Meat Success

Chop Local

Are you a farmer or butcher ready to master direct-to-consumer marketing and “Meat Success”? Then you're in the right place! From the team responsible for the ChopLocal meat marketplace, each episode of this podcast features interviews with farmers and butchers who have built successful direct-to-consumer meat businesses. And they’re going to share their secrets for success with you! From actionable tips to inspiring stories, this podcast has the ingredients you need to succeed in the meat business! After the show, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, follow us on social and check out the rest of our educational resources at ChopLocalUniversity.com.

  1. 18 June

    Navigating E-Commerce & Local Delivery for Direct to Consumer Farmers and Ranchers

    Today on the Meat Success Podcast Katie Olthoff, Co-Founder of ChopLocal/ChopLocal University) interviews Mackenzie Wright of Kentucky’s Jones Brothers Farm about their delivery-first model, product mix, and why they use Shopify. Mackenzie shares the farm’s history since 2010, emphasizing diversification (beef, tomatoes, sweet corn, watermelons, hay, tobacco; formerly hemp) and transparent education around being a conventional farm. The farm transitioned from selling beef by quarters/halves to beef boxes and single cuts, learning which cuts move best for their largely female, urban customer base, and building sales from an established produce email list. They sell mainly via home delivery (one local farmers market) and are exploring wholesale expansion; they do not ship. Shopify was chosen for integrated payments, apps (routing, pickup options), email via Seguno, improved website design, analytics tools including an AI query feature, subscription/advance-date ordering, and adding a checkout processing fee, with a focus on customer service and storytelling to build trust. 01:35 Jones Brothers Farm Story02:41 Diverse Crops and Beef Practices04:43 From Shares to Single Cuts06:53 Delivery Model and Cut Demand08:39 Know Your Customer Base10:27 Produce CSA to Add Ons12:12 Tomato Sizes and Sales13:03 Farmers Markets Strategy14:55 Wholesale Expansion and Shipping16:55 Why They Chose Shopify19:49 Shopify Apps for Routing21:46 Do You Really Need an App24:08 Subscriptions and Preorders25:20 CSA vs Subscription26:53 Skipping Weeks Flexibly28:27 Hemp Loss Ends CSA31:06 Email and Seguno34:48 Shopify Design Wins37:55 Analytics AI Helper39:38 Processing Fee Strategy42:24 Selling Trust Story44:04 Farm Content Without Shock46:44 COVID Delivery Shift Wrap And learn more about ChopLocal and ChopLocal University Below! https://choplocal.com/https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/

    50 min

  2. 4 June

    The Evolving Landscape of Small Meat Processing with Rebecca Thistlethwaite

    Episode 44 | This week, Katie Olthoff sits down with Rebecca Thistlethwaite of the Niche Meat Processors Assistance Network (NMPAN), a national Oregon State University–housed extension community serving small/very small processors and direct-market producers with free membership, webinars, and no-cost technical assistance. They discuss how, since 2020’s extreme backlog, many plants now face low utilization—especially in beef—due to a smaller cattle herd, pushing processors to market for business via basic websites, online cut-sheet forms, and testimonials. She emphasizes building long-term producer–processor partnerships, transparent yield data to reduce disputes, and feedback on carcass finish; USDA remote grading is growing mainly for larger “small” plants and retail channels. Key processor challenges include rising production costs (utilities, disposal, packaging), labor, and inconsistent volume; solutions discussed include energy upgrades, composting/digesters, labor-saving equipment, and diversification through retail counters, consignment freezers, wholesale, and value-added products. They note MPEP grant interest and a modest increase in independent poultry processing, and Rebecca highlights untapped innovation potential in U.S. pork marketing. And learn more about ChopLocal and ChopLocal University Below! https://choplocal.com/https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/ Chapters 00:28 Pandemic Processing Crunch01:32 What NMPAN Does02:33 Top NMPAN Resources04:42 Utilization Drops and Marketing08:09 Websites and Online Cut Sheets11:39 Building Producer Processor Trust15:12 Yield Data and Transparency19:15 Remote Grading and Quality23:04 Today’s Biggest Processor Challenges25:35 Energy Waste and Labor Solutions28:30 Disposal Options Incinerators Digesters30:28 Carcass Waste Solutions32:22 Retail Counters Boost Margins34:11 Meat Vending Machines35:12 Freezer Consignment Deals37:48 Wholesale Routes and Risks41:16 Value Added Sausage Strategy42:52 Restaurant Sales Reality44:20 MPEP Grant Breakdown48:55 Inspected Poultry Trends51:55 Pork Innovation Opportunity

