Meat Success

48 | Today on the Meat Success Podcast, Katie Olthoff shares a quick solo story about visiting two small businesses after her kids’ dentist appointments and the marketing lessons it revealed. Her child noted that the craft shop was more expensive than Hobby Lobby but worth it because the owners were friendly and helpful—paralleling why customers buy meat directly from farmers and butchers despite higher prices.

At the first shop, the owner verbally invited Katie to join a Square-based loyalty program by phone number, which immediately triggered texts showing points earned and prompting her to join the email list for bonus points. At a second treat shop using Square, a sign promoted loyalty but staff never asked, and Katie didn’t join despite being a repeat customer. Her takeaway: set up loyalty/text/email programs and verbally ask customers to join while explaining benefits.

00:27 Dentist Trip Backstory

01:03 Choosing Small Business

02:16 Yarn Shop Loyalty Win

03:13 Square Text and Email Flow

05:29 Why It Works

05:58 Treat Shop Missed Ask

07:30 Incentives and Lead Magnets

And learn more about ChopLocal and ChopLocal University Below!

• https://choplocal.com/
• https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/

47 | This week, Katie and Sierra hop on a live webinar to share updates, including a new Chop Local website header and improved zip-code entry, and Sierra’s upcoming road trip to photograph and film vendors in Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, and Kentucky. The main training covers building email lists for farmers markets and farm stands using lead magnets such as recipe or cooking guides, coupons, swag, and customer-only giveaways, with guidance to keep signup forms minimal, use Mailchimp landing pages, deliver PDFs made in Canva, and promote signups via social media and urgency.

They caution against adding past customer emails to Mailchimp without opt-in and suggest inviting customers via a one-time BCC email, plus enabling email opt-in on Shop Local checkout. For in-person collection, they recommend multiple QR-code signs and paper forms, and provide Canva QR-code template signage. They discuss connecting Square to Chop Local for synced inventory and share practical inventory management approaches, including leaving online inventory leeway and using paper-and-pen tracking. The group announces a North Central risk management grant offering webinars and four free coaching sessions, and launches a new Facebook group, “Farm to Consumer Meat Mastery,” for peer support.

00:32 Team Updates and Website Refresh

01:25 Sierra’s Vendor Road Trip Plans

03:49 Why Meeting Vendors Matters

04:24 Farmers Market Email Signups

04:48 Lead Magnets That Work

07:40 Giveaways and Targeting

11:10 Mailchimp Signup Pages Setup

14:18 Promoting Your List on Social

15:31 Inviting Past Customers Properly

19:46 In-Person Signup Best Practices

21:47 QR Codes and Canva Templates

24:29 Paper Forms and Booth Signage Tips

25:19 Cash and QR Options

26:36 Farmers Market Pickup Setup

27:52 Email Frequency Basics

28:14 Resend to Non Openers

29:59 Repurpose and Schedule Emails

31:42 Done For You Email Service

33:40 New Coaching Grant

37:08 Facebook Group Launch

39:08 Inventory Management Struggles

43:07 Paper Pen Tracking Tips

45:44 Freezer Reliability Talk

And learn more about ChopLocal and ChopLocal University Below!

• https://choplocal.com/
• https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/

46 | On the Meat Success Podcast, guest host Sierra Long, talks with Nola and Mikaela Schultz of Schultz Country Market, a family farm-to-direct meat business in Illinois, about growing their brick-and-mortar store and social media presence.

They describe researching Illinois requirements for retail meat sales, opening their on-farm market in September 2023, expanding through a freezer trailer and a busy local farmers market, and starting nationwide shipping in February 2026 after extensive testing of supplies and packaging (favoring ice blankets over dry ice). They explain how TikTok giveaways and support from a local influencer helped grow to nearly 50,000 followers, and how they use Facebook for local customers and TikTok to drive shipping sales. They emphasize consistency, authenticity, quick Facebook Lives, and being intentional with messaging to convert views into sales.

• 00:53 Schultz Market Origins
• 03:14 Launching Retail Store
• 07:11 Farmers Market Strategy
• 10:26 Farm Store Experience
• 13:22 Shipping Meat Logistics
• 18:55 TikTok Growth Giveaway
• 22:05 Influencer Events Boost
• 24:32 Family Farm Story
• 25:06 Influencer Event Boost
• 26:32 Getting Comfortable On Camera
• 30:11 Facebook Live Routine
• 32:21 Choosing Platforms
• 37:48 Turning Views Into Sales
• 39:26 Content Ideas That Convert

Learn more about ChopLocal and ChopLocal University Below!

