The Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (SMADC), a division of the Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland (TCCSMD), and the Maryland Agricultural Resource-Based Industry Development Corporation (MARBIDCO) are excited to announce a recipient of their new Southern Maryland Livestock Processing Revolving Loan Fund, which was opened to the public via a Request For Proposal back in February of this year.
Created by SMADC in partnership with MARBIDCO, this two-part program features a $200,000 no-match grant and a $250,000 loan with forgivable options (both funded by SMADC), targeting capital and equipment investments in meat processing facilities in the five Southern Maryland Counties.
The program supports local livestock farmers by expanding USDA-inspected meat processing services for retail sale, thereby increasing access to fresh, locally sourced meat for consumers.
Via the application and its extensive review process, Stauffer’s Butcher Barn in St. Mary’s County, has been awarded the grant-loan program. They are using the program to acquire meat processing equipment and to expand their existing custom exempt operation to include USDA inspected and approved retail processing.
Through the improvements made by the loan-grant combo, Stauffer’s Butcher Barn will offer processing for beef, hogs, sheep and goats while also adding in USDA inspected and approved retail capabilities for intact and nonintact meats, sausages and other specialty products; a service much needed for livestock producers in the Southern Maryland Region.
The Stauffer family, headed by Steven and Jen Stauffer, who operate the business with their children, Jayden, Waylon and Warren, have restored one of the oldest tobacco barns in the county and constructed a meat processing shop within its structure. This barn, which is over a century old, is a source of pride for the family as they maintain its functionality.
Once fully certified by the USDA, Stauffer’s Butcher Barn will be able to provide the following services to the farming community:
- Facilitate the sale of fresh meat by providing local services for cutting, wrapping, and labeling.
- Provide value-added services including smoking, fermentation, sausage-making, scrapple production, and stuffed hams.
- Improve the profitability of local livestock producers by lowering costs and enhancing sales opportunities.
- Establish a dedicated retail area for selling locally produced items, promoting consumer engagement, and broadening markets for Southern Maryland livestock farmers.
Customers of the Butcher Barn will continue to have the option to choose their desired meat cuts, with the specialty products being vacuum sealed and frozen before collection by the farmers.
Stauffer’s Butcher Barn has the ability to work in conjunction with West Forty Market, the Amish owned USDA approved slaughterhouse in Mechanicsville, Maryland, that SMADC worked with to become USDA certified back in 2021. Located only 15 miles apart, livestock carcasses can be transported via refrigerated truck from the Amish slaughterhouse facility to final end processing at Stauffer’s Butcher Barn, allowing farmers in Southern Maryland to deliver live animals off at the slaughterhouse and pick up finished final product from the Stauffer’s, all within the same county. This is a big improvement over the many hours of driving each way that farmers currently do when they take their animals to processors in Northern Maryland, the Eastern Shore, or Virginia.
“We are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with SMADC and MARBIDCO. What began as a family tradition has grown into a business we once only dreamed of—one our community truly needs,” the Stauffer family said. “In just a few years, we’ve gone from working in minimal space with limited equipment to operating in a renovated facility with some of the best processing equipment available. Thanks to this support, we are now positioned to provide high-quality USDA retail processing services to our local livestock producers in the very near future.”
Mary Wood, Chair of SMADC’s board, said locally produced and processed meat helps the regional meat industry grow and thrive. “Farmers currently must travel out of state or to the far corners of our state to have their meat processed under USDA certification. With the help of SMADC and MARBIDCO, Stauffer’s Butcher Barn is now working to provide this service locally to Southern Maryland meat producers, so that they can in turn serve consumer demand for local meat products.”
“MARBIDCO is delighted to collaborate with SMADC and the TCCSMD to promote a viable and profitable farming community in Southern Maryland by investing in local livestock processing capacity to support livestock producers,” said the organization in its most recent newsletter. “Supporting the livestock processing sector is a key aspect of MARBIDCO’s agricultural development mission.”
SMADC will continue to work with Stauffer’s to provide administrative support as they walk through the process of certification with the USDA.
About SMADC: The Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission is a division of the Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland dedicated to strengthening the farming community by supporting growth in value-added agriculture and local food systems.
About MARBIDCO: The Maryland Agricultural and Resource Based Industry Development Corporation administers financing programs to support agricultural development, with a focus on improving livestock processing capacity statewide.
For more information, contact the Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission at [email protected].