    57 min

  3. 21 May

    Artificial Intelligence in the Field: Exploring Innovation and Ethics with Professor Chad Fiechter

    Episode 43 | Today, Katie Olthoff of the Meat Success Podcast interviews Purdue agricultural economics, professor Chad Fiechter about practical, responsible use of generative AI in agriculture and small businesses. Fiechter describes adoption ranging from “Google Plus” style queries to farmers building custom web apps, and emphasizes using AI as an iterative thought partner rather than an answer machine. They discuss risks of sharing sensitive data, the importance of reading platform terms, and how paid/organizational accounts can limit model training via privacy settings. To guard against hallucinations, Fiechter recommends requesting sources, verifying with multiple external references, and matching skepticism to the stakes. He encourages transparency about AI use, owning outputs as the author, using adversarial prompts and cross-checking with other models, and providing strong context/examples to improve results, especially for marketing and management tasks. Connect with Chad here: https://ag.purdue.edu/commercialag/home/team/chad-fiechter/ 01:17 Chad’s Journey from the farm to Purdue03:19 How Farms Use AI Today05:05 Building Custom AI Tools10:44 Iterating Like a Pro12:50 Data Privacy and Paid Plans16:48 Hallucinations and Verification23:18 Owning AI Output29:14 Adversarial Prompts and Model Battles37:21 AI as Small Business Coach41:24 Give AI Better Context And learn more about ChopLocal and ChopLocal University Below! https://choplocal.com/https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/

    45 min

  4. 14 May

    How to Unlock Grant Funding with Stephen Ussery: From MPEP to LAMP Grants

    Episode 42 | Katie Olthoff hosts Stephen Ussary of Stewards Unlimited to discuss current USDA grant opportunities. They explain the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPEP) Phase 4, focused mainly on equipment (and limited renovations) for processors that slaughter beef, with eligibility for small/very small and some larger “intermediate” processors, required matches (25% equipment-only; 50% expansion), and an August 7 deadline; awards are limited and likely competitive, with scoring tied to goals like increased capacity, producer income (including toll processing), new markets, safety/training, and waste management, plus letters of support including from government officials. They also review LAMP programs due June 5—FMPP, LFPP, and RFSP—emphasizing partnerships, marketing impacts, and competitiveness, noting processors may be eligible but rarely funded recently. They mention other opportunities (state programs, Farm to School, SARE, Value Added Producer Grants) and Stewards Unlimited’s free grant alerts. Join here: https://stewardsunlimited.com/ 01:15 Grant Journey Lessons02:19 MPEP Overview and Eligibility04:45 Funding Tracks and Competitiveness07:41 Scoring Rubric and Priorities14:19 Reapplying and Inspection Rules17:18 Match and Application Strategy20:33 Future of MPEP and Farm Bill21:38 LAMP Programs Overview23:03 RFSP Partnerships Explained30:52 Weigh Your Options33:58 Should You Apply This Year39:59 Other Grants and Alerts42:00 Grant Deadlines And learn more about ChopLocal and ChopLocal University Below! https://choplocal.com/https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/

