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Organic Trade Association (OTA) is a membership-based business association that focuses on the organic business community in North America.
PO Box 547
Greenfield, MA 01302
413-774-7511
A growing number of farmers--many of them organic--are looking for ways to add value to their raw agricultural products. There are value-added centers all over the country that have the resources to help farmers explore and develop a wide range of value added businesses, including cleaning, processing, cooking, packaging, milling, storage, distribution, labeling and culturing. Most of them provide both planning and technical advice and resources, including commercial kitchens. The listing below points you to the best of these centers.
Value-added businesses require capital and commitment, and can't be entered into lightly, so we've also pulled together a collection of articles on how to evaluate a business idea, create a business plan, and get a new enterprise up and running.
Finally, we've added as many case studies as we could find of farmers who've developed value-added businesses. What better way to get a feeling for the pitfalls and possibilities than learning from someone who's already taken the plunge?
If you know of other profiles of value-added enterprises, or resources we've missed, please let us know.
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Resource Listing
 Value-Added Enterprises |
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Consulting Services on OTA's Organic Pages Online This site features extensive listings of consulting services, including marketing, advertising, design, Internet services, economic research,... |  |
| Direct Marketing with Value-Added Products This case study, produced by University of California Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program in January 2003, looks at the... | |
| Organic Livestock Feeding Basics Many livestock producers report they find it difficult to source organic feed and bedding materials--a need that may spell opportunity for mills... | |
| OTA's Organic Pages Online Directory The Organic Pages Online directory features a broad array of certified organic products, supplies and services for the whole spectrum of the... | |
| Agricultural Diversification & Development Bureau of the Iowa Department of Agriculture Provides information and resources on CSAs, fruit and vegetable production, agri-tourism, product diversification and organic certification. | |
| CROPP Organic Producer Pools CROPP's producer pools market organic farm products across the country under the Organic Valley label; its main warehouse is in Wisconsin. Farm... | |
| Dairy: From Conventional Dairy to Certified Organic, Grass-Based Creamery Thanks to a bit of imagination, entrepreneurship, and lots of hard work, this Minnesota dairy is being passed to the next generation as a thriving,... | |
| Grains: Earthwise Processors, LLC, Moorhead, Minnesota A group of farmers in northern Minnesota were having trouble accessing markets for their organic grain crops. So they bought a processing and... | |
| Organic Meat & Poultry Processing Basics Each production or handling operation that produces livestock or livestock products must be certified according to the provisions of the NOP.... | |
| Poultry Processing Resources Two guidebooks, from ATTRA: Small-Scale Poultry Processing, and Small Poultry Processing Plants and Services. | |
| Fiber: The Organic Trade Association's American Organic Standards for Fiber--Post Harvest Handling, Processing, Record Keeping, & Labeling The Draft American Organic Standards for Fiber Post Harvest Handling, Processing, Record Keeping, & Labeling represent the Organic Trade... | |
| A Collection of Value-Added Agricultural Directories from around the Country On this page you'll find links to directories of value-added agricultural consultants and service providers, value-added agricultural businesses,... | |
| Adding Value to Farm Products: An Overview This publication discusses the concept of adding value to farm products, the differences between creating and capturing value, and the implications... | |
| Case Studies in Small Farm Profitability, Beginning Farming, and Value-Added Initiatives, from the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center This page includes two sets of case studies: studies from the Illinois Value-Added Rural Development Center, which focus on value-added cooperative... | |
| Organic Agricultural Products: Marketing and Trade Resources This comprehensive listing from the National Agricultural Library, last updated in 2005, includes trade events, organizations, directories,... | |
| Pasture-Based Farming Resources from the University of Wisconsin's Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems This web page describes the University of Wisconsin's pasture-based research initiatives, and links you to articles and resources on grazing dairy... | |
| Purdue University's Online Resource for Value-Added Food Processing Assistance This web site, from Purdue's Food Science Program, features an excellent resource section focused on food entrepreneurship, and how to start a new... | |
| Resources for Small Food Entrepreneurs and Potential Entrepreneurs, from Penn State University This web page features articles on the following topics: * Making the Decision to Become a Food Processor * Resources for Starting a Food... | |
| Training for New Food and Farming Ventures: Marketing This resource from Iowa State University Extension provides a series of key questions for producers of agricultural and food products to help focus... | |
