The cooperative will include farmers from western Massachusetts, northern Connecticut, southern Vermont and eastern New York. Currently, there are not enough USDA-certified slaughterhouses in Massachusetts to serve our livestock producers. At present, there are only three USDA-certified slaughterhouses in Massachusetts.
All facilities are at full capacity, thus limiting livestock producers.
Meanwhile, consumer demand for higher quality meat and specialty meat has increased. Olver lobbied the Department of Agriculture to help secure funding for the Cooperative Development Institute.