    44 min

  5. 30 Apr

    How to Turn Farmers Market Customers into Year-Round Customers

    Episode 41 | In the final spring-season CHOP Local University webinar, Katie explains how farmers market vendors can use an online store to increase sales through pre-orders for market pickup and year-round ordering, citing survey data showing only 9% of direct-to-consumer meat farmers have online stores but 71% of farms selling over $200,000 do, and that average sales are $140,000 with e-commerce vs. $81,000 without. She outlines actions before, during, and after market season: optimize store usability (fast loading, easy product discovery, sell by package/weight ranges rather than exact weight, and answer common customer questions), create signage/QR codes, collect emails using lead magnets, and train customers to pre-order with incentives and scarcity. After season, she recommends frequent short emails with clear calls to action, scheduled pickup “meetups,” and holiday gift bundles, and describes Chop Local’s marketplace, vendor tools, shipping requirement, and support options. Ready to elevate your brand and business? Make sure to sign up for the StoryBrand Workshop here at https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/storybrand And learn more about ChopLocal and ChopLocal University Below! https://choplocal.com/https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/ 00:29 What Is Chop Local 01:57 Meet Katie Olthoff 02:50 Survey Data Insights 04:23 Online Store Advantage 06:13 Candace Success Story 07:36 Three Phase Strategy 08:41 Optimize Store Basics 09:42 Sell By Package 12:19 Answer Customer Questions 13:16 Signs and QR Codes 15:02 Collect Emails at Market 16:55 Lead Magnet Explained 18:37 Coupon Funnel Q&A 21:18 QR Signup Best Practices 23:09 Push Preorders Online 24:07 Scarcity With Preorders 26:08 Email Cadence Made Simple 29:08 Calls To Action That Convert 31:00 Offseason Pickup Meetups 32:56 Holiday Gift Box Push 35:41 Quick Strategy Recap 38:34 Next Steps And Offers 44:01 Tools Q&A And Wrap

    51 min

  6. 23 Apr

    Strategies for Managing Stress and Sleep on the Farm with Sarah Ivan Zastrow

    Episode 40 | Katie Olthoff of the Meat Success podcast interviews Sarah Ivan Zastrow, a certified exercise physiologist and mental health advocate with a farming background, about stress on farms and practical coping tools. Sarah explains how unmanaged stress worsens health outcomes and shares low-cost strategies farmers can use with limited time, focusing on sleep: reframing sleep beliefs, writing down looping thoughts, guided meditations/hypnosis (including Calm/YouTube), and addressing sleep apnea with CPAP. They discuss how poor sleep increases irritability and pain, the role of iron/ferritin in restless legs, and using stretching/legs-up-the-wall before bed to reduce cortisol and signal safety. Sarah distinguishes stress from anxiety and depression as spectrum experiences, describes recognizing “volcano” buildup and intentional cooldown, and notes when medication and therapy can help. They also address farm-culture stressors like women carrying the household load, boundary-setting, outsourcing, and using tools (reminders, grocery lists, AI for planning) to reduce mental load. Sarah points listeners to her Throwing Wrenches, Mending Fences podcast and YouTube. Ready to elevate your brand and business? Make sure to sign up for the StoryBrand Workshop here at https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/storybrand And learn more about ChopLocal and ChopLocal University Below! https://choplocal.com/https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/ ----------- 01:12 Sarah’s Farm Story02:51 Why Stress Matters04:57 Sleep and Farm Stress08:29 Notebook Loop Closing11:00 Meditations and CPAP14:26 AI CBT Sleep Reframe20:31 Stretching Before Bed24:02 Anxiety and Depression Basics26:20 Stigma and Spectrum28:01 What Causes the Cloud29:07 Hidden Stress Signals29:54 Volcano Adrenaline Model31:25 Spotting Your Explosion Signs32:48 Cooling Down On Purpose34:04 When Tools Aren't Enough36:22 Meds Therapy And Insurance39:13 Farm Culture And Burnout42:29 Sharing The Home Load48:16 Systems That Actually Help50:26 AI Cleaning And Outsourcing