| Value-Added Agriculture Centers A listing of many of the value-added processing centers at universities around the country, from the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center. | |
| What is Value-added Agriculture? A primer from the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center on value-added processing of agricultural products. | |
| A Directory on On-Farm, Artisanal Cheese Producers from Around the Country This listing, provided by SmallDairy.Com, provides links to small creameries and cheese producers around the country. | |
| A Listing of Small Co-Packers and Commercial Kitchens in the Northeast This listing, from Cornell's Northeast Center for Food Entrepreneurship, lists small co-packers and commercial kitchens in Connecticut, Maine,... | |
| A Listing of Value-Added Resource Centers around the Country This listing, from Michigan State University's Value-Added Center, provides links to dozens of similar programs around the country. | |
| A PRIMER for Selecting New Enterprises for Your Farm From the University of Kentucky, a tool for evaluating new enterprises for a farm or family business, is based on worksheets used to evaluate the... | |
| Adding Value to Agricultural Products Value-added agriculture generates several billion dollars in economic impact for the state of Texas each year. In fact, the economic impact of... | |
| Adding Value to Agricultural Products Two publications on value-added processing produced by Appalachian Spring Cooperative of North Carolina are listed here. | |
| Adding Value to your Farm Products The term income enhancement describes the process of increasing income by undertaking a new management, marketing or production practice. Feeding... | |
| Alternative Agricultural Enterprises: A Listing of Resources from Texas A&M University This web page provides an a to z listing, by type of enterprise, of an extraordinary number of resources on specific alternative agricultural... | |
| Alternative Agriculture in Maryland: A Guide to Evaluate Farm-Based Enterprises This online workbook from the University of Maryland provides information, worksheets, and inventories on identifying compatible enterprises and... | |
| Alternative Meat Marketing This publication offers general information on alternative meat marketing. Topics include pitfalls to be aware of, production and processing,... | |
| Alternative Opportunities for Small Farms: A Series from the University of Florida This series covers several specific opportunities for small farms in Florida: bait minnow production, blueberry production, catfish production,... | |
| Annual Midwest Value Added Conference in Minnesota Annual conference, held in January. For farmers and agricultural entrepreneurs interested in value-added enterprises. Co-sponsored by the Minnesota... | |
| Appalachian Spring Cooperative Appalachian Spring Cooperative offers a range of member services to support the development of value-added food and farm product businesses. The... | |
| Assistance Centers for Food Entrepreneurs This site provides links to centers across the US offering technical and business assistance to food processors and producers wanting to develop... | |
| Beef: Natural Beef--Consumer Acceptability, Market Development and Economics in California This project provided insight into the viability of grass-fed beef marketing in California. Consumer surveys and focus groups indicated an interest... | |
| Beef: The Art of Aging Grassfed Beef Proper dry aging is basically an art, and you would need plant managers that are well seasoned in dry aging in order to have confidence in the... | |
| Business Development Advice from the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center This very rich collection of educational information, activities and tools are designed to help you in creating a successful agriculturally based... | |
| Case Studies of Four Idaho Sustainable and Organic Farmers These in depth case studies profile four different types of farms: a 450 acre organic potato farm that also raises beef, eggs, pastured poultry,... | |
| Dairy: How is Cheese from Pastured Cows Unique? What makes specialty cheese special? More specifically, what taste characteristics make cheese from pastured cows unique? These are important... | |
| Dairy: Organic Dairy Marketing, Processing and Production Resources This excellent collection of resources also includes a detailed profile of the organic dairy market, and a variety of case studies. | |
| Dairy: Safe Sell Dairy--Creative Ways to Sell Dairy Products Safely at Farmers' Markets Contains information on various aspects of direct selling. Legal, presentation and food safety issues are discussed and many innovative suggestions... | |
| Dairy: Value Added Dairy Options Dairy farmers can add value to their milk by processing and marketing their own products, such as cheeses, yogurt, butter, ice cream, and... | |
| Developing a Business Plan for Value-Added Agricultural Products A structured approach, from Oklahoma State University Extension, to developing a business plan for a value-added enterprise. | |
| Different 'Grass-Fed' Beef Categories Require Differing Strategies This article breaks down grass-fed beef into three categories: grass-fed baby beef, lean grass-fed beef, and grass-fat beef. The market for each... | |
| Direct Marketing Alternatives for Growers This publication on direct marketing alternatives--with emphasis on niche, specialty and value-added crops--features many farm case studies, as... | |
