Cornell Cooperative Extension is organizing tours to two established poultry processing operations in St. Lawrence County that both qualify for a 5a license from New York State Agriculture and Markets. The event will be held 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday, June 12.

This program is an ideal opportunity to get a fuller understanding of the regulations around poultry processing in New York including the differences between the Producer/Grower 1,000 bird exemption and the 5A Non-Amenable Slaughtering and Processing Facility (20,000 bird). If you have ever considered raising more than 1,000 chickens a year, processing birds for other growers or building a 5A processing plant, then this program is for you.

Each guest host will share with the group about how they got into the business, what they like about their set-up and what they would do differently. The group will have the chance to see examples of structures and hear directly from the owners about planning, building and licensing their facilities.

The tours will start at a facility in Potsdam, followed by a brown bag lunch and networking break in Norwood on the way to the second tour in Massena.

Registration is $15 per person, which includes the cost of a brown bag lunch. Registration is limited to 15 participants. Due to the limited size, participants will be prioritized who already raise poultry and/or process birds under the 1,000 bird exemption. Participants will be responsible for driving themselves to the program stops. The addresses and directions will be provided once your spot has been confirmed. The deadline to register is noon on Friday, June 11.

Register to attend this program at http://stlawrence.cce.cornell.edu/.

For further information, contact Flip Filippi at 315-379-9192, ext. 229 or mpf65@cornell.edu.

This session is made possible with a Rural Business Development Grant from the USDA.