Center for Regional Food Systems

From farm to market, there are many options to consider when raising poultry. This factsheet, part of our “Producing a Value-Added Product on the farm Series,” was created specifically to help farmers understand the major decision points and regulatory concerns involved in deciding to get poultry (chicken, turkey, ducks, geese, and other fowl) processed and sold as meat in Michigan.  

Many thanks to Jamie Rahrig and Bob Culler for contributing their valuable insights into this work and to William Hull, Aimee Swenson, Katie Ockert and Lori Yelton for their thoughtful feedback. Thanks also to Emma Beauchamp and Melissa Hill for their communications and design assistance.   

Contributors: 

• Jamie Rahrig, Sr. Specialist, MSU CRFS 
• Bob Culler, Consultant 

Reviewers: 

• William Hull, Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development
• Lori Yelton, Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development
• Aimee Swenson, United States Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency
• Katie Ockert, Michigan State University Extension

Designers: 

• Melissa Hill, Communications Manager, MSU CRFS 

Related Resources:

Product Specific Resources 

• Using Custom Exempt Slaughter & Processing Facilities FAQs 
• Custom & Retail Exemptions from Federal Inspection 
• Guide to Determining if Exempt from Federal Inspection  
• MSUE Poultry Processing Exemption Navigation  
• MFB Slaughter/Processing Groundwater Discharge Factsheet 
• AG Marketing Service Meat & Poultry Processing Technical Assistance 
• Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network 

Funding 

• USDA Value Added Producer Grants 
• Meat and Poultry Inspection Readiness Grant Program (MPIRG)  
• Meat & Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP) 
• Local Meat Capacity Grant (LocalMCap) 
• Funding Sources for Food & Farm Businesses 

Slaughter/Processing Licensing & Regulation 

• MI Department of Environment, Great Lakes & Energy 
  • Groundwater Discharge 
• USDA Food Safety Inspection Service 
  • Poultry Inspection 
  • Poultry Products Inspection Act 
  • Custom Exempt Review Process 
• MDARD 
  • MI Food Law 
  • MI Modified Food Code 
  • Variance for Specialized Meat Processing 

Acknowledgements:  

We are grateful to the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and United States Department of Agriculture for providing funding to produce these resources. The authors are also grateful to colleagues at the USDA, MDARD and MSUE for reviewing and guiding the included content and providing copy edits. Most importantly, a special thanks to Melissa Hill for the spectacular design work that helps this publication guide the reader through complicated, but vital, information. 

Suggested Citation: 

Stokes, S. and Rahrig, J. (2025) Value-Added Products from the Farm: Selling Farm Fresh Poultry in Michigan. Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems. https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/value-added-products-from-the-farm-selling-farm-fresh-poultry-in-michigan.