| Direct Marketing as a Value-Added Opportunity for Agriculture: A fact sheet from Ohio State University Ohio's agricultural industry contributes approximately $68 billion to the state's economic growth and employs one in six Ohioans in areas related... | |
| Evaluating the Potential of Value-Added Agricultural Ideas: A Series of Worksheets to Assess Feasibility This series of worksheets from the University of Tennessee Extension Service provides some structure for thinking about a value-added idea by... | |
| Farm Profitability.Org, an Upper Midwest Program to Strengthen Small Farms and Ranches A joint project of the Center for Rural Affairs, universities in Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska and Wisconsin, the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute... | |
| Farming Alternatives: A Guide to Evaluating the Feasibility of New Farm-Based Enterprises This book assists rural and farm residents who are considering alternative enterprises. The case study and workbook format helps in evaluating... | |
| Frequently Asked Questions About Value Added, from the Keystone Agricultural Innovation Center This FAQ covers challengers, important considerations, time frame of development and keys to success. | |
| Grain Processing: Adding Value to Farm Products Value-added processing is a strategy used by some grain growers to keep their farming operations viable. This publication introduces ideas that... | |
| Growing Your Range Poultry Business: An Entrepreneur's Toolbox This Toolbox is written for anyone who desires to make a profit from range poultry production, whether by direct-marketing "pastured poultry,"... | |
| Guides and Fact Sheets for Specialty Food Processors, from Cornell University The publications available from this web page include a 108 page guide, Small-Scale Food Entrepreneurship: A Technical Guide for Food Ventures, as... | |
| Hogs: Adding Value for Small Pork Producers via Natural Production Methods and Direct Marketing This project involves converting three older hog confinement buildings to deep-bedded Swedish style barns. Production capacity can be expanded to... | |
| Informational Toolkit for Beginning Farmers The Value Added Agriculture Program staff at Iowa State University Extension has compiled some potentially useful information for operators of new... | |
| Keys to Success in Value-Added Agriculture Fourteen farmers in the Southern U.S. were interviewed for a project funded, in part, by the USDA’s Southern Region Sustainable Agriculture... | |
| Kitchen Incubators and Other Food-Related Small Businesses: Resources for Iowa Food Entrepreneurs This page from Iowa State University Extension provides links to information on laws and regulations, marketing, business plans, incubators, food... | |
| List of Alternative Crops and Enterprises for Small Farm Diversification In addition to a variety of resources and links, this page from the Alternative Farming Systems Center provides an exhaustive list of potential... | |
| Market Planning for Value-Added Agricultural Products A 3-ring binder with information and worksheets on several topic areas. See below for ordering information. | |
| Marketing Strategies for Farmers and Ranchers This 20-page bulletin offers snapshots of the many alternatives to marketing commodities through conventional channels. It spotlights innovative,... | |
| Mentors for Iowa Beginning Farmers Value Added Agriculture Program staff at Iowa State University Extension have brought together a group of established farmers with value-added... | |
| Mentors for Iowa Beginning Farmers Interested in Value-Added Agriculture Value Added Agriculture Program staff at Iowa State University Extension have brought together a group of established farmers with value-added... | |
| Micro-Farm in Oklahoma Adds Value In More Ways Than One Sometimes personal adversity and limited funds foster an environment of innovation and creativity. For April Harrington, the sole proprietor-farmer... | |
| Montana State Resources for Agricultural Marketing and Business Development This resource list from the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center lists government agencies, farmers markets, business resources, and state... | |
| Montana's Mission Mountain Food Enterprise Center: Food Processing Help, Commercial Kitchen and Business Incubator Montana's Mission Mountain Food Enterprise Center is northwest Montana's marketplace for the best and freshest local foods produced by family farms... | |
| New Ventures in Food and Agriculture for Indiana The New Ventures program of Purdue University Extension provides support and training to farmers and food entrepreneurs in Indiana. | |
| Northeast Center for Food Entrepreneurship The NECFE provides information and resources on business development, entrepreneurship training, marketing strategies and tools, product process... | |
| NY Specialty Foods: Listserv for NY-Based Farmers, Growers, and Processors Listserv for New York based growers, farmers, processors, and anyone interested in developing and expanding the agricultural base and developing... | |
| Penn State Looks into Establishing One or More Shared-Use Commercial Kitchens to Create a Greater Link Between Pennsylvania Agricultural Production and Food Processing The kitchen could offer farmers and start-up and expanding businesses the opportunity to explore food production without the high cost of equipment... | |
