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farmers responding to the survey (from 19 different counties in the surrounding region), close to 60% expressed interest in harvesting animals to create meat products for sale to consumers. These farmers are interested in selling through farmers markets (34% of respondents), CSA's (10 %), buying clubs (15 %), wholesale (23 %), restaurants (18 %), grocery stores (15 %), and institutional markets (7 %). Forty -five respondents currently harvest animals for direct sale. Local slaughter capacity to be increased- Cabarrus County is currently investing in a kill floor at the Cruse Meat plant, an already - established meat fabrication business located near Concord. This addition to the Cruse Meat processing plant will give Cabarrus' independent livestock farmers a place to slaughter, butcher and package their animals for sale at local markets. The facility will be USDA inspected and capable of processing certified organic meat. Long term, Cruse Meats intends to be able to create a wide range of value -added products, including smoked, cured and brined meats. Livestock of major importance to the surrounding region- Cabarrus is one of 11 counties in North Carolina's Southern Piedmont region. The region also includes Anson, Cleveland, Gaston, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Montgomery, Moore, Richmond, Stanly and Union Counties. The majority of the region's market sales -89 %—can be attributed to livestock. With 32% of the region's farmers raising cattle, opportunities exist for farmers to work together to increase market access. Issues to be explored Consumer interest in local, and sustainably raised meat is on the rise across North Carolina, and Cabarrus cattle farmers are poised to take advantage of this increase in demand. The 2007 USDA Census listed 14 Cabarrus farms with 50 -100 beef cattle in inventory, an ideal herd size for farmers interested in accessing local beef markets. The Census also lists 69 farms with 20 -49 beef cattle. These farms are ideally suited to scale up inventories, which would create a larger pool of Cabarrus farmers able to both access local markets and take advantage of this increased consumer demand. This raises questions such as: What assistance and support do local beef farmers need to sell their beef to local and regional markets? What markets are potentially accessible to farmers selling local and/or all natural beef? What barriers prevent farmers from accessing these markets? What opportunities exist for regional collaboration? V. Market Access Commodity markets dominate -The majority of Cabarrus' agricultural products are sold in commodity markets. Cabarrus farmers sold only $90,000 worth of commodities directly to consumers in 2007, even less than the $100,000 of direct commodity sales reported in 2002. Local and regional market channels offer un- tapped opportunity- Cabarrus County farmers currently have few ways to market their products directly beyond the sales that occur at the Piedmont Farmers Markets. Some local farmers do participate in meat 10 Attachment number 2 G -4 Page 519