For more information about the Northeast Livestock Processing Service please call marketing and processing coordinator Kathleen Harris at (518) 673-5193 or email at nelpsc@frontiernet.net.
The Northeast Livestock Processing Service Company " Farmers Helping Farmers
The Northeast Livestock Processing Service Company LLC (NELPSC) isn't your typical for profit business. You're most likely to find its board of directors in jeans working in a farm field and meetings are often held at the Duanseburg Diner which is jokingly referred to as “corporate headquarters.”
Started as a project of the Hudson Mohawk Resource Conservation and Development Council (HMRC&D) which is a non-profit organization, NELPSC is a company which assists the small livestock farmer with processing facilitation and marketing of locally raised meat. While NELPSC is a for-profit company, it hardly operates as one. The all-farmer board members devote a total of 100 hours a month of volunteer service towards the project. They are not compensated for their time or expenses and have elected to re-invest all profits into the company. In fact, they have contributed much of their own funds in order to see the company succeed. Each producer board member made an initial financial commitment of $100 to buy a founding share of the company. Board members have provided $12,000 in no-interest bridge loans to the company during periods of temporary cash shortfall. Shortfalls can occur when the company pays the farmers and processors immediately for meat orders and then waits 45-60 days for payment from the buyer. In addition, a HMRC&D council member has put up a $10,000 for NELPSC so that they may fulfill USDA's Packers and Stockyards regulations.
“This company is about farmers helping farmers,” said Secretary Jim Hayes who owns Sap Bush Hollow Farm. The five NELPSC board members and one staff person have a combined total of 311 years of experience in raising and marketing livestock. When the board was asked recently why they wanted to spend so much of their personal time and money to help their fellow livestock farmer, president of NELPSC and owner of Seven View Farm Seymour Vander Veen responded, ”If farming is in your blood and you see agriculture slipping away, you'll do anything to keep it going.”
Vice president Ed Armstrong feels strongly about wanting to preserve the way of life for a small farmer. “Often, livestock farmers have so much difficulty with processing they end up selling their animals at a loss at auction.” Second vice-president Hal Hermance agrees. “I've been helping my neighbors for three decades get into the livestock business only to have them sell out to me a few years later because they can't make money at it,” Hal said. “It's been very discouraging and I want to see families be able to make a living off of a small farm.” Treasurer Jim Sullivan and owner of Miller Farm observed, “The success of one livestock farm is interdependent on the success of many livestock farmers. We can't survive without each other.”
Since it is a company created by livestock farmers to help livestock farmers, the mission and activities of the company is driven solely by its 69 farm members. The company also aims to make its services affordable, even if that means undercharging farmers. They also have a policy of not competing with their farmer members. Marketing and Processing Coordinator and owner of Currytown Farm Kathleen Harris says, “If we can link a farmer with a buyer directly we will, even if there is no financial benefit to NELPSC. If we get an order that is too big for one farm to fill, then NELPSC steps in and assembles animals from several different farms to fulfill the order.”
While the company has been funded by grants from the NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets and the NY Farm Viability Institute, it is in the process of transitioning into a self-sustaining company. While the board members don't ever expect to receive financial gain from the company's work, they do hope to realize something more important to them; the success of small, sustainable livestock farming in the Northeast.
The Hudson Mohawk RC&D Council has been instrumental in supporting the company. In addition to administering the grant funds for the project, the council members have contributed many hours of technical assistance. Donna Murray, chair of the HMRC&D, serves as an advisory member to NELPSC.
The Hudson Mohawk RC&D Council is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization that promotes regional, economic and natural resource conservation development in Albany, Columbia, Greene, Montgomery, Rensselaer and Schenectady counties and is funded in part by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services. All programs and assistance of the Hudson Mohawk RC&D Council are available without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. For more information please contact Hudson Mohawk RC& D Coordinator Elizabeth Marks at (518) 828-4385 x105.
Livestock Processing Company to Launch New Marketing Services for Producers
February 6, 2007--- The Board of Directors of the Northeast Livestock Processing Service Company, LLC (NELPSC), has announced their decision to expand the current services of the company to include marketing programs that will assist livestock producers and processors. The programs will include: helping farmers to meet the growing demand for ethnic markets; processing of livestock for local; and other niche markets and connecting individual farmers with specific markets. It is the goal of NELPSC to provide services that will save farmers time and increase their profitability.
“As farmers ourselves, we understand the needs of other farmers. Getting our animals processed and well marketed is important for our financial survival,” said Seymour VanderVeen, dairy farmer and President of NELPSC.
