FOR SLAUGHTERHOUSES & PROCESSORS

Maximize Byproduct Value with Growing GRASS & Other Half Processing

  • Contracts for regenerative byproduct purchases to help support new or upgraded equipment and labor costs associated with byproduct collection

  • Selling beef and / or byproducts into regenerative markets to increase your revenue

If your slaughterhouse or processing operation is interested in…

…consider partnering with us!

Why Partner with OHP & Growing GRASS?

Even as consumer demand for meat from regeneratively-raised livestock creates new and expanding markets, it’s still hard to get a good return on the hides, bones, organs of those same animals. Some of the byproducts must be landfilled, creating extra disposal costs.

Meanwhile, companies in the pet food, apparel, and ingredients industries struggle to find verified and traceable materials to align their operations with growing consumer demand for ethical and sustainable practices.

To bridge this gap, Growing GRASS has partnered with Other Half Processing (OHP), a sourcing partner for the byproducts of regeneratively raised livestock. Through this partnership, we are building capacity and connections all along the supply chain.

How Does It Work?

OHP is seeking lasting partnerships with slaughterhouses, processors, and meat companies committed to collecting and aggregating byproducts from regeneratively raised beef and bison.

OHP and Growing GRASS purchase byproducts collected from regeneratively raised or grassfed beef and bison. Support from Growing GRASS reduces the risk of initial byproduct collection for slaughterhouse partners. We then sell these byproducts to buyers in high-value regeneraive markets. 

If you’re facing obstacles to byproduct collection, OHP and the Growing GRASS project can help! The grant is able to cover the cost of investments your operation may need for successful collection and traceability, such as equipment upgrades and / or necessary training for your staff.

The goal of the project is to "prime the pump," triggering a new flow of regenerative byproducts and fuelling the growth of more sustainable and resilient supply chains.

To be connected with OHP, tell us a little bit about your operation.

This is a rolling request for proposals, so even if this opportunity is not right for you at this moment, there will be opportunities to partner in the coming years. The main criteria for eligibility will be the volume of GRASS-eligible animals processed each week, the location, and the existing utilization of byproducts.

Who is OHP?

Connecting Producers, Slaughterhouses, Processors, and Market Partners

Jim Kleinschmit, OHP CEO & Growing GRASS Project Administrator

Mark Kleinschmit, OHP COO & CFO

Other Half Processing (OHP) was founded by Jim & Mark Kleinschmit, brothers raised on a farm in Nebraska by early sustainable and regenerative family farm leaders.

OHP specializes in sourcing identity-preserved, high-attribute byproducts from regenerative, organic, and sustainably raised livestock. 

As part of the Growing GRASS project, OHP is leading efforts across the country to increase byproduct collection from regenerative beef and bison. OHP works directly with producers, slaughterhouses, and processors to identify opportunities to build collection, traceability, and verification capacity. Companies searching for verified and traceable materials can purchase through OHP’s sourcing networks with confidence in the integrity of these products.

As a Minnesota Specific Benefit Corporation (SBC), it is OHP’s mission to promote the growth of regenerative agriculture and supply chains, operating in a way that respects animals and benefits the people who raise them.

How are we building byproduct supply chains?

An OHP & Growing GRASS Collaboration

Identifying Slaughterhouse Partners

OHP seeks facilities that process GRASS-eligible animals, with a focus on those capable of increasing byproduct collection.

Overcoming Barriers to Collection

OHP collaborates with processing partners to address the challenges that prevent effective collection or degrade byproduct value.

Providing Initial Collection Support

OHP uses Growing GRASS funds to purchase byproducts, covering the cost of investments operations may need for successful collection and traceability.

Sustainably Integrating Markets

OHP then sells the byproducts to buyers, prioritizing those who commit to ongoing purchases. All profits are reinvested into the Growing GRASS pool of funds.

FAQs: More About the Growing GRASS project

Building beef & bison byproduct supply chains

  • Growing GRASS project seeks to establish reliable, resilient, high-value supply chains for the meat processing byproducts of regeneratively raised beef and bison, providing more climate-friendly materials for textile, pet food, and ingredients markets. 

    Visit our “About” page for more.

  • The American Sustainable Business Institute / Network is the lead grantee and lends the project economic and policy expertise. 

    Through Other Half Processing, our team has proven experience in supply chain development and deep connections with key slaughterhouses, processors, producers, and market partners. 

    As a Minnesota Specific Benefit Corporation (SBC), it is OHP’s mission to promote the growth of regenerative agriculture and supply chains, operating in a way that respects animals and benefits the people who raise them.

    Visit our “Who We Are” page for more.

  • At the center of our project is the Generalized Regenerative Agriculture Sourcing Specification tool, or GRASS. GRASS is a verification and traceability system created to allow farmers, herders, and ranchers to use existing and diverse inspections (such as the American Grassfed Association, Audubon, and Regenerative Organic Certified) to minimize costs and be eligible for multiple value-added markets. 

    Using GRASS, our project team seeks to enable more livestock producers and processors to collect, process, and sell hides and byproducts with credible “regenerative” claims, increasing profits and market pathways.

  • Growing GRASS is a USDA “Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities” (PCSC) project; all support for producers comes from our USDA grant.

  • Our project approach is farmer, rancher, and herder-centric and beneficial, market- and community-driven, and adaptive, emergent, and responsive.

    Stewardship: We believe the work of this project will encourage more producers to adopt and verify regenerative practices, which are not only good for the climate and producer profitability, but also increase fertility, soil water holding capacity, and overall resiliency in the face of increasing risk of drought and floods. 

    Equity: We honor the Indigenous origins of regenerative agriculture, and also also acknowledge that unequal access to land, credit, and other resources have led to vast disparities across our systems of food production. At least 25% of our grant funding is designated to benefit producers who have been historically underserved by USDA, with a special focus on Indigenous farmers, ranchers and herders,

    Collaboration: We can achieve the most meaningful and long-lasting change when we work together. The success of this project will be measured by the success of the large and diverse regenerative farmer and rancher community, and their meat company and value chain partners.