Over the past few weeks, we’ve shared what happened when Northern Michigan lost access to its last licensed poultry processor, the real cost of traveling long distances for processing, and the challenges farms face in rebuilding that infrastructure. So where do we go from here? At Danu Hof, we believe the answer is not just restoring access for one farm, but creating something that can serve our broader community. We are working toward building a small-scale, MDARD-licensed poultry processing...

Why Small Farms Face Barriers to Building Poultry Processing Facilities After learning that Northern Michigan lost its last licensed poultry processor, many people ask a reasonable question: Why doesn’t another farm simply start processing poultry? The answer is that building and operating a licensed poultry processing facility requires navigating several layers of regulation, infrastructure, and cost. These systems exist for important reasons. Processing facilities handle food that will be...

How losing local poultry processing changes the cost of raising chickens in Northern Michigan When people first hear that the nearest licensed poultry processor is now more than 200 miles away, the most common response is simple: “Can’t farms just drive there?” Technically, yes. But the reality is far more complicated. With the closure of Northern Michigan’s last MDARD-licensed poultry processing facility, the next closest option for many farms is 205 miles away . That means a 410-mile round...