Better For Butchery Becomes First Kentucky Processor to Adopt USDA's "Product of USA" Label, Expanding Market Reach for Kentucky Farmers

PRINCETON, Ky. (Aug. 26, 2026) — Better For Butchery became the first meat processor in Kentucky to adopt the U.S. Department of Agriculture's voluntary "Product of USA" label standard.

This milestone will create new market opportunities for American farmers and give consumers documented confidence that the product in their hands was born, raised, harvested, and processed in the United States.

Better For Butchery made the announcement at this week's Kentucky State Fair in Louisville, where Porter Road — Better For Butchery's pasture-raised meat brand — showcased its products in a live cooking demonstration. The event featured Travis Burton, USDA Rural Development State Director for Kentucky; David Wayne, State Executive Director of the USDA Farm Service Agency in Kentucky; and Dana Feldman, Kentucky Department of Agriculture's Executive Director of the Office for Consumer and Environmental Protection.

"Secretary Rollins launched this label to give American consumers the confidence that when they see 'Product of USA,' they can trust it — and to make sure American farmers get the credit and the market value they've earned," said Burton. "Better For Butchery is putting that standard to work in Kentucky, and what Rittenberry Farms is doing — putting a family farmer's name directly on the product — is exactly the kind of transparent, locally rooted supply chain USDA Rural Development was built to support. This is a Kentucky success story with national reach."

The same infrastructure supporting the "Product of USA" certification is also putting a Kentucky farmer's name back on the meat he raises. Rittenberry Farms, a Western Kentucky producer and primary source for Porter Road, is leveraging Better For Butchery's processing, packaging, and fulfillment services to launch a branded product under the Rittenberry Farms name — making the farmer visible to families in the community where the animals are raised, while Porter Road extends reach to consumers nationwide.

"America's farmers deserve to have their work recognized from the pasture to the package," said Christopher Roach, CEO of Better For Butchery. "Helping a farmer put his name on the meat he raises restores a connection with the community that once defined American agriculture. The 'Product of USA' standard is a critical piece of our mission to bring it back."

Porter Road expects "Product of USA" to begin appearing on qualifying products shipped nationwide by the end of September. Rittenberry Farms expects to have the new labels on packages in Western Kentucky around Labor Day.

"We aren't asking farmers to disappear behind our brand," Roach said. "If we can help a farmer build value under their own name at home, we should. And if Porter Road can create national demand for meat raised by American farmers, we should do that too. The farmer should benefit, the consumer should trust the label, and we should be able to prove it through the supply chain."

This milestone builds on Better For Butchery's existing relationship with USDA, which supported the company's acquisition of its Princeton, Kentucky processing facility.

About Porter Road

Porter Road connects consumers nationwide with pasture-raised meat raised by American farmers. Owned by Better For Butchery, Porter Road works with regional producers and uses whole-animal butchery to bring responsibly raised meat directly to customers across the United States.

About Better For Butchery

Better For Butchery is rebuilding the infrastructure connecting American farmers to American consumers. From its USDA-inspected facility in Princeton, Kentucky, Better For Butchery provides processing, co-packing, traceability, packaging and direct-to-consumer fulfillment for independent producers and food brands. Better For Butchery also owns Porter Road, creating the infrastructure and national demand to connect American producers with consumers across the country.

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