Direct marketing of locally raised meat products is the topic Friday, Sept. 16, when northern New York beef, sheep, goat and pork producers meet in Watertown with Kathleen Harris of the Northeast Livestock Processing Service Company, a farmer-owned company with more than 100 New York livestock farmers working with 11 processors.

The Northern New York Regional Livestock Team of Cornell Cooperative Extension organized the bring-a-dish dinner workshop from 4 to 9 p.m. at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County, 203 N. Hamilton St. in Watertown. St. Lawrence County farmers may contact Betsy Hodge at 379-9192 about carpooling to Watertown. There is a $10 fee for the workshop.

Harris says, “The Northern New York region knows how to produce quality livestock and because of its location, producers have become experts at co-mingling loads. They just need a little help with the processing and marketing of their products. The Northeast Livestock Processing Service helps farmers develop the skills necessary to coordinate their livestock processing and to market premium-priced niche products.”

Northern New York Regional Livestock Team Leader Betsy Hodge, a Livestock Educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) St. Lawrence County, says, “It is possible to capture more of your profits on a small farm even in a high cost state like New York if you are willing to market your own farm products. This presentation offers livestock producers six basic principles for success.”