Consumer demand for locally produced foods is encouraging more farmers  to produce pasture-raised meat and poultry, according to NC Choices, a Center for Environmental Farming System's initiative that promotes sustainable food systems through the  advancement of local, pasture-based animal production, processing and marketing.
 
NC Choices points to the increase in the number of farmers it works with -- 45, up from 10 when the initiative launched in 2005 -- as well as the number of farmers who are licensed to sell meat directly to consumers.
 
“Today, there are more than 330 meat producers selling directly to  consumers,” said Casey McKissick, coordinator for NC Choices. “This is a three-fold increase over the past 6 years; the market for local foods is strong and growing stronger.”
 
Sales in natural and organic meat, which represent approximately 2 percent of total red meat sales, are forecast to increase at an annual rate of 11.3 percent through 2012, a much greater rate than total red  meat sales sold, according to research by Mintel, an independent market research provider.
 
In response to the increase in participating farmer and consumer  interest, NC Choices recently revamped its website to provide updated farmer profiles and  contact information for pasture-based meat producers throughout North Carolina. It also spotlights N.C. Department of Agriculture& Consumer Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture meat-processing facilities, contains an embedded Google map that enables the user to search geographically for producers or processors and hosts a calendar of educational workshops and events focused on local, pasture-based meat production and marketing.
 
NC Choices is committed to supporting farmers and consumers through education and outreach. For more information and to learn how to become involved in NC Choices, contact Casey McKissick at 828.216.2966 or casey@ncchoices.com.
 
*About the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS): *CEFS is a partnership between North Carolina State University, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services. Its mission is to develop and promote food and farming systems that protect the environment, strengthen local communities and provide economic opportunities in North Carolina and beyond. CEFS has also developed a strong outreach and education program that reaches out to all North Carolina residents. CEFS recently published /From Farm to Fork: A Guide to Building North Carolina’s Sustainable Local Food Economy, www.cefs.ncsu.edu/resources/stateactionguide2010.pdf, which provides goals and strategies to put North Carolina on the fast track to achieving a sustainable local and regional food system.