With the growing concern around farm practices and interest in local food, consumers are regularly asking where their meat comes from and how IT was raised

Revel Meat Co. received an $830,632 project grant award from the US Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service under the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program to expand traceability and marketing support for ranchers in its Pacific Northwest supply network. Revel will create an enhanced traceability program allowing full traceability of products back to the pasture and breeding pair for all ranchers in its broad network. This includes training, technical assistance, additional animal monitoring via RFID ear tags, and logistical support. Revel will also enhance promotion and rebranding of traceable products to help farmers more effectively market to customers who want transparency in their local meat supply chain. The grant aims to develop the local and regional food system consistent with the goals of the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program.

Revel meat company, one of the last USDA meat processors and wholesalers in the state, serves as a key intermediary between local and regional small and midsize ranchers in the pacific northwest (PNW) and consumers who want to support their local food system and care about the quality of their meat. While customers understand that purchasing from farms through revel meat CO. (revel) means they are buying from high quality local producers, the time is now to provide enhanced transparency and traceability that will allow these producers to reach new customers and differentiate their products in the marketplace. Revel is proposing the creation of an expanded traceability program that will allow all ranchers within their broad network full traceability of their products back to the pasture they were raised on and the breeding pair theanimal came from. Doing so will require training and technical assistance to a network of ranchers, additional monitoring of animals via an rfid ear tag system and logistical support, and enhanced promotion and rebranding of products that will help farmers market their products more effectively and efficiently to customers.