Meat Success

47 | This week, Katie and Sierra hop on a live webinar to share updates, including a new Chop Local website header and improved zip-code entry, and Sierra’s upcoming road trip to photograph and film vendors in Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, and Kentucky. The main training covers building email lists for farmers markets and farm stands using lead magnets such as recipe or cooking guides, coupons,...

46 | On the Meat Success Podcast, guest host Sierra Long, talks with Nola and Mikaela Schultz of Schultz Country Market, a family farm-to-direct meat business in Illinois, about growing their brick-and-mortar store and social media presence. They describe researching Illinois requirements for retail meat sales, opening their on-farm market in September 2023, expanding through a freezer trailer and...

Today on the Meat Success Podcast Katie Olthoff, Co-Founder of ChopLocal/ChopLocal University) interviews Mackenzie Wright of Kentucky’s Jones Brothers Farm about their delivery-first model, product mix, and why they use Shopify. Mackenzie shares the farm’s history since 2010, emphasizing diversification (beef, tomatoes, sweet corn, watermelons, hay, tobacco; formerly hemp) and transparent educati...

Episode 44 | This week, Katie Olthoff sits down with Rebecca Thistlethwaite of the Niche Meat Processors Assistance Network (NMPAN), a national Oregon State University–housed extension community serving small/very small processors and direct-market producers with free membership, webinars, and no-cost technical assistance. They discuss how, since 2020’s extreme backlog, many plants now face low ut...

Episode 43 | Today, Katie Olthoff of the Meat Success Podcast interviews Purdue agricultural economics, professor Chad Fiechter about practical, responsible use of generative AI in agriculture and small businesses. Fiechter describes adoption ranging from “Google Plus” style queries to farmers building custom web apps, and emphasizes using AI as an iterative thought partner rather than an answer m...

Episode 42 | Katie Olthoff hosts Stephen Ussary of Stewards Unlimited to discuss current USDA grant opportunities. They explain the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPEP) Phase 4, focused mainly on equipment (and limited renovations) for processors that slaughter beef, with eligibility for small/very small and some larger “intermediate” processors, required matches (25% equipment-onl...

Episode 41 | In the final spring-season CHOP Local University webinar, Katie explains how farmers market vendors can use an online store to increase sales through pre-orders for market pickup and year-round ordering, citing survey data showing only 9% of direct-to-consumer meat farmers have online stores but 71% of farms selling over $200,000 do, and that average sales are $140,000 with e-commerce...

Episode 40 | Katie Olthoff of the Meat Success podcast interviews Sarah Ivan Zastrow, a certified exercise physiologist and mental health advocate with a farming background, about stress on farms and practical coping tools. Sarah explains how unmanaged stress worsens health outcomes and shares low-cost strategies farmers can use with limited time, focusing on sleep: reframing sleep beliefs, writin...

Episode 39 | Make sure to sign up for the StoryBrand Workshop here at https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/storybrand In this episode of Meat Success, Katie interviews Sara Scott, a ranch-raised former Certified Angus Beef leader and now a consultant and certified StoryBrand guide. Sara shares her background from a Northern California cow-calf operation through roles at Certified Angus Beef in mark...

Episode 38 | In a monthly Chop Local Office Hours Session, the team discusses using AI as a fast assistant for food and farm businesses, while emphasizing risks including confidentiality, loss of authentic voice, inaccuracies and “hallucinations,” confirmation bias, and concerns about environmental impact and rural data centers. They share practical uses: drafting and polishing difficult customer-...

Episode 37 | Grab our mEat-Commerce Essentials to start making money in your direct-to-consumer business today with $100 off the course with code: POD100 Snag Access Here: https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/meat-commerce-essentials-1 On this episode of the Meat Success podcast, Katie interviews Julia Bocchese of Homegrown Reach about SEO for small farms and related businesses. Julia explains she...

Episode 36 | Katie Olthoff, co-founder of Chop Local and Chop Local University, announces a new service called the Meat Squad and explains how it evolved from disruptions in the 2020 meat supply chain that drove demand for local meat and led to Chop Local’s online marketplace and later educational resources. After repeated requests from farmers and small butcher shops to “do it for me,” Chop Local...

