Are you interested in raising animals as a farm enterprise?
New Entry's livestock and poultry programs are designed to help farmers of varying experience levels profitably and sustainably raise and sell meat, eggs, milk, and fiber, with an emphasis on pasture-based systems.
New Entry partners with the Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine to host a series of Livestock and Poultry Field Schools covering poultry, sheep, goats, swine, and beef cattle. These workshops offer hands-on practical skills training, with topics ranging from animal health and nutrition to regulations and meat marketing.
We also work to help small-scale poultry farmers find legal, affordable poultry processing options. New Entry manages the Eastern Massachusetts Mobile Poultry Processing Unit (MPPU) and provides training and regulatory and technical assistance for on-farm poultry processing in Massachusetts, New England and beyond.
For more information on New Entry's livestock and poultry programs, contact the New Entry office at 978-654-6745.
We've learned a lot over the last few years while planning, building, operating, repairing, and managing a mobile poultry processing unit. Drawing on our own experiences and those of other poultry processing projects around the country, we put together this comprehensive guide to planning and constructing an MPPU or stationary facility for on-farm poultry processing.
The guide incorporates tips and lessons learned, case studies and example plans, and lots guidance for anyone thinking about building their own MPPU or other on-farm poultry processing facility, including:
Choosing a facility type
Selecting equipment
Designing a floor plan
For questions about the guide, please contact the New Entry office at 978-654-6745.
New Entry prepared a Handbook for Small-Scale Poultry Producer-Processors that describes how to apply for licensure to process poultry using a Massachusetts-inspected MPPU. Producers are encouraged to use the guide to understand basic requirements for MPPU use and licensure. The guide contains:
Overview of Massachusetts regulations regarding poultry processing
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Step-by-Step guidance on completing the Mass Slaughter License application
What to expect after completing the application
Regulatory Resources
For questions or clarification about the Handbook, or for technical assistance in completing your local and state approvals for MPPU use, please contact the New Entry office at 978-654-6745.
A guide for small-scale poultry producers and processors using a Massachusetts-inspected mobile poultry processing unit (MPPU) or stationary on-farm facility. The guide was created by New Entry in partnership with the New England Small Farm Institute with input from Massachusetts state agencies, outlining the food safety and recordkeeping practices required of small-scale poultry processors operating under a slaughter license from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, including:
On-farm processing safe food handling plan
Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs)
Standard Operating and Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs and SSOPs)
Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) Plan
Sample Daily Use Report Logs for Massachusetts poultry processors
For questions or clarification about the Handbook, or for technical assistance in completing your local and state approvals for MPPU use, please contact the New Entry office at 978-654-6745.
The New England Small Ruminant Working Group created and distributed a survey of New England sheep and goat farmers in order to better understand two questions:
What are the most pressing IPM challenges for New England small ruminant producers?
What is the scope of these challenges?
The survey also aimed to provide a better understanding of New England sheep and goat farmers' knowledge and adoption of IPM practices to address these challenges, especially related to internal parasites.
This document serves as a report on the state of IPM challenges and practices among New England small ruminant producers, summarizing survey results and incorporating the input and recommendations of Working Group members, including veterinarians, Extension and other farm service providers, and several sheep and goat farmers.
Written by Sam Anderson (Livestock Program Coordinator, New Entry Sustainable Farming Project). Support from the Northeastern IPM Center.
Are you thinking of starting a farming business in Massachusetts? Are you currently farming and interested in expanding the crops you grow, accessing new marketing outlets, or making your business more profitable? This resource guide is a collection of 35 independent fact sheets that can be used separately as needed or together as a complete set. Topics include land access, farm infrastructure, risk management, business planning, livestock processing, organic certification, and much more. It may be helpful for you to use this series with someone who can guide you to more farming information, such as an experienced farmer, a Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources employee, a United States Department of Agriculture employee, or other service provider.
Fact Sheet 29 provides a overview of marketing regulations and includes specific resources for livestock, eggs, milk, honey, syrup, cider, wine, and beer. See An Entrepreneur's Guide to Farming in Massachusetts for additional resources.
New Entry's Farm Business Planning Course is an 8 week course held in Lowell, MA designed to help beginning farmers develop a comprehensive farm business plan. The links and resources that are included in this series pertain to specific topics covered in each week's class.
Financials:
Basic Accounting: Guidance for Beginning Farmers (click on green button below)
This guide describes the most important challenges for profitable niche poultry enterprises in New England and some ways that producers have overcome those challenges. Through interviews and direct farm research, New Entry worked with several small-scale poultry growers to track best practices and build enterprise budgets for alternative poultry enterprises in New England. For purposes of this guide, the focus is primarily on two chicken enterprises: laying hens, with fresh eggs as the primary product; and broilers, with whole roasting birds as the primary product.
