On August 5 Michael Fields Agricultural Institute released “Processing Deserts and the Missing Middle: Mapping Meat-Processing Infrastructure Gaps Across Wisconsin’s Pasture Landscape.” This new statewide study maps Wisconsin’s licensed meat establishments against its pasture landscape. The research found that 26 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties have no inspected red-meat slaughter facility, creating barriers for livestock farmers seeking to participate in local commercial markets. The Driftless Region is particularly underserved. Dr. Success Okafor, Policy Economist Fellow at Michael Fields Agricultural Institute and author of the study, will present the findings during a free webinar from 10 to 11 a.m. CDT Thursday, Aug. 20, via Zoom. 

“I was drawn to this research by a simple disconnect: diversified farming creates significant economic and environmental value, yet many livestock farmers lack reasonable access to inspected slaughter and meat-processing facilities,” Okafor said. “The central takeaway is that incentives and infrastructure must move together. We must reward the value diversified farms create while building the local market infrastructure farmers need to bring their products to consumers.”

Dr. Success Okafor is an agricultural economist specializing in sustainable food systems, spatial analysis and data-driven agricultural policy. He holds a Ph.D. in Agribusiness and Applied Economics and a post-baccalaureate certificate in Data Analytics from North Carolina A&T State University. He also holds a master’s degree in Agribusiness Economics from Southern Illinois University and a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics from the Federal University of Technology Owerri in Nigeria. 

Okafor’s research found a significant mismatch between areas with pasture acreage and the infrastructure needed to process livestock raised there. Federal and state requirements require livestock sold commercially (including meat sold by the cut to restaurants, grocery stores and farmers market customers) to be slaughtered at an inspected facility. Of Wisconsin’s 286 licensed meat establishments, the study identified just 69 inspected facilities that slaughter red-meat livestock for commercial sale. The remaining establishments include custom-exempt plants and inspected businesses that do not slaughter livestock. The 26 counties without an inspected slaughter facility contain approximately 719,000 acres of pasture. 

The study also illuminated infrastructure constraints in counties that do have processors. In Lafayette County, for example, one inspected slaughter facility serves an area containing more than 108,000 acres of pasture. Vernon, Grant and Barron counties also show significant pressure on existing processing capacity. For producers in counties without a process facility, driving long distances is the only option. Some county centers are more than 77 miles from the nearest inspected slaughter facility, and large portions of northern Wisconsin are outside a 60-minute drive of one.

The findings are especially significant for livestock production in southwestern Wisconsin’s Driftless Area. The region’s landscape is well suited to pasture-based agriculture, yet several Driftless counties are among the most thinly served by inspected slaughter facilities, according to the study. 

Dr. Okafor argues that processing capacity is an essential part of Wisconsin’s local meat economy. Without sufficient inspected slaughter infrastructure, investments in livestock production, farmer training and market development may not translate into greater opportunities for farmers to sell meat commercially. The study recommends using geographic data to better target public investments in meat-processing capacity, expanding capacity in underserved areas, exploring mobile slaughter units, supporting Wisconsin’s butcher workforce and treating meat-processing infrastructure as part of broader rural economic development.

The full working paper is available at www.michaelfields.org/federal-state-policy. Dr. Okafor will discuss the research during a free live webinar from 10 to 11 a.m. CDT Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026, via Zoom. The webinar will cover the study’s findings, their implications for Wisconsin farmers and rural communities, and opportunities to strengthen local meat-processing infrastructure. Registration is available at michaelfields.org/event-details/webinar-meat-processing-deserts.