As the National Rural Affairs Advocate for the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Advocacy (Advocacy), I have attended nearly a dozen meat processing conferences and listening sessions throughout the country to hear directly from small businesses about regulatory challenges and pain points impacting their industry.

On June 24, SBA Pacific Regional Administrator Steven Snow and I attended the American Meat Science Association’s Reciprocal Meat Conference in Amarillo/Canyon, Texas.  

“Every day, America’s meat producers keep our food supply moving from farm to family table, and they deserve a government partner—not an obstacle,” said Snow. “Through SBA’s Grocery Guarantee and expanded tax incentives under the Working Families Tax Cuts—which allow 100 percent expensing for new factories, improvements, and equipment, and double the expensing cap from $1.25 million to $2.5 million—SBA is delivering the highest levels of support to the producers who feed America.” 

Earlier this year, a farming small business in New Mexico spoke with Advocacy and highlighted a significant challenge that many rural producers face but few are able to overcome. The events that followed were a powerful example of how Advocacy can break down barriers and open new economic pathways for small businesses.

At the center of this story is Chantal Orosco, owner of Monticello Rural Farms. As both a producer and aggregator of sheep and lamb, Orosco has been working to expand her operations into poultry and rabbit processing. However, like many farmers in New Mexico, she faced a major obstacle: the lack of accessible, legal, and scalable poultry processing options.

Many producers in New Mexico and neighboring states encounter the same issue: a severe shortage of inspectors. The nearest U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) poultry inspection facility is more than 800 miles away from the nearest farm/from most farms in the area.

Initially, a local inspector advised Orosco to apply for a USDA poultry exemption, which would allow her to process up to 50,000 birds but with significant limitations. Sales would be restricted to farmers markets and on-farm sales only. In contrast, USDA FSIS inspected poultry would enable her to sell to grocery stores, restaurants, and wholesale markets.

When Orosco first sought guidance, she was told she would need to meet a production threshold far beyond her small farm’s capabilities to qualify for USDA inspection services—a seemingly unattainable requirement that discouraged her from moving forward with expansion.

Recognizing the broader implications, I met with USDA FSIS Administrator Dr. Justin Ransom and facilitated a direct connection between Orosco and FSIS leadership. This led to a thorough review and important clarification.

The outcome was transformative: Orosco had been misinformed. There is no minimum production threshold required to qualify for USDA FSIS inspection services. This correction removed a major barrier and dramatically changed the trajectory of her business.

With accurate information and renewed confidence, Orosco is now exploring the development of a small-scale, USDA inspected processing facility in New Mexico. Establishing such a facility would support her own growth while creating new opportunities for other small farmers across the state.

“The SBA Office of Advocacy has been instrumental in helping me connect with the right federal contacts and obtain long-overdue answers regarding USDA poultry processing regulations, allowing me to move forward with plans for a mobile poultry processing facility that will eventually serve small producers across the state of New Mexico,” Orosco said.

This success story illustrates the critical role that inter-agency coordination and direct engagement play in supporting rural economies. By resolving a single misunderstanding, Advocacy helped unlock potential for an entire network of producers.

In a state where poultry farmers have long been limited by distance, regulation, and inadequate infrastructure, this breakthrough represents far more than one farmer’s success. Instead, Advocacy’s successful collaboration with this small business signals a pathway toward a more resilient and locally supported agricultural system.

AUTHOR:

Joe Knilans, National Rural Affairs Advocate

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