Archives for Industry News

Sustainable Dish Episode 67: Meat Processing & Slaughter with Mike Lorentz

Podcast with Diana Rodgers, RD: On this episode of the Sustainable Dish Podcast. I speak with Mike Lorentz from Lorentz Meats in Cannon Falls, Minnesota. Mike and I discuss navigating USDA meat processing regulations, changes in the slaughter landscape, Temple Grandin, and the future of meat processing. Lorentz Take: Diana and Mike crossed paths at recent back-to-back events, culminating in this conversation about sustainable meat processing. Read More  
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Thousand Hills Grass-fed Beef is Now in Natural Grocers’ Stores Nationwide

Grocery chain introduces grass-fed beef line By Susan Kelly on 2/28/2018 Colorado-based Natural Grocers said it has introduced Thousand Hills’ Lifetime Grazed beef brand in all of its 144 retail grocery stores across 19 states. Lorentz Take: We are very pleased to see the growth of our customer Thousand Hills Cattle Company. They have been a great partner for almost 2 decades, as they developed their local, then regional popularity. We look forward to supporting them as they continue! Read more
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State leaders discuss agricultural economy at Vermont Packinghouse

Sat, 02/10/2018 – 11:29am — Related Company: Vermont Packinghouse Vermont Business Magazine How often do you see legislators, state officials, the Lieutenant governor, farmers and community members discussing farm and food issues in a slaughterhouse? That’s what happened this past Monday morning at the Vermont Packinghouse, a meat processing facility based in North Springfield, Vermont, in a former Ben & Jerry’s ice cream plant. Not everyone would host such an event at a slaughterhouse, complete with tours and full viewing of the so-called “kill floor.” Lorentz Take: Vermont Packinghouse recently held a Business Growth Celebration to recognize the great progress VPH has made in
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‘Kale vs. Cow’ documentary makes a case for meat

DEC. 20, 2017 – BY KIMBERLIE CLYMA  KANSAS CITY – At a time when plant-based foods are popping up on menus around the country and the meat industry is being constantly scrutinized, Diana Rodgers, RD, is on a mission to make a case for meat. The “real food” nutritionist, podcast and blog author of Sustainable Dish and sustainability advocate is developing a documentary film called “Kale vs. Cow: The Case for Better Meat” that aims to examine the ethical, environmental and nutritional conundrums of eating meat. Lorentz Take: Mike Lorentz has been saying for years that we need to be eating
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Cutting the Gender Gap in the Meat-Processing Industry

Taped in the window of a truck parked at the Royal Butcher in Braintree, a hand-lettered sign reads: "Experienced meat cutter needed. Starting pay $15/hr." Inside the building, owner Royal Larocque and longtime employee Teresa Mallette explained that they are always looking for good people. Since Larocque opened his slaughterhouse in 2003, he's struggled to find enough qualified, reliable workers. The bar is not unreasonably high. "We need people who are willing to show up every day and want to work," Larocque said.
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Vermont Packinghouse featured in Meatingplace Magazine!

Replicating Success: Niche meats processor Vermont Packinghouse hits its stride in the northeast–and it’s looking to export its unique business model across the country.  Meatingplace, March 2017 Lorentz Take: We are so proud of the success Vermont Packinghouse has had in the northeast.  Our partner Arion Thiboumery (featured on the cover and in the article) took his drive and our business model and is paving the way to making local, sustainable, niche meats available nationwide.  Read about what Vermont Packinghouse is doing on page 54 of the March 2017 magazine. Read More
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Just Hot Air?

Sustainable Farming, Spring 2017, vol. 2, issue 1, by Dave Stanley "When focusing on GHG emissions--and methane in particular-- we must not lose sight of the bigger picture."
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John Boehner named to JBS International board

SAO PAULO, Brazil – Former US Rep. John Boehner, the 53rd Speaker of the US House of Representatives, was appointed to the board of JBS Foods International (JBSFI), a subsidiary of Sao Paulo, Brazil-based JBS SA. He is one of four independent board members selected by the company.
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