March 28, 2003March 28, 2003
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| Mark
Uthlaut, general manager of Farm Foods Coop and Montgomery County extension council member, listens as Chris Rich Cobb, EC community development specialist and Montgomery City Area Chamber of Commerce president, makes comments. |
Ground breaking for a local beef processing business in Montgomery County March 21 was a dream come true for area citizens and for the UO/E faculty and staff who assisted the process.
Ron Turner, UM executive vice president and director, says the new enterprise "is a great example of private, state and university partnership."
UO/E provided key assistance in response to regional priorities that benefit agriculture, add value to ag products, strengthen the community and build leadership for the future.
Gary Hoette, EC agronomy and natural resources specialist; Doug Holt, MU food science associate professor; and Chris Rich Cobb, EC community development specialist, helped obtain grant funding from the Missouri Agriculture and Small Business Authority and USDA; advised the family who started the business in their basement; and organized farmer meetings to present the business concept and discuss strategies for implementation, including marketing, new product research, financing, facilities and equipment, and slaughtering and animal issues.
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| Taking
part in the Farm Foods Coop ground-breaking ceremony are (from left) Bill Deichman, Farm Foods treasurer; Gary Hoette, EC agronomy/ natural resources specialist; Adam Blaue, Farm Foods president and Montgomery County outreach and extension council member; and Jeff Porter, Montgomery City mayor. |
The planning group included people from a wide range of backgrounds -- food brokers, contractors, Department of Agriculture, Securities and Exchange Commission, animal science and others -- to ensure that the information used in planning was factual.
The processing business is organized as a limited liability corporation. A manager has been hired, and processing will begin in late spring or early summer.
"The cooperative will insure quality by a producer to consumer identity trail," Hoette says. "Expansion and new product development will be customer driven."
Legislators, community members, county extension council members, state agency representatives, media and others attended the groundbreaking.
"There was no doubt at the groundbreaking about the important role University Outreach and Extension faculty played in bringing this new venture to fruition," Turner says. "It was gratifying to see the community come together for this important initiative."
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Eileen Yager,
yagere@umsystem.edu |
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