• https://choplocal.com/
• https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/

Today on the Meat Success Podcast Katie Olthoff, Co-Founder of ChopLocal/ChopLocal University) interviews Mackenzie Wright of Kentucky’s Jones Brothers Farm about their delivery-first model, product mix, and why they use Shopify. Mackenzie shares the farm’s history since 2010, emphasizing diversification (beef, tomatoes, sweet corn, watermelons, hay, tobacco; formerly hemp) and transparent education around being a conventional farm.

The farm transitioned from selling beef by quarters/halves to beef boxes and single cuts, learning which cuts move best for their largely female, urban customer base, and building sales from an established produce email list. They sell mainly via home delivery (one local farmers market) and are exploring wholesale expansion; they do not ship. Shopify was chosen for integrated payments, apps (routing, pickup options), email via Seguno, improved website design, analytics tools including an AI query feature, subscription/advance-date ordering, and adding a checkout processing fee, with a focus on customer service and storytelling to build trust.

• 01:35 Jones Brothers Farm Story
• 02:41 Diverse Crops and Beef Practices
• 04:43 From Shares to Single Cuts
• 06:53 Delivery Model and Cut Demand
• 08:39 Know Your Customer Base
• 10:27 Produce CSA to Add Ons
• 12:12 Tomato Sizes and Sales
• 13:03 Farmers Markets Strategy
• 14:55 Wholesale Expansion and Shipping
• 16:55 Why They Chose Shopify
• 19:49 Shopify Apps for Routing
• 21:46 Do You Really Need an App
• 24:08 Subscriptions and Preorders
• 25:20 CSA vs Subscription
• 26:53 Skipping Weeks Flexibly
• 28:27 Hemp Loss Ends CSA
• 31:06 Email and Seguno
• 34:48 Shopify Design Wins
• 37:55 Analytics AI Helper
• 39:38 Processing Fee Strategy
• 42:24 Selling Trust Story
• 44:04 Farm Content Without Shock
• 46:44 COVID Delivery Shift Wrap

And learn more about ChopLocal and ChopLocal University Below!

• https://choplocal.com/
• https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/

Episode 44 | This week, Katie Olthoff sits down with Rebecca Thistlethwaite of the Niche Meat Processors Assistance Network (NMPAN), a national Oregon State University–housed extension community serving small/very small processors and direct-market producers with free membership, webinars, and no-cost technical assistance. They discuss how, since 2020’s extreme backlog, many plants now face low utilization—especially in beef—due to a smaller cattle herd, pushing processors to market for business via basic websites, online cut-sheet forms, and testimonials.

She emphasizes building long-term producer–processor partnerships, transparent yield data to reduce disputes, and feedback on carcass finish; USDA remote grading is growing mainly for larger “small” plants and retail channels. Key processor challenges include rising production costs (utilities, disposal, packaging), labor, and inconsistent volume; solutions discussed include energy upgrades, composting/digesters, labor-saving equipment, and diversification through retail counters, consignment freezers, wholesale, and value-added products. They note MPEP grant interest and a modest increase in independent poultry processing, and Rebecca highlights untapped innovation potential in U.S. pork marketing.

And learn more about ChopLocal and ChopLocal University Below!

• https://choplocal.com/
• https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/

Chapters

• 00:28 Pandemic Processing Crunch
• 01:32 What NMPAN Does
• 02:33 Top NMPAN Resources
• 04:42 Utilization Drops and Marketing
• 08:09 Websites and Online Cut Sheets
• 11:39 Building Producer Processor Trust
• 15:12 Yield Data and Transparency
• 19:15 Remote Grading and Quality
• 23:04 Today’s Biggest Processor Challenges
• 25:35 Energy Waste and Labor Solutions
• 28:30 Disposal Options Incinerators Digesters
• 30:28 Carcass Waste Solutions
• 32:22 Retail Counters Boost Margins
• 34:11 Meat Vending Machines
• 35:12 Freezer Consignment Deals
• 37:48 Wholesale Routes and Risks
• 41:16 Value Added Sausage Strategy
• 42:52 Restaurant Sales Reality
• 44:20 MPEP Grant Breakdown
• 48:55 Inspected Poultry Trends
• 51:55 Pork Innovation Opportunity

