All NMPAN webinars are recorded and archived here, by topic.
A few selected webinars from other groups are also listed.
Regulatory Issues
USDA-FSIS Draft Compliance Guide for Mobile Slaughter Units
Date: July 13, 2010
Duration: 1 hour
On May 24, 2010 USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service issued a draft “Mobile Slaughter Unit Compliance Guide.” The guide was written for owners and managers of a new or existing red meat or poultry MSU who want to operate under federal inspection. On this webinar we explain the guidance and answer questions with the help of a Policy Officer from USDA-FSIS. We also overview FSIS in-person small-plant outreach sessions happening around the country and how to get one in your area.
Interstate Shipment of State-Inspected Meat Proposed Rule
Date: October 20, 2009
Duration: 45 min.
The 2008 Farm Bill included a provision to allow the interstate sale of state-inspected meat and poultry. In September 2009, USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service published proposed rules for how this program will work. On this webinar, we explain the proposed rules, discuss "messy details" and areas of controversy, and give background on the issue.
Meat Labels and Label Claims
Date: July 8, 2009
Duration: 90 minutes
Meat labels can be confusing for producers, processors, and consumers. Officials from USDA/FSIS Labeling and Program Delivery Division and Iowa Meat and Poultry Inspection, and the operations manager of Organic Valley's meat division explain the label approval process, voluntary label claims, updated requirements, and how FSIS interprets claims defined by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service.
Poultry Processing Exemptions
Date: March 10, 2009
Duration: 90 Minutes
Poultry processing exemptions can be difficult for producers, processors, and even regulators to sort out. Recognizing that states have the ability to individually modify these regulations, this webinar attempts to clear up some confusion by offering both an FSIS and a state perspective. Additionally, three exempt processors overview their operations.
Poultry Processing Exemptions II (2010)
Date: December 7, 2010
Duration: 1 hour
The federal poultry processing exemptions remain confusing for producers, processors, and even regulators, especially since most states have added their own modifications to the federal regulations. In this webinar, a policy official from USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service explains the exemptions, and a state official from North Carolina explains how that state recently decided to allow one of the most important federal exemptions.
Nutritional Labeling of Meat and Poultry: the New Rules
Date: October 4, 2011
Duration: 1 hour
USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service finalized new rules in 2010 about nutritional labeling of meat and poultry products. The new rules are effective on January 1, 2012 -- that means everyone must be in compliance. On this webinar, FSIS explained the rules and what you need to know to comply. Also, Brynn Kepler of the American Association of Meat Processors (AAMP) described their labeling resources.
Business and Accounting Tools for Processors
Product Costing for Meat Processors and Marketers
Date: October 21, 2010
Duration: 1 hour
A processor and a marketer, both specializing in niche meats, explain the ins and outs of how to cost out products efficiently and effectively, including insights on inventory management.
The Business of Meat Processing: Planning and Profitability
Date: June 2, 2011
Duration: 1 hour, 15 min.
Planning to expand, change, or build a new meat processing business? Trying to figure out how to make your small processing business more profitable? On this webinar, business management and planning experts will address these important topics and answer your questions. We will also roll out two new user-friendly guides for small meat processors on planning and profitability.
Technical Challenges for Processors
Microbiology 101 for Small Meat Processors
Third-Party Audits for Small and Mid-Sized Meat Processors
Date: April 5, 2011
Duration: 68 minutes
Small and mid-sized meat processors are increasingly being asked by their customers to go through third party audits for a range of standards and practices. On this webinar, auditors explain what to expect from – and how to prepare for – audits for Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), food safety, animal welfare, and certified organic. A processor with ample audit experience will also offer tips and perspective.
Order & Inventory Management
Date: April 27, 2010
Duration: 1 hour
How to keep track of everything? Three meat companies showcase the computer systems they are using: why they use them, how they work, and how much they cost.
Natural Curing for Meats
Date: March 4, 2010
Duration: 1 hour
As interest rises in cured meats made without synthetic nitrates/nitrites, processors are seeking information on safe and effective methods. On this webinar, meat scientists, a processor, and an organic meats marketer explain ingredients, processes, and challenges to natural curing, as well as product labeling issues.
Alternatives to Rendering: Butcher Waste Composting
Date: December 1, 2009
Duration: 1 hour
Disposal of offal and butcher waste is often increasingly difficult and expensive, as renderers close down or raise prices. Composting this waste has been demonstrated as a viable, safe alternative. An expert in butcher waste composting explains how it's done, and a small meat processor in Oregon describes his composting operation, including regulations and permitting process.
Mobile Units
Mobile Poultry Processing Units: Reports from the Field
Mobile Poultry Processing Units in California, Montana, and Vermont
Date: October 14, 2009
Duration: 1 hour
Coordinators of three new mobile poultry processing units explain how the units work and discuss challenges, strategies, and lessons learned in bringing these units on line.
Mobile Processing Units: What's the State of the Art?
Date: December 10, 2008
Duration: 1 hour
This webinar features the first USDA-inspected red meat MPU; the latest ideas and options for mobile units; policy challenges to getting an MPU up & running in Montana; and an economic feasibility cost-calculator spreadsheet for MPUs.
USDA-FSIS Webinars on Mobile Slaughter Units
Dates: January 20 and 21, 2010
Duration: 90 minutes each
Description:These two webinars, offered by USDA's Food Safety Inspection Service, explain red meat and poultry mobile slaughter units. Presentations cover technical and practical aspects, regulatory compliance, and financial assistance programs. Recordings and slides available (January 2010).
Producer-Processor Communication
Understanding the Processor's Language
Date: September 15, 2009
Duration: 60 minutes
The Executive Director of the American Association of Meat Processors explains how processors do what they do, from yield grades and cutting specifications, inspection and other regulatory requirements, meat handing and shelf life, improving communications with your processor, and more.
Working Effectively with Your Processor
Date: August 24, 2011
Duration: 1 hour
On this webinar, Kathleen Harris of the Northeast Livestock Processing Company spoke about how producers and processors can work more effectively together to overcome common problems. Bruce Dunlop of Island Grown Farmers Cooperative described the processing scheduling system their group uses for its own processing facilities.
Plant Planning and Design
To Build or Not to Build: Lessons Learned from New Processing Ventures
Date: September 28, 2011
Duration: 1 hour
Finding a processor that does what you need, when you need it, can be challenging. Building a new facility to meet that need might seem like a good idea. Sometimes it is, but often it isn't. On this webinar, we'll discuss what works -- and what doesn't work -- when building new processing facilities. Our speakers share lessons learned, with real examples from the field.
Building a Small Meat Processing Plant
Date: May 26, 2009
Duration: 1 hour
Thinking about building a new plant? Want to expand your existing plant? Considering getting into the meat processing business? This webinar will help you understand the process and the pitfalls of plant design and construction.