| Prairie Farmers Cooperative in Minnesota Processes Organic and Natural Hogs This co-op's 73 members built a 30,000 square foot plant in Dawson, Minnesota capable of processing 250 hogs a day. Prairie Farmers produce not... | |
| Resources on Farm Marketing, from the University of Missouri Extension Includes documents on creating a crop marketing plan, adding value, building your brand, starting an new farm-based enterprise and produce handling... | |
| Sheep: Thirteen Mile Organic Lamb and Wool Company Becky Weed and Dave Tyler have been grazing sheep on the diversified grass pastures of Thirteen Mile Farm since 1987. They now run 270 certified... | |
| Small Farm Decision-Making & Enterprise Planning Workbook from North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension This workbook was originally developed for Ways to Grow, another award-winning program designed to expose small farmers to alternative agriculture.... | |
| South Dakota ValueAdded Ag Conference This is an annual conference sponsored by the Value Added Ag Development Center, SDSU and other ag industry entities to provide information and... | |
| Specialty Cheese in Wisconsin: Opportunities and Challenges The specialty cheese industry is one arena in the Upper Midwest where some dairy farmers can earn more than commodity prices for their milk. But... | |
| Specialty Crops Program at Colorado State University The Specialty Crops Program at Colorado State University aims to help growers master production systems, and explore and develop market... | |
| Specialty Foods Enterprise Budget from the University of Wisconsin Customer demand for high-quality, unique specialty food products is growing rapidly. Many farmers are interested in processing specialty foods from... | |
| Starting a Value-Added Farm-Food Business, from University of Wisconsin This page lays out the basic steps required to start an ag-related business, highlights the keys to success, and identifies cooperative strategies... | |
| Starting an Agricultural-Based Business Value-added businesses range from small consumer-oriented businesses owned and operated by an individual or a small group of individuals to large... | |
| Starting and Growing a Food Business: Information from Washington State University This collection of resources for farms and businesses interested in starting a food business is organized into the following categories: *... | |
| Survey of Community Kitchen Incubators: Key Elements of Success Community kitchens offer specialty food processors, farmers, and caterers a relatively inexpensive place to license food processing activities.... | |
| Taos County Economic Development Center: Commercial Kitchen The development center offers an up-to-code food-processing kitchen as a great way to give small, and organic, food processing enterprises a way to... | |
| Tennessee's Center for Profitable Agriculture (CPA) The Center is a partnership between the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation and The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture. The Center is... | |
| The Business of Agriculture: Agri-Entrepreneurship Resources from the University of Hawaii A great collection of resources on marketing, farm to school, business skills, farmers' markets, restaurant sales, marketing cooperatives,... | |
| The Community, Food, and Agriculture Program (CFAP) at Cornell University The Community, Food, and Agriculture Program (CFAP) at Cornell University is a nationally recognized research, teaching and extension program... | |
| The Western Mass Food Processing Center: Complete Solutions for Food Producers and Entrepreneurs This non-profit food processing center provides support and training for farmers in making value-added products, provides technical assistance for... | |
| Utah Agribusiness Management Specialist Ruby Ward Agricultural Economist ‡ Agribusiness Management, Operations Research, and Decision Making at the Firm Level ‡ She is in... | |
| Value-Added Agriculture and Forestry Enterprises: Resources from the University of Arizona This web site is intended to help individuals identify how they can capitalize on adding value to agricultural products that will benefit the whole... | |
| Value-Added Agriculture Program at Iowa State University The Value Added Agriculture Program (VAAP) provides unbiased, science-based information to help establish or expand agricultural-related businesses... | |
| Western Profiles of Innovative Agricultural Marketing: Examples from Direct Farm Marketing and Agri-Tourism Enterprises This online publication features over 15 profiles of sustainable and organic farmers and businesses. | |
| Wholesome Harvest Organic Meats: A coalition of small farmers based in Colo, Iowa Wholesome Harvest is a coalition of over 40 concerned small family farms. Since 2001, Wholesome Harvest has been offering premium organic certified... | |
| Wyoming's Small Business Development Center The Small Business Development Center's mission is to strengthen Wyoming businesses and create economic growth by providing management assistance,... | |
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| Pathway to Organic: Producers // Processors | |
Regional Guide: United States | |
North American Directory | |
Key Resources |
Disclaimer: Organic Trade Association (OTA) is providing this information solely as a resource to the public. Although the information contained on this site is believed to be correct at the time of posting, OTA disclaims all responsibility for any damages or liability that may result from use or reliance on this web site or information contained herein
© 2010 the Organic Trade Association