Before Beginning a New Enterprise, Education is Key

Before Beginning a New Enterprise, Education is Key

Earlier this week we visited with Tom Platt, Lincoln County’s Area Extension Agent, about an upcoming series of workshops for livestock producers who are interested in pursuing direct marketing of their meat to the consumer. Why am I spending so much time on this topic? Well, most recognize anytime someone considers beginning a new business, the more information you have, the more forethought you put into it ahead of time, the more likely you’ll be to succeed at your new venture. Today, Tom will share the topics from the remaining two workshops. I’m KayDee Gilkey with Open Range.

The third workshop will be held in Ritzville, Washington in early January. Platt shares what that day’s topics will be.

Platt: “We are going to talk about understanding and compiling with business regulations, sanitary and health regulations that would pertain to food products and meat sales and handling. And then environmental regulations that livestock producers may not have had to deal with in the past but if they beginning to confined animals in feedlot situations or confined feeding situations there are some environmental aspects that they need to be aware of. Then we are going to switch to really a non-regulatory area which is animal care.”

The final February workshop will be held in Spokane and will address food food safety risks and liability.

Tom Platt has a reputation of putting together informative seminars, so even if you might have to drive several hundred miles to attend it should be worthwhile. To learn more go to http://livestocktopics.wsu.edu.

I’m KayDee Gilkey with Open Range on the Northwest Ag Information Network.