Episode 43 | Today, Katie Olthoff of the Meat Success Podcast interviews Purdue agricultural economics, professor Chad Fiechter about practical, responsible use of generative AI in agriculture and small businesses. Fiechter describes adoption ranging from “Google Plus” style queries to farmers building custom web apps, and emphasizes using AI as an iterative thought partner rather than an answer machine. They discuss risks of sharing sensitive data, the importance of reading platform terms, and how paid/organizational accounts can limit model training via privacy settings. To guard against hallucinations, Fiechter recommends requesting sources, verifying with multiple external references, and matching skepticism to the stakes. He encourages transparency about AI use, owning outputs as the author, using adversarial prompts and cross-checking with other models, and providing strong context/examples to improve results, especially for marketing and management tasks.

Connect with Chad here: https://ag.purdue.edu/commercialag/home/team/chad-fiechter/

• 01:17 Chad’s Journey from the farm to Purdue
• 03:19 How Farms Use AI Today
• 05:05 Building Custom AI Tools
• 10:44 Iterating Like a Pro
• 12:50 Data Privacy and Paid Plans
• 16:48 Hallucinations and Verification
• 23:18 Owning AI Output
• 29:14 Adversarial Prompts and Model Battles
• 37:21 AI as Small Business Coach
• 41:24 Give AI Better Context

And learn more about ChopLocal and ChopLocal University Below!

• https://choplocal.com/
• https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/

Episode 42 | Katie Olthoff hosts Stephen Ussary of Stewards Unlimited to discuss current USDA grant opportunities. They explain the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPEP) Phase 4, focused mainly on equipment (and limited renovations) for processors that slaughter beef, with eligibility for small/very small and some larger “intermediate” processors, required matches (25% equipment-only; 50% expansion), and an August 7 deadline; awards are limited and likely competitive, with scoring tied to goals like increased capacity, producer income (including toll processing), new markets, safety/training, and waste management, plus letters of support including from government officials. They also review LAMP programs due June 5—FMPP, LFPP, and RFSP—emphasizing partnerships, marketing impacts, and competitiveness, noting processors may be eligible but rarely funded recently. They mention other opportunities (state programs, Farm to School, SARE, Value Added Producer Grants) and Stewards Unlimited’s free grant alerts.

Join here: https://stewardsunlimited.com/

• 01:15 Grant Journey Lessons
• 02:19 MPEP Overview and Eligibility
• 04:45 Funding Tracks and Competitiveness
• 07:41 Scoring Rubric and Priorities
• 14:19 Reapplying and Inspection Rules
• 17:18 Match and Application Strategy
• 20:33 Future of MPEP and Farm Bill
• 21:38 LAMP Programs Overview
• 23:03 RFSP Partnerships Explained
• 30:52 Weigh Your Options
• 33:58 Should You Apply This Year
• 39:59 Other Grants and Alerts
• 42:00 Grant Deadlines

And learn more about ChopLocal and ChopLocal University Below!

• https://choplocal.com/
• https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/

Episode 41 | In the final spring-season CHOP Local University webinar, Katie explains how farmers market vendors can use an online store to increase sales through pre-orders for market pickup and year-round ordering, citing survey data showing only 9% of direct-to-consumer meat farmers have online stores but 71% of farms selling over $200,000 do, and that average sales are $140,000 with e-commerce vs. $81,000 without.

She outlines actions before, during, and after market season: optimize store usability (fast loading, easy product discovery, sell by package/weight ranges rather than exact weight, and answer common customer questions), create signage/QR codes, collect emails using lead magnets, and train customers to pre-order with incentives and scarcity. After season, she recommends frequent short emails with clear calls to action, scheduled pickup “meetups,” and holiday gift bundles, and describes Chop Local’s marketplace, vendor tools, shipping requirement, and support options.

Ready to elevate your brand and business? Make sure to sign up for the StoryBrand Workshop here at https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/storybrand

And learn more about ChopLocal and ChopLocal University Below!

