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Western slope town hall meetings focus on growing demand for local meatColorado Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture John Salazar invites the public to attend town hall meetings focusing on meat processing and inspections; topics include the inspection process, facility requirements, custom exempt processing facility requirements, and marketing opportunities and assistance. "The buying local movement is a great opportunity for our producers and, while our farmers and ranchers produce an abundant food supply, there have been issues with the ability to get meat processed locally," said Salazar. "Our hope is to find out more about the needs of our producers and meat processors and how we can safely speed up the process." The meetings are being hosted by the Colorado Department of Agriculture and the US Department of Agriculture's Food Safety Inspection Service. The USDA and CDA are committed to working together to ensure that there are sufficient processing plants with inspections available to provide necessary services to meet local demands. The meetings are open to the public, free of charge, and everyone is invited to participate. --Feb. 26, 7 p.m., Colorado Potato Growers Administrative Committee Office, 1305 Park Ave., Monte Vista. --Feb. 27, 7 p.m., Delta-Montrose Technical College, 1765 U.S. Hwy 50, Delta. "By working with producers, community leaders, and industry groups, we can discuss these concerns to ensure Colorado agriculture remains a strong, viable part of our future" continued Salazar. For more information on the Colorado Department of Agriculture, visit www.colorado.gov/ag. Date: 2/25/2013
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