SPRAKERS — Local suppliers of grass-fed beef are meeting a demand on State University campuses as part of a deal a that a local company spent about two years to broker.

The Northeast Livestock Processing Service, directed by farmer Kathleen Harris of Sprakers in Montgomery County, was formed in 2005 with a $52,000 grant from the state Department of Agriculture and Markets.

The effort was funded to help farmers overcome the difficult scheduling tasks involved in getting meat inspected, slaughtered, packaged and then into the marketplace.

Following about 24 months of work, University at Albany food service provider Chartwells began ordering shipments of grass-fed beef for the university’s dining halls, according to a press release from UAlbany.

The introduction of local, grass-fed beef devoid of chemicals like antibiotics complements similar offerings like antibiotic-free chicken, trans fat-free oils, eggs from cage-free chickens and “ocean friendly” seafood, according to a release from UAlbany.

Many of the products being served at the Albany campus come from local producers, including an estimated $60,000 in annual produce purchases, according to the university.

Harris said the deal represents a successful effort to help local farmers maintain their businesses, which helps preserve small farms and diversity in the industry.

“I was just flabbergasted to see that kind of support for the local economy and for the local farmers … it was a wonderful move by SUNY Albany,” Harris said.

Pasture-raised beef is more expensive than other kinds that are typically shipped in from massive farms out west, Harris said.

Finding a place to butcher and package the meat is a nationwide dilemma, she said, because of the difficulty in scheduling.

“There just aren’t enough processors,” Harris said.

Farmers raising small herds find it tough to get on the schedule of the limited number of processors which, for economic reasons, give priority to large orders, said farmer Jim Sullivan, who filled the first order for University at Albany back in February.

“In getting meat processed, it was challenging because I’m a small producer,” said Sullivan, who sells meat from between 10 and 20 animals a year from Miller Farms in Brunswick, just outside of Troy.

“I’m not a larger customer so it was hard to get scheduled in to get them butchered. After scheduling, it’s hard to be sure all the time you get all your meat back and it was packaged the way your customers wanted them. Northeast Livestock helped a lot on that,” Sullivan said.

Insurance and inspection requirements for meat and butchering facilities further complicate the process, Sullivan said, and all that work is handled by Harris.

Cattle raised on grass take longer to grow into maturity in the absence of hormones and other chemicals, so grass-fed beef is more expensive than regular beef, Harris said.

The newest development for Northeast Livestock Processing will be the addition of shipments to SUNY Plattsburgh for the fall semester, Harris said.

One of SUNY Plattsburgh’s dining halls features an extensive organic foods program, and Chartwell’s ability to supply grass-fed beef will complement those offerings, college spokesman Brendan Kinney said.

“We have a whole line that is organic, so for us it was a natural progression to include something like grass-fed beef,” Kinney said.

Kinney said organics and local products were sought after specifically when the college went out to find a food service provider, and students played a role in selecting the company.

“The organics option is very popular. The students have literally flocked to it,” Kinney said.

Last year, Northeast Livestock Processing Service counted just over 30 clients. This year there are 66, Harris said.