Learning Center
We have been engaged in farm education and training as a mission for many years. We find much of this disconnect from field to table results in simply not knowing what each hand does to make the hard work of making good meat on the table a possibility. Have a question? Likely someone else does to!
Book an appointment with Jessica or Matthew now!
Our Latest Posts
Farming For Profit Workshop
Take your farm/ranch management skills to the next level! Whether you're the first or fifth generation, grow crops or raise…Read moreWhat is Traceability in Meat Processing?
https://youtu.be/hX8bj5MtXnw If you’re a farmer, especially a farmer who prides themselves on growing the best, 100% grass-fed animals over the…Read moreMeat Processing: How Much Does it Cost and Why?
If you own and operate a small farm, you probably want to know exactly where the animals you’re raising are…Read moreMarch Newsletter
March Newsletter We can feel spring trying to bloom. The last of the snow is melting and the lambs have…Read moreWholesale Update
Over the past year we have been developing the Chicago foodshed market and increasing source identified local protein options for…Read moreTOFI Processing Facility Update
One of the cornerstones at This Old Farm is education. We want to learn as much as possible from people…Read moreButcher Shop Update
6 more weeks, no problem. It’s time to cozy up to a warming dutch oven filled with pot roast. Did…Read moreFebruary Newsletter
Well, Phil the groundhog saw his shadow, so I guess we’re in for another 6 weeks of winter. Bundle up.…Read moreWholesale Update
Over the past year we have been developing the Chicago foodshed market and increasing source identified local protein options for…Read moreTOFI Processing Facility Update
We have found that knowledge is power. We must continuously learn in agriculture to stay relevant. The more we learn…Read moreButcher Shop Update
We had a great holiday at the Lafayette shoppe.! Thank you all for the support and for letting us provide…Read moreHappy New Year!
Another holiday season has passed, and we are all readying ourselves for hibernation mode. The cold and snow are coming…Read moreJanuary Slaughter Spots Available
Hi all, We still have some slaughter spots available for January. Please give us a call at 765-324-2162. The most…Read moreBye Bye Birds
Bye Bye Birds As I write this most of the turkeys have flown the coop (our freezers and coolers). Here…Read moreButcher Shop Update
The Lafayette community has stunned us with their support. We opened the butcher shop in September hoping to fulfill a…Read moreTOFI Slaughter Facility Update
Protein prices are soaring and volatile. It’s hard to find that sweet spot that makes your customers’ happy and makes…Read moreWholesale Update
Over the past year we have been developing the Chicago foodshed market and increasing source identified local protein options for…Read moreYou are invited! Grand Opening September 30th.
Come help us celebrate the opening of our new Lafayette store on September 30th from 3-5pm. Radio talent Mack from…Read moreWe Did It! Opening Friday!
Lafayette, I am coming home! Our first farm meat sales were at the farmer's market in my hometown of Lafayette.…Read more
Our Meat and Farm Education Articles
WLFI
Locally source butcher shop opens in Lafayette
Meredith Hackler Oct 1, 2021 Updated Jan 12, 2022
"LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI)- Getting your meat from a Butcher Shop isn't as common as it used to be, but one butcher shop that just opened in Lafayette is trying to change that. This Old Butcher Shoppe had its grand opening..."
Edible Indy
This Old Farm: Beyond the Family Business
BY CHARITY SINGLETON CRAIG
"The phrase 'family business' takes on a whole new meaning for Jessica Smith and the folks at This Old Farm in Colfax. In a recent interview, I asked Smith about the connection between her business and her family, and she immediately turned around in her desk chair and pulled a photo off the wall behind her..."
WLFI
The story behind This Old Farm in Montgomery County
By Marlee Thomas - April 22, 2024
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI) — 23 years ago the Roosa family bought farmland that was used to grow corn and soybeans.
"We started planting fence post and grass,” said Jessica Roosa. “So livestock became what we focused on.”
Since then, Jessica Roosa and her family have been raising Katahdin lambs for their meat.
“When we first started we were trying to figure out, without a generational history, how to create a viable business on ground on smaller acreage," said Roosa. "Livestock became a focus...”
Morning Ag Clips
This Little Piggy goes to Market at This Old Farm
"COLFAX, Ind. — This Little Piggy goes to Market at This Old Farm on May 19 to help support Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry. Though once a cute piggy, you’ll know it as a tasty piggy. The afternoon begins at 2 p.m. with outdoor activities for the kids, a cash bar, raffles, and live music. At 3 p.m., our butchers will do a whole animal butchery demonstration, and at 5 p.m., dinner is served..."
Routes 2 Farm
THIS OLD FARM ALLIANCE
"The Alliance has approximately 200 members, all of which are small to medium sustainable family farmers. The vast majority are located within an hour’s drive of our facility in Central Indiana. Most members are livestock growers..."
Edible Alpha
How This Old Farm Built a Successful Meat Processing Business
By Melaina Juntti
"In Edible-Alpha® podcast #90, Tera interviews This Old Farm founder Jessica Roosa, who has spent the last 11 years scaling a small USDA-inspected meat processing facility and local food hub in Colfax, Indiana. They discuss the complexities, costs and rewards of entering this business, offering important insights for food and ag entrepreneurs eying the in-demand meat processing space..."
Provisioner Online
From farm to food hub at This Old Farm Inc.
By Sam Gazdziak
"Jessica Roosa isn’t what you would expect from a typical leader of a meat processing business. She is a first-generation farmer. She had a background in biology and the pharmaceutical industry. She once was … a vegetarian..."
Provisioner Online
This Little Piggy Stays Home at This Old Farm on Saturday May 18th to support Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry!
By Industry News
"This Little Piggy Stays Home at This Old Farm on Saturday May 18th to help support Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry! The afternoon begins at 2pm with outdoor activities and farm animals to entertain the young and the old, a cash bar, raffles, and live music. At 3pm This Old Farm staff will demonstrate home food preparation techniques, and at 5pm dinner is served!..."
Morning Ag Clips
IMPPA and IAMP Announce Joint Convention Feb. 22-24
"PLAINFIELD, Ind. — The Indiana Meat Packers and Processors Association (IMPPA) and the Illinois Association of Meat Processors (IAMP) are thrilled to announce their collaboration in hosting a joint convention, scheduled for Feb. 22-24, 2024, in Plainfield, Ind. Members from both organizations are warmly invited to participate in this enriching event..."
Meat+Poultry
Farm-to-fork focus
By Steve Krut
"With the most improbable background imaginable, Jessica Roosa has established a flourishing meat company in the community of Colfax, Ind., an agricultural area just a bit northwest of Indianapolis. Her operation, widely known as This Old Farm Inc., is a masterpiece of business planning and marketing. First, it’s interesting to note that Roosa was formerly a vegetarian with a degree in biology from Purdue University."
Hoosier Ag Today
Clinton County Meat Processor Still Growing After COVID Surge
By Eric Pfeiffer - April 16, 2024
"For most companies, COVID-19 meant a downturn in business and profit. One of the few exceptions was the smaller meat processors around the country. As it turned out, we didn’t have nearly enough of them.
Jessica Roosa, owner of This Old Farm, a meat processing and packaging facility in Clinton County, says they remember the day grocery stores no longer had meat on their shelves..."
Journal & Courier
This Old Farm bolsters small, new farms
by Emma Ea Ambrose
"LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Jessica Smith, owner of This Old Farm in Colfax, said the United States is losing between 3 and 5 percent of its processing infrastructure each year, meaning that farmers are continually losing options for places that process meat and produce — an issue that especially impacts small farms..."