Extension Notebook: Illinois small poultry farmers face processing bottleneck

“I just heard that Central Illinois Poultry Processing, the only processor in a four-hour radius of us, will no longer be offering ground chicken as a processing option. I’m worried about our ground turkey plans. Possible wrench in the 2025 farm business plan. AHH!”

This was the note I received from my friend and small poultry farmer, Anna Rose Morrell, who is the flock manager at the Little Farm at Weldon Springs, on the morning of Jan. 8. Anna has big plans for 2025, but for a while they looked to be in jeopardy.

Last year, Anna raised 30 pastured turkeys for the Thanksgiving season and sold 25 of them by their processing date. She had her surplus birds processed into ground turkey to sell at winter markets, and it has been a hit. Seeing the potential for even more demand, she planned to raise 30 birds in early spring 2025 to be able to offer several hundred pounds at summer markets.

After calling Central Illinois Poultry Processing, I was able to find out that they will continue offering ground turkey as a custom processing option for farmers, with a new, 30-turkey minimum. Anna was relieved; her plans are back on.

CIPP also confirmed a new, 100-bird minimum for chicken processing and that they will no longer offer ground chicken. They will offer deboning of chicken, and deboned meat could then be taken to a red meat processor for grinding.

I reached out to Ed Dubrick, the owner and poultry farmer at DuChick Ranch and a policy organizer with the Illinois Stewardship Alliance. He said, “Adding another step would make it hard for the farmer to synchronize multiple processor dates, and would add cost, making it even harder to compete financially. Securing processing is one of the largest challenges facing small farms.”

The lack of small-scale poultry processors in Illinois has been a recurring issue. Zem Zem Halal in Rock Falls, CIPP in Arthur, Slagel Family Meats in Forrest, and Helena Farm in Sumner are the primary processor options for most small poultry farmers, but their services vary significantly.

For instance, CIPP doesn’t process ducks. Anna had to drive several hours to Zem Zem Halal for duck processing in 2024. Unfortunately, Zem Zem Halal is now temporarily closed, leaving farmers like Anna questioning whether raising ducks is even feasible anymore.

I also spoke with Marty Travis of Spence Farms in Fairbury. “Demand for poultry products is strong, but the processors are overwhelmed and understaffed. They’re keeping up as best as they can, but we absolutely need more small poultry processors to meet the demand from chefs and families.”

Some farmers have considered on-farm processing under the USDA poultry exemption, which allows the slaughter and sale of birds directly from farms. This option reduces logistics and costs, but Illinois law limits sales to on-farm sales only, with a cap of 5,000 birds per year. The Illinois Stewardship Alliance seeks to change these rules, including allowing sales to happen off farm and increasing the cap to 20,000 birds annually as is allowed in most neighboring states.

On top of these bottlenecks, new challenges loom. The USDA’s proposed Salmonella Framework aims to tighten food safety standards at processing facilities, while the threat of H5N1 avian flu adds another layer of complexity for processors. Together, these factors make an already difficult situation even harder.

Still, small farmers and small processors continue to persevere. Anna and others wake up every day ready to raise pasture-raised poultry for customers who value humane practices and local food. Small processors do vital work under immense pressure to keep these farms running. Illinois eaters are keeping up their end of the bargain, too.

As demand for locally raised poultry continues to grow, finding solutions to these processing challenges is more important than ever. It’s up to all of us in the local food system to come together and make it work.

Nick Frillman is a University of Illinois Extension local food systems and small farms systems educator serving Livingston, McLean and Woodford counties.