Webinar to highlight benefits, goals of poultry marketing initiative

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Organizers of Purdue Extension's Indiana Pastured Poultry Branding Initiative will host a public webinar for consumers, farmers and food industry professionals interested in learning more about the project, its benefits for consumers and farmers, and how to get involved.

The webinar, to be held at 7 p.m. EDT Dec. 6, is free and open to the public. The agenda will include an overview of the initiative and discussion of its current status and future direction.

The Indiana Pastured Poultry Branding Initiative is a farmer-led effort to develop a set of standards for raising, processing and marketing meat from pasture-raised chickens. These standards are intended to create a brand that consumers will associate with the highest standards of quality, value and safety, said Roy Ballard, Extension educator in Hancock County and one of the project organizers.

"For many people, it is important to know where their food came from and how it was produced," Ballard said. "Creating this brand will let consumers know that this product was produced by Indiana farmers, in a specific manner that they are comfortable with."

The webinar will begin with an overview and background of the project, so even farmers and consumers who are unfamiliar with the initiative are welcome to join and learn more about how it could benefit them, Ballard said. Organizers will review the results of surveys that were conducted over the summer to assess the opinions of farmers and consumers regarding poultry production and purchasing and discuss how the results can be applied to the planning process.

Farmers interested in joining the initiative or serving in a leadership position will learn about opportunities to get involved and discuss a timeline for future meetings.

Participation in the Indiana Pastured Poultry Initiative is open to poultry farmers of all experience levels who are serious about quality poultry production, good business practices and collaboration, Ballard said. The initiative is supported by a U.S. Department of Agriculture Value Added Producer Grant, but development of the brand standards will be controlled by participating poultry farmers.

"The goal of this initiative is to give small farmers a larger collective presence in the marketplace," Ballard said. "It can give them more visibility and support than they might have facing these challenges on their own. As a group, we could take on some of these responsibilities collectively."

Participants can access the webinar online at http://bit.ly/IPPIweb or listen on the phone by calling +1-855-282-6330 and entering the access code 648 055 765 #.

For more information about the Pastured Poultry Branding Initiative or the webinar, contact Ballard at 317-462-1113 or rballard@purdue.edu.           

Writer: Jessica Merzdorf, 765-494-7719, jmerzdor@purdue.edu 

Source: Roy Ballard, 317-462-1113, rballard@purdue.edu

Agricultural Communications: (765) 494-8415;
Darrin Pack, dpack@purdue.edu 
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