Grab our mEat-Commerce Essentials to start making money in your direct-to-consumer business today with $100 off the course with code: POD100 Snag Access Here: https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/meat-commerce-essentials-1 On this episode of Meat Success, Dr. Leona Su joins the conversation to explore how farms and ranches can use social media as a practical business tool—not just a promotional out...

In this episode of the Meat Success podcast, Katie Olthoff, co-founder of Chop Local and Chop Local University, sits down with Tom Richards to learn more about his regenerative ranch in California and his efforts with HarvestPath. Tom discusses his family’s long history in agriculture and their journey into selling beef direct to consumers. Additionally, Tom dives deeper into HarvestPath, a softwa...

Episode 33 | In this episode of the Meat Success podcast, Katie Olthoff, co-founder of Chop Local and Chop Local University, interviews Rachel Jantzi, a farmer from northeastern British Columbia. Rachel shares her journey from being a conventional and organic farmer to starting her own regenerative farm called Grazing Patch Farm. She discusses her current farm operation, which includes laying hens...

Episode 32 | In this special episode of the Meat Success podcast, Katie Olthoff, co-founder of Chop Local and Chop Local University, presents key insights and data from the 2025 CHOP Local marketplace. The episode explores various metrics such as average order size and customer lifetime value, offering actionable strategies to increase repeat customer rates. Listeners will gain tips on enhancing c...

Episode 31 | In this episode of the Meat Success podcast, Katie Olthoff, co-founder of Chop Local and Chop Local University, prepares to speak at the Annual Grassworks Conference about effective e-commerce strategies for direct-to-consumer farms. She shares insights from her presentation, which includes results from a national survey on online meat sales. Katie discusses the pros and cons of selli...

Episode 30 | In this episode of the Meat Success podcast, Katie Olthoff discusses with Jeff Charlton, also known as the Chief Beef Slinger at 3C Joppa Ranch, his journey from corporate sales to managing a direct-to-consumer beef business. Jeff shares his background, entering the cattle industry through his wife's family ranch, and evolving the traditional cattle ranch into a modern operation optim...

Episode 29 | In the first episode of 2026, Katie Olthoff, co-founder of Chop Local and Chop Local University, and Sierra Long, the marketing specialist at Chop Local, discuss marketing strategies and trends for the year. They emphasize the importance of authenticity on social media, especially behind-the-scenes content and showcasing real people. The discussion also touches on the cautious use of...

Grab our mEat-Commerce Essentials to start making money in your direct-to-consumer business today with $100 off the course with code: POD100 Snag Access Here: https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/meat-commerce-essentials-1 In this episode of the Meat Success podcast, Katie Olthoff, co-founder of Chop Local and Chop Local University, shares her expertise on executing effective sales and promotions f...

Episode 27 | This is a webinar replay brought to you by ChopLocal University. Email marketing is arguably the most effective marketing strategy that you can be using for your meat business - and it doesn't have to be scary! In this free webinar, we'll uncover the secrets to successful email marketing. You'll learn: - effective email design - how to get people to WANT to sign up for your list - bes...

Episode 25 | In this episode of the Meet Success podcast, host Katie Olthoff, co-founder of Chop Local and Chop Local University, shares four essential winter projects that will significantly improve your meat business and marketing. Katie emphasizes the importance of effective, low-cost, one-and-done tasks such as SEO optimization, gathering customer reviews, taking mouthwatering product photos,...

Episode 24 | Grab our mEat-Commerce Essentials to start making money in your direct to consumer business today with $100 off the course with code: POD100 Snag Access Here: https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/meat-commerce-essentials-1 In this episode, Katie Olthoff, co-founder of Chop Local and Chop Local University, sits down with Stephen Ussery from Stewart's Unlimited to discuss various grant o...

Episode 24 | Grab our mEat-Commerce Essentials to start making money in your direct to consumer business today with $100 off the course with code: POD100 Snag Access Here: https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/meat-commerce-essentials-1 We’re bringing back one of the most-loved episodes of the Meat Success podcast — and for good reason. In this fan-favorite conversation, Katie Olthoff, co-founder of...

Episode 23 | This webinar replay focuses on strategies for increasing holiday sales, particularly through the use of online marketplaces like Chop Local. The panel features two Chop Local vendors, Theresa Davis of West 40 Market and Rebecca Dalton of Dalton Farms, who share their experiences and tips. Topics discussed include the importance of early and consistent marketing, flexible and appealing...