SBCFAN is coordinating a USDA-inspected Meat Processing Hub in partnership with the federal government, farmers, buyers, higher education, and workforce development. The project gives Central Coast farmers an affordable, accessible path to processing and market access in an industry dominated by a handful of national corporations, while supporting high skilled jobs training and employment opportunities.
The Meat Processing Hub at Lompoc
A SELF-SUSTAINING, REPLICABLE INITIATIVE
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Las Cumbres Ranch
Photo credit: Isaac Hernandez, Mercury Press
THE CHALLENGE
Today, just four corporations—Tyson, Cargill, JBS, and National Beef—control 80-85% of the U.S. beef market.1 “The small number of large-scale processors making purchases places downward pressure on live animal prices, harming livestock and poultry producers, and also upward pressure on retail prices, harming consumers. Market and processing concentration are widely recognized as threats to food system resilience,“ 2 according to a 2021 UC Davis study.
As National Producers/Processors are pushing small producers and processors out, they remain vulnerable to systemic weaknesses like hacking 3 and pandemics,4 their hiring practices prevent fair wages, and their feedlot environmental impact is disproportionately high. There is a critical nationwide shortage of USDA-inspected meat processing facilities. Many small-scale central coast ranchers are facing potential closure because they don’t have processing options, and simply can’t compete with the National Producer/Processors.
1 farmaction.us
2 A New Era for Meat Processing in California? Challenges & Opportunities to Enhance Resilience, UC Davis Food Systems Lab, 2021
3 Meat processor JBS paid $11 million in ransom to hackers. New York Times, 6/9/21
4 Meat processing plants are closing due to covid-19 outbreaks. Beef shortfalls may follow. Washington Post, 4/16/20
LOCAL REACTIONS TO THIS CRISIS
CALIFORNIA CENTRAL COAST SURVEY
SBCFAN SURVEYED 46 LOCAL PRODUCERS IN 2022
THE MEAT PROCESSING HUB
The Santa Barbara County Food Action Network (SBCFAN) is partnering with Local Ranchers, the Bureau of Prisons (BoP), Institutional Buyers, and Workforce Development to leverage each of their resources in a bold new collaboration.
SBCFAN IS LOOKING TO RAISE WORKING CAPITAL FOR THIS. PLEASE CONTACT US FOR DETAILS.
This will fund:
- The building and early operation of a USDA-inspected Meat Processing Facility at Federal Correctional Complex Lompoc (FCC Lompoc), and
- An online Food Hub to facilitate direct-to-consumer selling, local processing, and purchasing.
PROJECTED OUTCOMES
Fill a critical gap in USDA-inspected meat processing infrastructure
Create skilled, good-paying jobs in our community
Reduce animal suffering through shorter transport, smaller facilities, and the latest humane processing equipment and practices
Cut emissions by minimizing long-distance animal transport
Support local control over food production
Model ethical incarcerated labor practices by prioritizing training, agency, and long-term opportunity
Build a reliable pipeline of skilled workers to fill local high-demand, high-wage careers in the meat industry
All of this will forward SBCFAN’s mission of creating a self-sustaining, healthy food system for California’s Central Coast, and will be a win for ranchers, incarcerated individuals, institutional buyers, and our local communities.
Cuyama Homegrown
Photo credit: Andrew Hill, PHAROS Creative
This project builds food system resilience.
FILLS A CRITICAL GAP IN USDA-INSPECTED MEAT PROCESSING INFRASTRUCTURE
FCC Lompoc previously held USDA inspection certificate and can be re-inspected.
REDUCES DEPENDENCE ON CENTRALIZED, VULNERABLE CORPORATE SUPPLY CHAINS
Local businesses and communities benefit from a local supply chain. Large scale producers have already been paralyzed by malicious hacks, illustrating inherent vulnerabilities in food-system monopolies.
INCREASES MARKET ACCESS FOR SMALL PRODUCERS VIA USDA INSPECTION
With nearby access to cost-effective, USDA-certified processing, local producers can afford to reach further with their products and now sell directly to restaurants and consumers.
SUPPORTS FLEXIBLE, COMMUNITY-BASED SUPPLY CHAINS DURING DISRUPTIONS
Producers and communities are empowered to weather disruptions like COVID, mudslides, fires, and more.
A TIMELINE OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS SO FAR
Our work moves at the SPEED OF TRUST. It has taken more than four years of work with UNICOR, Bureau of Prisons (BoP) representatives, local producers, and community partners to get here. These are the highlights.
- Aug 2021: Launched the Meat Processing Working Group.
- 2022: Partnered with UCANR on a survey that showed year-round regional demand and capacity for a USDA-inspected facility.
- 2022: Received a proposal to enter a nonprofit-government partnership to launch that facility.
- 2023-2024: Completed Phase 1 (facility assessment, business plan, and endorsements from county, state, and federal representatives). Made progress on Phase 2, including securing a larger adjacent building.
- 2025: SBCFAN joined the FCC Lompoc Community Relations Board.
ADDITIONAL SURVEY RESPONSES FROM LOCAL RANCHERS
*Approximate estimation given a full truck of mature beef cattle outbound and a refrigerated truck full of processed meat on the return trip. Not included are emissions of other greenhouse gases, such as methane or HFCs. Calculated using carboncare.org and sifted.com.