Purdue News
Purdue News
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August 18, 2004 Indiana Farm Fresh Beef program links farmers, consumersWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Hoosier beef producers will soon have a new way of marketing their product, and training sessions for the marketing program are fast approaching. "Indiana Farm Fresh Beef is a value-added, direct-to-consumer marketing system," said Ron Lemenager, a Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service beef specialist. "This allows a smaller producer to market cattle when they're ready without having to worry about trying to put together a semi-load to really extract the true value out of these cattle." To join the Farm Fresh Beef program, producers must be certified through the IQ+BEEF program, attend an Indiana Farm Fresh Beef marketing program and be a member of the Indiana Beef Cattle Association. Costs for the IQ+Beef and Farm Fresh Beef marketing sessions are $25 each. All training sessions will take place at locations around the state at 6:30 p.m. local time. IQ+BEEF certification, which focuses on ensuring wholesome, safe, palatable beef, is scheduled for: Brazil - Sept. 2, Clay County Fairgrounds. Butlerville - Aug. 24, Southeast Purdue Ag Center. Huntington - Sept. 9, Huntington County Fairgrounds. Indianapolis - Sept. 1, Indiana Beef Cattle Association office. Logansport - Aug. 25, Cass County Fairgrounds. New Castle - Sept. 16, Henry County Fairgrounds. Paoli - Aug. 31, Orange County Fairgrounds. Petersburg - Aug. 23, Pike County Fairgrounds. Warsaw - Sept. 8, Kosciusko County Fairgrounds. West Lafayette - Sept. 13, Stewart Center, Purdue University. Producers also must attend a Farm Fresh Beef marketing program. This portion of the training focuses on product marketing, pricing strategies, distribution methods, promotional efforts and customer service. Dates and places for the marketing training programs are: Brazil - Sept. 9, Clay County Fairgrounds. Butlerville - Aug. 31, Southeast Purdue Ag Center. Huntington - Sept. 16, Huntington County Fairgrounds. Indianapolis - Sept. 8, Indiana Beef Cattle Association office. Logansport - Sept. 1, Cass County Fairgrounds. New Castle - Sept. 2, Henry County Fairgrounds. Paoli - Sept. 14, Orange County Fairgrounds. Petersburg - Aug. 30, Pike County Fairgrounds. Warsaw - Sept. 15, Kosciusko County Fairgrounds. West Lafayette - Sept. 20, Stewart Center, Purdue University. All of the training sessions are open to anyone interested in the educational materials. Certification following the training is optional. To attend a session, call the IBCA office at (800) 515-2333. The Indiana Farm Fresh Beef program was developed by Purdue University and the Indiana Beef Cattle Association. The program directly connects consumers and local beef producers through a Web site. When the Web site becomes operational in October, consumers will find a directory of producers who sell Indiana-raised freezer beef directly from the farm. That means small producers will have the opportunity to stay small, while still receiving top dollar for their cattle. The program also benefits consumers. "You can match consumers with specific animals," Lemenager said. "If you've got someone who really wants prime beef, you can select that animal. If they want one that's really lean you can match that need as well. It also gives the consumer a contact in the beef industry. They know where their beef came from." Writer: Kay Hagen, (765) 494-6682, kjh@purdue.edu Source: Ron Lemenager, (765) 494-4817, rpl@purdue.edu Ag Communications: (765) 494-2722; Beth Forbes, forbes@purdue.edu
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