AGENDA

November 13-14, 2026

REGISTER HERE

Friday, November 13th

  • 8:30am Tour
  • 11:00am Lunch and Roundtable – ARDEC – Mobile Slaughter
  • 12:00pm On-Campus Registration Opens
  • 1:00pm Unlocking Your Animal’s Genetic Potential Through Nutritional Management
  • 2:15pm Break
  • 2:45pm From Carcass to Customer: The Real-World Art of Fabrication
  • 3:45pm Break
  • 4:00pm What Do I Do With That? Cooking the Whole Carcass
  • 5:00pm Meal provided

Saturday, November 14th

  • 7:00am Registration and continental breakfast available in the Animal Sciences Atrium
  • 8:00am Welcome, introduction, and sign-up for curbside consulting
  • 8:15am Economic and Policy Outlook
  • 9:00am Beyond the Steak: Finding Value in Fat, Byproducts & Pet Food
  • 10:00am Break, Curbside Consulting Round 1
  • 10:30am Labeling Claims: What Can You Say—and What Does It Mean?
  • 11:15am The Science Behind the Claims – Human Nutrition Benefits
  • 12:00pm Lunch
  • 12:45pm Making It Real: Meat Marketing & Pricing
  • 1:45pm Marketing Workshop
  • 2:30pm Break, Curbside Consulting Round 2
  • 3:00pm What Processors Wish Producers Knew
  • 4:00pm Happy Hour Networking Reception in the Animal Sciences Atrium
Friday June 12th
  • 8:30am Registration opens
  • 9:00am Tours depart
  • Tour 1 - Explore how locally and regionally produced meats move from processor to consumer. This tour will visit a range of retail outlets to highlight merchandising strategies, product differentiation, pricing, and relationships between processors, retailers, and customers. Participants will gain insight into what retail buyers look for and how value-added meat products are positioned for success in the marketplace
  • Tour 2 - Take an inside look at poultry processing operations and learn about the systems that support safe, efficient, and scalable production. This tour will focus on processing workflows, equipment, regulatory considerations, and opportunities for small and mid-scale processors. Participants will see how poultry processing fits into diversified meat businesses and discuss practical challenges and solutions with industry professionals.
  • 1:00pm Tours return
  • 1:30pm Marketing with the Pros
  • Looking for ways to leverage your marketing dollars? Learn from experienced producers and technical assistance providers about how to create and deliver a marketing campaign without spending a lot of money—or a lot of time. This hands-on session will walk through simple tools and approaches to build a marketing plan, and reach your customers in an authentic and cost-effective way.
  • 3:30pm Risk versus Reward – Smart Steps for Product Development
  • Beyond tracking the trends—how do you decide if a new product is worth it? This session will dive into strategies and tools for evaluating the risk versus reward of launching new products. Learn how to assess start-up costs, estimate equipment needs, determine appropriate pricing, and develop a “slow growth” approach that limits risk while testing new ideas.

    Through real-world examples and guided discussion, participants will walk away with frameworks for making informed decisions before committing time or money. Look at how potential changes in regulatory environment can create opportunities for new products/processing.

    Speakers:
    • David Zarling, Program Manager, Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network
    • Dave Carter, Regional Technical Assistance Provider, Meat and Poultry Processing Technical Assistance Program, Flower Hill Institute
  • 5:00pm - 6:30pm Happy Hour with Grazing Platter: New Product Expo Judging, Lamb Carcass Breakdown Demonstration
  • Wrap up the day by putting ideas into action! Bring your new or in-progress products—like tallow goods, pet treats, candles, or other creative value-added items—to share with peers and industry experts. This is your chance to gather feedback on everything from packaging to product positioning. Enjoy Happy Hour food and drinks, network with other attendees and watch a partial lamb carcass breakdown.
Saturday, June 13th
  • 7:00am Registration opens - Animal Sciences Building/JBS Global Innovation Center, 350 W. Pitkin St., Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523. Continental breakfast served.
  • 8:00am Welcome and Plenary
    • Welcome from CSU, National Meat Summit Team, and Colorado Association of Meat Processors (CAMP) Officers
    • American Association of Meat Processors (AAMP) Policy and Regulatory Updates
    • AAMP- Economic Outlook for Small Processors
  • 9:30am Break
  • 10:00am - 11:00am Breakout Sessions
    • Business Planning - Creating Resilient Businesses. Speaker: Dave Carter, Flower Hill Institute
    • Right Size Technology for Rendering – Panel discussion about creating access to equipment and infrastructure to support rendering and waste for small and medium utilization. Speakers: Dave Carter, Flower Hill Institute, Stagecoach Meat Company
  • 11:30am – 1:00pm – Lunch
  • 1:00pm - 2:00pm Breakout Sessions
    • Producer-Owned Meat Processing
    • Tallow/Rendering – a How-to Guide. Speakers: Kris and Jessica Musgraves, Stagecoach Meat Company
  • 2:15pm - 3:15pm Breakout Sessions
    • Labor Force Innovations – Policies and programs creating new opportunities for small- to mid-sized processors. Speakers: Dawn Thilmany, Department of Ag and Resource Economics at CSU
    • Labeling Nuts and Bolts – Understanding and obtaining human and pet food product labels. Speakers: David Zarling, NMPAN; Austin Therrell, Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO)
  • 3:30pm - 4:30pm Breakout Sessions
    • Food Safety: Developing Food Safety Plans for Processed Meats and Sausages. Speakers: Jennifer Martin and Bob Delmore, Animal Sciences Department at CSU
    • The Regenerative Organic Meat Market: What, Why & How- The regenerative organic meat market is growing — but navigating it requires more than good intentions. This panel brings together ranchers, brands, and retailers who are actively working within the regenerative organic supply chain to unpack what the certification actually means, why it's gaining traction with consumers, and what it takes to make the economics work across the supply chain.
    Whether you're a producer considering transition, a processor evaluating new market opportunities, or a brand or retailer trying to meet evolving consumer demand, this conversation offers practical, Colorado-grown perspectives on one of the most promising — and demanding — segments in today's meat market.
  • 4:30pm Curbside Consulting
  • This is your opportunity to sit down for a free consulting session with industry experts to troubleshoot your business, marketing and management issues. Among are consultants are:
    • David Zarling, NMPAN
    • Dave Carter, Flower Hill Institute
    • Sylvia Tawse, Fresh Ideas Group
    • Mark Gallegos, Colorado Department of Agriculture
    • Leah Ricci, Quivira Coalition: Advancing Markets for Producers
    • Heather Reider, CSU Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Avian Health Coordinator
  • 4:30 – 6:30pm Happy Hour Networking Reception in the Animal Sciences Atrium

Ranchers, producers, processors, and chefs are invited to participate in the New Product Expo, an interactive showcase at the 2026 Mountain Meat Summit highlighting innovation across the regional meat supply chain. Participants simply bring their product – including but not limited to cured meats, beauty products, or pet treats – to the event (see sign-up form here). Tables will be provided for displays, and samples are strongly encouraged but not required. Participants in the Expo will compete for drawings and a People’s Choice Award. 

This community-centered expo offers participants the opportunity to share new or emerging meat products and receive personalized, constructive feedback from judges representing product development, marketing, retail, and meat sciences.  

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