Advising

Dave Pratt

Dave Pratt is a renowned expert in sustainable agriculture and profitable ranching. He has taught the Ranching for Profit School across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Australia, and Africa. With hands-on experience growing up on a small ranch and working for cattle and sheep ranchers in Northern California, Dave combines practical knowledge with academic expertise, holding BS and MS degrees from the University of California and Washington State University. As a former Range and Livestock Advisor for the University of California Cooperative Extension, Dave spent 15 years researching cell grazing and strategies for ranch sustainability.

Susan Wright

As a practicing Certified Management Accountant, Susan Wright is a Professional Accountant specializing in small business management and strategy. She is qualified to help business owners improve and clarify their daily and long-term strategic decisions and develop the internal foundations to support that strategy. She does this by assessing the goals for the business and integrating the intent of the owner with the market conditions. She will assess their needs for analytics and measurement tools and helps them build the systems that will provide that information. She will not overlook the business owner’s desired outcomes and motivations. It is her opinion that no one knows a business better than its owner. So, it is important to tap that knowledge to develop an effective strategy.

Poppy Davis

Poppy Davis is a business and policy adviser to agricultural and food and beverage enterprises, nonprofits, and local governments. She works through agricultural training programs around the country to deliver programming on topics including agricultural taxation, accounting, credit, cash-flow, and regulatory compliance, and consults on non-profit management.

Jack Rice

Jack Rice, Davis, is the owner/operator of Larabee Ranch, a hay and cattle operation in Humboldt County. After graduating from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo with an agribusiness degree, he returned to the ranch for several years. The political and legal challenges facing agriculture encouraged him to attend UC Davis Law School where he earned his law degree, concentrating in environmental and agricultural law.

Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network

The Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network (NMPAN) is a university Extension-based community of practice dedicated to helping small meat processors thrive. By fostering a shared wealth of information and innovation, we provide tools and technical assistance to processors, farmers, marketers, and meat buyers. NMPAN is housed at Oregon State University. Gain access to their expert consultants exclusively through Siskiyou AGccelerator.

Rebecca Thistlethwaite

NMPAN Director– Staff Office Hours Consultant

• Business Planning
• Financing/Finding Capital
• Applying for State/Federal Grant of Meat Inspection
• Supply Chain Development
• Policy Related Questions/Ideas

David Zarling

NMPAN Program Manager– Staff Office Hours Consultant

• Facilities/Equipment
• Operations
• Food Safety/HACCP
• Human Resources
• Value-Added Processing

Kylie Burriss

NMPAN Outreach Specialist– Staff Office Hours Consultant

• Food Safety
• Quality Assurance
• HACCP
• Value-Added Processing
• New Product Development/Reformulation

Brian Brozovic

NMPAN – Meat & Poultry Processing Technical Assistance Consultant

• Marketing & Sales
• Working with Wholesalers/Distributors
• Operations
• Compliance Programs

Tyler Cook

NMPAN – Meat & Poultry Processing Technical Assistance Consultant

• New Product Development
• Value-Added Products
• HACCP Planning & Compliance

Abbe Turner

NMPAN – Meat & Poultry Processing Technical Assistance Consultant

• Getting Started Writing a Winning Proposal
• Application Questions
• Narrative Development
• Agricultural Business Plans/Value Added Products

Joe M. Regenstein, PhD.

NMPAN – Meat & Poultry Processing Technical Assistance Consultant

• Religious Slaughter Best Practices
• Halal/Kosher Meat
• Animal Welfare

Chris Fuller

NMPAN – Meat & Poultry Processing Technical Assistance Consultant

• Meat Processing Operations
• Facility Design & Equipment
• HACCP & Food Safety Programs

Arion Thioboumery

NMPAN – Meat & Poultry Processing Technical Assistance Consultant

• Scaling Your Business
• Product Costing
• Efficiencies and Throughput

Francisco Najar-Villarreal

NMPAN – Meat & Poultry Processing Technical Assistance Consultant

• Ayuda en Español
• Equipment
• Meat Science

Samantha Egolf

NMPAN – Meat & Poultry Processing Technical Assistance Consultant

• Feasibility Studies
• Business Planning
• Pre-construction Planning

Denise Perry

NMPAN – Meat & Poultry Processing Technical Assistance Consultant

• Humane Handling/Animal Welfare
• Regulatory Compliance
• Food Safety & Quality

Tracy Smaciarz

NMPAN – Meat & Poultry Processing Technical Assistance Consultant

• Custom Exempt Operations
• Transitioning from Custom to Inspected
• Mobile Processing in Real Life

Greg Gunthorp

NMPAN – Meat & Poultry Processing Technical Assistance Consultant

• On-Farm USDA Processing
• Poultry Processing
• Red Meat & Poultry in Same Facility

Trevor Morones

NMPAN – Meat & Poultry Processing Technical Assistance Consultant

• Food Safety Management Systems
• Audit Prep (FSA, GFSI) with Craft Solutions
• Meat and Poultry International HACCP Certification

Dan DeHaan

NMPAN – Meat & Poultry Processing Technical Assistance Consultant

• Facility Design
• Engineering
• Wastewater Management Systems

Oliver Lee Mincey

NMPAN – Meat & Poultry Processing Technical Assistance Consultant

• Leadership Development and Training
• Labor Shortages and Retention
• Employee Engagement and Morale