Meat “Steakholders” to Gather for Inaugural New England Meat Conference

Producers, processors, and other meat professionals are invited to participate in two days of networking, education and celebration at the first ever New England Meat Conference, hosted at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord, NH on March 22-23.  The goal of the conference is to enhance the production, processing, and marketing of sustainable, nutritious, humanely-raised, and delicious meat from New England farms.

In addition to a wide variety of educational sessions, the conference will feature live cutting demonstrations from Master Butchers Kari Underly, author of The Art of Beef Cutting, and Cole Ward of the Gourmet Butcher.  Speakers and panelists presenting at the conference are among the leading professionals in their field and this event will provide all stakeholders with the opportunity to come together to learn, collaborate, and network.  For producers, workshop topics will include heritage breeds, economics of grass fed beef, and working with distributors. For processors, topics will include processing equipment, value added meats, and training and managing labor. Everyone will benefit from sessions on financing, crisis management, and appropriately scaled technology.

On Friday evening, conference attendees and other local meat lovers will gather for a celebration of meat.  This Meat Ball will feature meat and other food from New England farms, as well as locally made products. The evening’s festivities will include a live performance from blue-grass/Americana string band, the Hickory Horned Devils, along with a special presentation by Ms. Underly. There will also be several awards for those recognized for excellence in their respective fields: producers, processors, and end buyer/food professionals. The Meat Ball kicks off at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, March 22nd and is open to all meat lovers!  However, space is limited. Ticket prices range from $25-$45.

This event is being organized by a steering committee representing meat producers, processors and service providers from across New England. Register for the conference, buy tickets to the Meat Ball, and get more information at: www.NewEnglandMeatConference.org or by contacting the event manager, Lori Walter at (603) 573-3306.