    55 min

  7. 16 Apr

    Transform Your Meat Marketing Using StoryBrand Principles

    Episode 39 | Make sure to sign up for the StoryBrand Workshop here at https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/storybrand In this episode of Meat Success, Katie interviews Sara Scott, a ranch-raised former Certified Angus Beef leader and now a consultant and certified StoryBrand guide. Sara shares her background from a Northern California cow-calf operation through roles at Certified Angus Beef in marketing, business development, and as VP of Food Service, working with major distributors like Sysco, US Foods, and Performance Food Group. They discuss why simply claiming “premium, great-tasting, well-marbled” meat no longer differentiates brands because quality is now table stakes amid many branded programs. Sara explains StoryBrand principles—making the customer the hero and the business the guide, using clear, repeatable messaging—and how messaging drives marketing choices. They announce a paid Chop Local University StoryBrand mini-course with three Tuesday sessions in May, plus a live feedback session. 00:41 Sara Scott Background01:35 CAB Career Highlights04:09 Why Quality Is Not Enough07:20 StoryBrand Messaging Framework08:38 Marketing Teams And Funnels15:39 Storytelling Brand Examples21:26 Finding Your Best Customer25:10 Client Examples And Positioning28:43 Course Launch Announcement29:50 Mini Course Format33:42 StoryBrand Basics36:44 Make Buying Easy38:32 Customer Hero Examples40:25 Messaging Evolution Tips45:24 Industry Choice Challenges48:06 Course Logistics Signup50:24 Using StoryBrand Anywhere And learn more about ChopLocal and ChopLocal University Below! https://choplocal.com/https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/storybrand

    57 min

  8. 26 Mar

    Chop Local Office Hours: How to Use AI in Your Meat Marketing

    Episode 38 | In a monthly Chop Local Office Hours Session, the team discusses using AI as a fast assistant for food and farm businesses, while emphasizing risks including confidentiality, loss of authentic voice, inaccuracies and “hallucinations,” confirmation bias, and concerns about environmental impact and rural data centers. They share practical uses: drafting and polishing difficult customer-service emails, FAQs, newsletters, and website copy; analyzing survey, sales, and expense spreadsheets; troubleshooting tech platforms like Google and Meta tools; and even interpreting medical reports while awaiting a doctor’s review. For marketing, they recommend using AI for ideas and outlines rather than final posts, and warn that AI images often contain subtle errors, off-brand design, or unrealistic visuals. Tips include prompting with roles (“you are an expert”), asking for pros/cons, requesting peer-reviewed research, providing examples/links to match brand voice, and focusing copy on customer benefits; tools mentioned include ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Fathom Notetaker, and Canva. If you've been curious about integrating AI into your Meat Business, give this episode a listen! Grab our mEat-Commerce Essentials to start making money in your direct-to-consumer business today with $100 off the course with code: POD100 Snag Access Here: https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/meat-commerce-essentials-1 And learn more about ChopLocal and ChopLocal University Below! https://choplocal.com/https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/00:00 Welcome and Topic Setup01:26 AI Risks and Privacy02:37 Authentic Voice and Accuracy06:07 Environmental and Rural Impacts08:08 AI as a Fast Assistant09:14 Customer Service and Tone12:42 Data and Spreadsheet Analytics15:22 Tech Troubleshooting and Other Uses18:49 Marketing with AI21:02 AI Images and Graphic Pitfalls24:31 Prompting Tips for Better Output32:16 Favorite Tools and Final Takeaways33:35 Wrap Up and Next Steps

    35 min
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About

Are you a farmer or butcher ready to master direct-to-consumer marketing and “Meat Success”? Then you're in the right place! From the team responsible for the ChopLocal meat marketplace, each episode of this podcast features interviews with farmers and butchers who have built successful direct-to-consumer meat businesses. And they’re going to share their secrets for success with you! From actionable tips to inspiring stories, this podcast has the ingredients you need to succeed in the meat business! After the show, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, follow us on social and check out the rest of our educational resources at ChopLocalUniversity.com.

Information

  • Creator
    Chop Local
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    45
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Chop Local
  • Show Website
    Meat Success

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