Selling Poultry Products

One thing that you should consider before starting any agricultural enterprise is how, when and where are you going to sell that product? The first thing to study carefully are the rules and regulations of your particular city, county, state and federal jurisdiction.

Regulations are not uniform across the nation. There are state requirements that often differ from federal requirements. State inspected products cannot be shipped across state lines, but federally inspected products may be shipped anywhere. This is important if you are considering selling meat products nationwide over the internet.

Don't forget labeling laws. Not all products can be labeled the same way in every state. Some require different holding temperatures, shipping packages, and nutrition information.

What good is producing a product if you can't legally meet all the guidelines required to inspect, package, store, and sell your product? In some cases, these processes will be costly and may make it impossible for you to sell your small farm product. But in most cases, it will just take a lot of work implementing the changes to meet the inspector's requirements. Besides, who would want to buy any of your products if you did not do what's right when it comes to preparing your product to sell?

This is not meant to be discouraging, but is meant to make you aware that you need to study the subject carefully and seek qualified help from your local government, extension office, or USDA contact prior to producing any food products.