We feature Rebecca Thistlethwaite who is the Director of the Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network (NMPAN), an Extension community-of-practice housed at Oregon State University. She highlights the role of NMPAN and how this organization helps meat processors across the U.S. Rebecca has over 23 years working in agriculture in many different facets, from farmworker and farm owner to agricultural researcher, training beginning farmers, and policy advocacy. Rebecca lives in the Columbia River Gorge region of Oregon with her two children.

Meat our guest: She has a master's degree in International Agricultural Development from the University of California – Davis. She is author of two books on farming- Farms With a Future: Creating and Growing a Sustainable Farm Business (2012) and The New Livestock Farmer: The Business of Raising and Selling Ethical Meat (2015) and provides business and marketing consulting for sustainable farms and food businesses. When not running NMPAN, you will find her cooking, trail running, health coaching, or volunteering for local schools.