes sharing production protocols, certifying farmers, and developing marketing outlets. The overall goal is to improve local lands and soils while providing farmers a premium price for sustainable production methods.

1. Allegheny
Grass-Fed
Marketing Soil Health
as a Component of
Grass-Fed Local
Products
Sjoerd Duiker
Advisory Committee
Allegheny Grass-Fed

2. Allegheny Grass-Fed Meat
Grass-fed meat marketing initiative for NW PA with focus on Soil Health
Background
•Some farmers in NW PA practice innovative methods of grazing
o Management Intensive Grazing Methods
o Soil health – grazing very suitable land use for NW PA
o Maximizing the grazing season
o Reducing fertilizer and pesticide inputs
o Eliminating grain and reducing supplemental forage
o Natural ways of raising animals
o Reducing input costs
o But no market edge
•Economically depressed area
•Approached farmers about interest to form grass-fed marketing coop
•Got grant in August 2017 - USDA Rural Business Development
•Coordinator Hired – May 2018

3. What is the goal of Allegheny Grass-Fed?
•To serve as a Marketing
Program (business/co-op) to
sell locally produced and
processed Grass Fed Meat
products.
•To improve the land and
soil in our local area.
•To provide local farmers a
way to receive a premium
price for production
methods

4. Preparing the Marketing Initiative
• Organize producers
• Identify processors
• Identify consumers
o Restaurants?
o Farmer markets?
o Super markets?
• Consumer research – what do
consumers value?
• Branding
• Legal aspects
• How to make it self-sustaining

5. Program
Key Points
o Local Focus – working with
farmers in NW PA
o Soil Health and
Environmental Stewardship
o Meat Quality – quality
product, health benefits for
animals and to consumer

6. Processing, Labeling, and Certification
There are legal requirements besides
consumer preferences
•Need to have a USDA certified
processor for harvest and processing
•Label needs to be approved by USDA
•Certifications:
• Important for consumer confidence
• Need to be practical, not overly
burdensome, not too costly

7. Allegheny
Grass-Fed Meat
Production Protocol for Grass-Fed Beef

8. * Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Certified
* A Greener World Certification – audit once a
year
o Certified Animal Welfare Approved- animals must
be able to behave naturally and be in a state of physical
and psychological well-being
o Certified grass-fed
o (Non-GMO)
* Environmental stewardship and soil health:
o Conservation Plan on file with NRCS
o Manure Management or Nutrient Management
Plan
o Pasture Management Plan and Grazing Plan
that supports biological diversity, natural
resources, soil health
Allegheny Grass-Fed Certification

9. Cattle
• Traceable from birth
through harvest
• Less than 30 months
old
• Bull calves need to be
castrated

10. Feeding
• 100% grass fed after weaning,
no grain, raised and finished
on forages, no GMOs
• Specified health supplements
are allowed
• Grains, oilseeds (except flax),
corn silage, GMOs, animal/fish
byproducts not allowed
• Growth-promoting antibiotics,
and implants or hormones for
growth promotion are
prohibited
• Pasture Management & Intake
goals – 150 days, min. 30% of
total annual dry matter

11. Animal Health
• All veterinary treatments documented –
records kept for inspection
• No ionospheres except for parasite
control
• No antibiotics – if a sick animal has
been treated it cannot be marketed
through program
• Animals treated with medication cannot
be slaughtered until >30 days after
treatment
• Vaccination of young animals is
encouraged
• Synthetic chemical wormers and fly
treatment are allowed but withholding
period > 90 days

12. Member Certification
• Members certify with shipping
affidavit that they followed
production protocol
• Cattle must be Quality Grade Select
Plus, Choice or Prime, Yield Grade
3.4 or better
• Cattle should at least have slight
thick muscling
• No Standard or Dark Cutter Carcass
will be allowed
• Meat will only be processed in USDA
inspected processing and packaging
facilities
• Animals have quality standard based
on ultrasound or condition at
slaughter Prime, Choice, Select, Standard, Commercial, Utility, Cutter, Canner

13. Current Work
• Sharing Production Protocol with Farmers
• Identified a Local Processor
• Identified First Local Outlets for Product
• Certify 4 farmers through A Greener World
• Develop a Website / Social Media Outlet
• Cooperative Development

14. Allegheny Grass-Fed
Contacts:
Sjoerd Duiker – sduiker@psu.edu
Joel Hunter
Junia Isiminger, Coordinator