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-only; 50% expansion), and an August 7 deadline; awards are limited and likely competitive, with scoring tied to goals like increased capacity, producer income (including toll processing), new markets, safety/training, and waste management, plus letters of support including from government officials. They also review LAMP programs due June 5—FMPP, LFPP, and RFSP—emphasizing partnerships, marketing impacts, and competitiveness, noting processors may be eligible but rarely funded recently. They mention other opportunities (state programs, Farm to School, SARE, Value Added Producer Grants) and Stewards Unlimited’s free grant alerts.

Join here: https://stewardsunlimited.com/

• 01:15 Grant Journey Lessons
• 02:19 MPEP Overview and Eligibility
• 04:45 Funding Tracks and Competitiveness
• 07:41 Scoring Rubric and Priorities
• 14:19 Reapplying and Inspection Rules
• 17:18 Match and Application Strategy
• 20:33 Future of MPEP and Farm Bill
• 21:38 LAMP Programs Overview
• 23:03 RFSP Partnerships Explained
• 30:52 Weigh Your Options
• 33:58 Should You Apply This Year
• 39:59 Other Grants and Alerts
• 42:00 Grant Deadlines

And learn more about ChopLocal and ChopLocal University Below!

• https://choplocal.com/
• https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/

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 vs. $81,000 without.

She outlines actions before, during, and after market season: optimize store usability (fast loading, easy product discovery, sell by package/weight ranges rather than exact weight, and answer common customer questions), create signage/QR codes, collect emails using lead magnets, and train customers to pre-order with incentives and scarcity. After season, she recommends frequent short emails with clear calls to action, scheduled pickup “meetups,” and holiday gift bundles, and describes Chop Local’s marketplace, vendor tools, shipping requirement, and support options.

Ready to elevate your brand and business? Make sure to sign up for the StoryBrand Workshop here at https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/storybrand

And learn more about ChopLocal and ChopLocal University Below!

• https://choplocal.com/
• https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/

00:29 What Is Chop Local

01:57 Meet Katie Olthoff

02:50 Survey Data Insights

04:23 Online Store Advantage

06:13 Candace Success Story

07:36 Three Phase Strategy

08:41 Optimize Store Basics

09:42 Sell By Package

12:19 Answer Customer Questions

13:16 Signs and QR Codes

15:02 Collect Emails at Market

16:55 Lead Magnet Explained

18:37 Coupon Funnel Q&A

21:18 QR Signup Best Practices

23:09 Push Preorders Online

24:07 Scarcity With Preorders

26:08 Email Cadence Made Simple

29:08 Calls To Action That Convert

31:00 Offseason Pickup Meetups

32:56 Holiday Gift Box Push

35:41 Quick Strategy Recap

38:34 Next Steps And Offers

44:01 Tools Q&A And Wrap

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, writing down looping thoughts, guided meditations/hypnosis (including Calm/YouTube), and addressing sleep apnea with CPAP.

They discuss how poor sleep increases irritability and pain, the role of iron/ferritin in restless legs, and using stretching/legs-up-the-wall before bed to reduce cortisol and signal safety. Sarah distinguishes stress from anxiety and depression as spectrum experiences, describes recognizing “volcano” buildup and intentional cooldown, and notes when medication and therapy can help. They also address farm-culture stressors like women carrying the household load, boundary-setting, outsourcing, and using tools (reminders, grocery lists, AI for planning) to reduce mental load. Sarah points listeners to her Throwing Wrenches, Mending Fences podcast and YouTube.

Ready to elevate your brand and business? Make sure to sign up for the StoryBrand Workshop here at https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/storybrand

And learn more about ChopLocal and ChopLocal University Below!

• https://choplocal.com/
• https://www.choplocaluniversity.com/

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• 01:12 Sarah’s Farm Story
• 02:51 Why Stress Matters
• 04:57 Sleep and Farm Stress
• 08:29 Notebook Loop Closing
• 11:00 Meditations and CPAP
• 14:26 AI CBT Sleep Reframe
• 20:31 Stretching Before Bed
• 24:02 Anxiety and Depression Basics
• 26:20 Stigma and Spectrum
• 28:01 What Causes the Cloud
• 29:07 Hidden Stress Signals
• 29:54 Volcano Adrenaline Model
• 31:25 Spotting Your Explosion Signs
• 32:48 Cooling Down On Purpose
• 34:04 When Tools Aren't Enough
• 36:22 Meds Therapy And Insurance
• 39:13 Farm Culture And Burnout
• 42:29 Sharing The Home Load
• 48:16 Systems That Actually Help
• 50:26 AI Cleaning And Outsourcing