Getting this mobile processing unit has had its ups and downs. It feels like one step forward and three steps back. I was nervous, cuz leaving a steady paycheck to run your own business is full of risk.
But today I booked my first 1000 chickens! Thank you Applecheek Farm and Rockville Market Farm , we plan to be up and running by Monday. Oh my holy Jesus!
I called Eric and said that we were ready to roll and that he would be the first one under inspection. Well, in for a penny in for a pound and here we go!
I’m not nervous about the slaughtering part, I have been a butchering since I was 9 years old. My father, John Sr. said ” if you are tall enough to stand at the bench, here’s the knife. Don’t cut yourself.”
Mom was Pissssssed.
And now I am….well you can make your own judgement by how old I am by how I look here. Be kind.
Anyhow, I was born to be a butcher and this mobile unit gives the freedom to do what I love best while traveling all over Vermont. The Mobile Traveling Unit, fondly called my little MPU, was purchased by the State of Vermont back last fall. Problem was, nobody wanted it.
There simply wasn’t the interest they thought there would be. There were tons of questions that the state simply could not answer. They were in over their heads. So after several months of non-use, Vermont State Meat Inspection, program chief Randy Quenneville gave me a shout out, and planted the seed.
Wasn’t sure about it, but knew that I wanted to do my own thing and was not in a place that I enjoyed. So nothing ventured, nothing gained.
I will say this: The licensing, permitting, inspecting, testing, and overall, get ‘er done has been a real eye opener. Understatement. But if you are going to be in a recession, you might as well do what you are good at and take a chance. I hope you will all take a chance on me and give me a call to schedule your fall chicken processing.
Getting ready to test drive the mobile processing unit. Ed Jackson from the State will be coming by and we will do a run of about 20 chickens supplied by Winding Brook Farm.
