July 2015 — Working with NC Choices, Kristen has learned a lot about local meat supply chains. Participating on many levels, Kristen has had the opportunity to help with a Women Working in the Meat Business seminar, conduct consumer surveys regarding label claims at local farmers markets, create documents to help farmers sell their meat to grocery stores, and develop pricing spreadsheets that explain what it costs to produce beef, chicken, and pork.
Kristen’s experiences on her family’s beef cattle farm and as an intern with Tyson have provided her with a rich understanding of meat production and costs on the commercial level; this is knowledge which she has used to create resources for producing and selling local meat.
Kristen says that one of the benefits she has gained from this apprenticeship is a better understanding of local meat, in comparison to commercial meat. About her work with NC Choices, she says “it makes me a little more well-rounded, because I’m more aware of the local foods now where I was more on the commercial side of the industry…it helps to know the differences between them and the challenges that they each face.”
Kristen believes her understanding of both markets will be helpful to her when it comes time to find a job in the meat industry.
This article originally appeared in the July 2015 NC Growing Together Newsletter.