About

What is Berkshire Agricultural Ventures…

Berkshire Agricultural Ventures’ mission is to support the development and viability of local farms and food businesses in order to build a thriving and equitable local food economy.

Berkshire Agricultural Ventures was founded as a nonprofit in 2017 by individuals who recognized the importance of the rural character and farms of the Berkshire Taconic region as a treasure meant to be preserved for generations. BAV’s founding members believed that by establishing access to flexible financial and technical resources (a service that did not exist before in this region), farmers and local food businesses alike would have the opportunity to grow and in turn, build a thriving economy centered around local food production.

Why we created this directory…

Berkshire Agricultural Ventures developed this resource directory based on needs articulated by livestock farmers in the Berkshire-Taconic region. Researching for the right resource often requires a lot of time and filtering through dead ends to find the best solution. On top of that, many of the providers of these services do not have a large public presence (websites, social media, advertising, etc.), and navigating who to reach out to can be overwhelming and stressful.

BAV developed this directory to provide information all in one place for farmers about meat processors, feed sources, livestock healthcare providers, cold storage facilities, sales avenues, service providers, and much more! It’s like the Yellowpages for livestock farmers in the Berkshire-Taconic region. We are excited about the connections and collaborations that this tool may support.

This is one of the results to come out of BAV’s Local Meat Processing Support Program which aims to improve processing bottlenecks for livestock farmers in the Berkshire-Taconic Region, supporting livestock producer viability and the availability of local meat products for consumers.

How this directory works…

This site can be searched for a wide range of service types. You can fine-tune your search using the filters for relevant species, service areas, or products sought.

We periodically review and verify the content in the directory. When information has been verified by the provider it is noted in the directory. When an entry is unverified; it means the provider has not directly confirmed with BAV that the information is accurate and up to date.

As this resource is largely user-generated it will continue to expand. If you offer relevant services, or know of relevant providers, and would like to be included in the directory please fill out this entry form. Finally, please let us know if there are other areas you’d like to see covered in this directory or if you have any questions!

Disclaimer

This directory is not an endorsement of the entities listed, nor can BAV speak to the quality of the services provided by the entities listed. This directory serves as a ‘yellowpages’ of services and resources available to livestock farmers in the Berkshire-Taconic Region. The entities listed have either been submitted by users of the directory, or were aggregated from other listings and directories. With each entity we have attempted to verify their existence and the information provided about them, and have noted in each entry if the entity has been verified. Verification simply speaks to their existence and to the accuracy of the information at the time of verification. If you find that an entity listed does not exist anymore or does not perform the services they are listed for, please let us know. 

Other resources…

Berkshire Agricultural Ventures has created many other resources for livestock farmers and meat processors, to make navigating the regional meat processing supply chain easier and more accessible for our food system stakeholders. Here are some of the other resources and tools we have developed:

Ask HACCP (a free HACCP and Food Safety Hotline)

The Meat Up Listserv (a forum for livestock farmers, processors, and those who work in the middle of the meat value chain in Eastern NY and SW New England)

Meat Up Newsletter (updates and opportunities in regional meat production and processing in Eastern NY and SW New England. )

Cost of Production Calculator

Meat Processing Facilities Map

Special thanks to…

The Livestock Working Group, Jordan Archey and Ren Constas of Berkshire Grown, Tanya Moyer of Mulligan Creek Acres, and Gemini Creative for helping to develop this resource.