A series of meetings to update livestock farmers, processors, and educators about the progress of NELPSC and to launch new marketing services is being held in the following locations:
February 27, 2007 SUNY Cobleskill 7:00pm Curtis Mott Ag Engineering Bldg
March 1, 2007 USDA Service Center 7:00pm 1024 Route 66, Ghent, NY
March 13, 2007 USDA Service Center 1:00pm 24 Martin Rd., Voorheesville, NY
These meetings are being sponsored by the Hudson Mohawk RC&D and Cornell Cooperative Extension. Input from livestock farmers is being sought about the program and what additional services should be offered.
NELPSC facilitates the processing of livestock. The company's purpose is to mitigate the problems that exist for farmers when attempting to have their livestock slaughtered and processed. Linda Eykelhoff, a NELPSC client from Cold Brook, New York feels that it does that.
“We are very pleased with this service,” Eykelhoff said. “NELPSC has restored integrity to livestock processing. It had gotten so bad for us that we weren't even eating our own Angus beef because we felt that we weren't getting our own meat back. Now, we are enjoying our own meat again and considering selling it to others with confidence.” Eykelhoff is one of 34 clients presently signed on with the Northeast Livestock Processing Service Company.
Meat processors are also pleased with the service. Dean Kelley of Kelley Meats in Taberg, New York often sees the NELPSC Processing Coordinator, Kathleen Harris, at his plant. “I like it when she's here doing oversight. If there is a question, she answers it. She also saves us time in taking cutting instructions and she faxes them ahead so we're always prepared to start the day.”
The company is currently funded by grants from the New York Farm Viability Institute and the NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets. Additional support is received from USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Rensselaer County Economic Development Office, the Hudson Mohawk RC&D Council and the New York State Senate Majority Leader's Office. For more information on the Northeast Livestock Processing Service Company or about the upcoming meetings contact: Kathleen Harris at (518) 673-5193 or by email nelpsc@frontiernet.net.
Press Release September 2006
Hudson Mohawk RC&D Project Helps Livestock Farmers Save
Time and Money Through Service CompanySeptember 2006.
The Hudson Mohawk Resource Conservation and Development Council (HMRC&D) has been working for the past five years on solutions to the many problems the livestock industry is facing in New York and they helped to form the Northeast Livestock Processing Service Company (NELPSC) last year. NELPSC assists the family farmer with the quality processing of their animals while enhancing the capacity of meat processors. It offers facilitation services to farmers wishing to have their livestock processed for their own personal use or for resale. To utilize the company&#iso_39;s services, a farmer signs on for one year agreeing to go through NELPSC for all of their processing needs. It doesn&#iso_39;t matter if you have one animal or many, says Seymour Vander Veen, livestock farmer, chairperson of the HMRC&D Council and NELPSC board president. We are happy to work with you. Once signed on with NELPSC, processing coordinator Kathleen Harris works with the farmer to find the best processor for them. John Gagliardi, co-owner of the New York Beef Company which supplies grass fed beef to high end markets, says If ever there was a broker needed, this is the place for it. Kathleen found us a new processor that charges us half of what we were paying before, saving us a lot of money. After selecting the processor based on the clients needs, Kathleen schedules appointments, takes and conveys cutting instructions and works with the processor to ensure quality control. For these services, NELPSC charges the producer a per head facilitation fee. The Company is functioning the way we hoped it would, said Jim Hayes, owner of Sap Bush Hollow Farm and NELPSC board member. As a grass fed livestock farmer marketing our own product, working with NELPSC has cut down on our aggravation significantly. Recently we had several pigs processed. The processor misread our cutting instructions and Kathleen helped to rectify the situation. Without the help of NELPSC we could have lost a very important customer, a restaurant chef, if we didn&#iso_39;t deliver the cuts we had promised. Processing Coordinator Kathleen Harris, who has over 30 years of experience in the livestock industry, also gives technical assistance to clients. NELPSC has helped us determine market readiness for our livestock and given us advice on the varieties of meat cuts, said Phyllis Van Amburgh owner of dharma lea, a diversified livestock farm. This and the Company&#iso_39;s help with processors has been invaluable in our transition into making a living as full time farmers. Currently, NELPSC is working with seven processors with diverse capabilities and will add more as the need arises. Each has agreed to provide scheduling preference for NELPSC clients and some are giving off-season processing discounts. In keeping with the high standards of this program, they have signed statements assuring the producers that they are humane in their methods of livestock handling and slaughter and that their tracking procedures are such that the producer can be assured of receiving their own meat back. The development of the company was made possible through funding and support from the NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets, NYS Senate Majority Leader&#iso_39;s Office, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Rensselaer County Economic Development Office, David Rockefeller, Heifer Project International, and the Hudson Mohawk RC&D. The Hudson Mohawk RC&D Council is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization that promotes regional, economic and natural resource conservation development in Albany, Columbia, Greene, Montgomery, Rensselaer and Schenectady counties and is funded in part by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services. For more information please contact Hudson Mohawk RC& D Coordinator Elizabeth Marks at (518) 828-4385 x105 or email at elizabeth.marks@ny.usda.gov.
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