• https://choplocal.com/
• https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/

00:29 What Is Chop Local

01:57 Meet Katie Olthoff

02:50 Survey Data Insights

04:23 Online Store Advantage

06:13 Candace Success Story

07:36 Three Phase Strategy

08:41 Optimize Store Basics

09:42 Sell By Package

12:19 Answer Customer Questions

13:16 Signs and QR Codes

15:02 Collect Emails at Market

16:55 Lead Magnet Explained

18:37 Coupon Funnel Q&A

21:18 QR Signup Best Practices

23:09 Push Preorders Online

24:07 Scarcity With Preorders

26:08 Email Cadence Made Simple

29:08 Calls To Action That Convert

31:00 Offseason Pickup Meetups

32:56 Holiday Gift Box Push

35:41 Quick Strategy Recap

38:34 Next Steps And Offers

44:01 Tools Q&A And Wrap

Episode 40 | Katie Olthoff of the Meat Success podcast interviews Sarah Ivan Zastrow, a certified exercise physiologist and mental health advocate with a farming background, about stress on farms and practical coping tools. Sarah explains how unmanaged stress worsens health outcomes and shares low-cost strategies farmers can use with limited time, focusing on sleep: reframing sleep beliefs, writing down looping thoughts, guided meditations/hypnosis (including Calm/YouTube), and addressing sleep apnea with CPAP.

They discuss how poor sleep increases irritability and pain, the role of iron/ferritin in restless legs, and using stretching/legs-up-the-wall before bed to reduce cortisol and signal safety. Sarah distinguishes stress from anxiety and depression as spectrum experiences, describes recognizing “volcano” buildup and intentional cooldown, and notes when medication and therapy can help. They also address farm-culture stressors like women carrying the household load, boundary-setting, outsourcing, and using tools (reminders, grocery lists, AI for planning) to reduce mental load. Sarah points listeners to her Throwing Wrenches, Mending Fences podcast and YouTube.

Ready to elevate your brand and business? Make sure to sign up for the StoryBrand Workshop here at https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/storybrand

And learn more about ChopLocal and ChopLocal University Below!

• https://choplocal.com/
• https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/

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• 01:12 Sarah’s Farm Story
• 02:51 Why Stress Matters
• 04:57 Sleep and Farm Stress
• 08:29 Notebook Loop Closing
• 11:00 Meditations and CPAP
• 14:26 AI CBT Sleep Reframe
• 20:31 Stretching Before Bed
• 24:02 Anxiety and Depression Basics
• 26:20 Stigma and Spectrum
• 28:01 What Causes the Cloud
• 29:07 Hidden Stress Signals
• 29:54 Volcano Adrenaline Model
• 31:25 Spotting Your Explosion Signs
• 32:48 Cooling Down On Purpose
• 34:04 When Tools Aren't Enough
• 36:22 Meds Therapy And Insurance
• 39:13 Farm Culture And Burnout
• 42:29 Sharing The Home Load
• 48:16 Systems That Actually Help
• 50:26 AI Cleaning And Outsourcing

Episode 39 | Make sure to sign up for the StoryBrand Workshop here at https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/storybrand

In this episode of Meat Success, Katie interviews Sara Scott, a ranch-raised former Certified Angus Beef leader and now a consultant and certified StoryBrand guide. Sara shares her background from a Northern California cow-calf operation through roles at Certified Angus Beef in marketing, business development, and as VP of Food Service, working with major distributors like Sysco, US Foods, and Performance Food Group. They discuss why simply claiming “premium, great-tasting, well-marbled” meat no longer differentiates brands because quality is now table stakes amid many branded programs. Sara explains StoryBrand principles—making the customer the hero and the business the guide, using clear, repeatable messaging—and how messaging drives marketing choices. They announce a paid Chop Local University StoryBrand mini-course with three Tuesday sessions in May, plus a live feedback session.

• 00:41 Sara Scott Background
• 01:35 CAB Career Highlights
• 04:09 Why Quality Is Not Enough
• 07:20 StoryBrand Messaging Framework
• 08:38 Marketing Teams And Funnels
• 15:39 Storytelling Brand Examples
• 21:26 Finding Your Best Customer
• 25:10 Client Examples And Positioning
• 28:43 Course Launch Announcement
• 29:50 Mini Course Format
• 33:42 StoryBrand Basics
• 36:44 Make Buying Easy
• 38:32 Customer Hero Examples
• 40:25 Messaging Evolution Tips
• 45:24 Industry Choice Challenges
• 48:06 Course Logistics Signup
• 50:24 Using StoryBrand Anywhere

And learn more about ChopLocal and ChopLocal University Below!

• https://choplocal.com/
• https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/
• https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/storybrand