​A number of workgroups help the Sustainable Growth Commission’s efforts.  One of them, the Rural Economies Workgroup, has five subcommittees of its own:

• Land Preservation and Open Space
• Rural Communities and Recreation
• Sustainable Fisheries
• Sustainable Food and Food Production
• Sustainable Forestry

The Sustainable Food and Food Production Subcommittee decided that it could support agriculture and the rural economy by creating a directory of USDA inspected livestock processing facilities in Maryland and a map showing their location.  In addition to helping farmers locate these facilities, the directory and map show policy makers where these facilities are lacking and could be located to reduce the time and expense of transporting livestock.  To highlight the partial locational mismatch between livestock and processing facilities, the map also shows the number of beef cows, swine, and sheep in each Maryland County, according to the 2012 U.S. Census of Agriculture.  (The data will be updated when the 2017 Census is published later in 2019.  Poultry processors are not included.) 

Careful research and vetting determined that just 17 USDA inspected facilities in Maryland process live beef cows, swine, and lamb.  (Processors that make value-added products from the meat are more numerous and not included in this project.)  Any other addition or corrections can be sent to Dan Rosen.  The map and directory can be downloaded and printed as a tri-fold flyer (which looks best on 11 x 17 paper).

Link to USDA Inspected Livestock Processing Facilities in Maryland, map and directory