According to the 2012 Census of Agriculture, Carroll County has 53,562 acres of land in 278 farms.  Livestock production is a popular form of farming in the county.  A majority of farms (147) in the county have cow/calf operations but additional animal production systems include meat and milk goats (30), poultry (24), sheep (5), swine (3), and llamas (2).  Over the past several years, there has been an increased interest in raising rabbits for meat consumption.

Supporting local farmers and improving agricultural ventures are a high priorities of the Carroll County Extension Council and the Carroll County Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR).  In 2016, a small scale meat rabbit producer in the county expressed interest in learning more about processing his own rabbits.   In response, the ANR Agent worked alongside the farmer to gather more information.

The current practice of the farmer was to raise his rabbits to approximately nine weeks of age, where he then sold the live rabbits to another producer for approximately $6.50 per rabbit.  He was curious to see what type of increase in price he could obtain by processing the rabbits himself.  The first task was to learn how to process rabbits.

Kentucky State University built the Kentucky Mobile Poultry Processing Unit (MPU) in 2001.  This state-approved unit allows poultry, rabbit, and aquaculture producers to process their animals on a rental basis.  The meat can then be sold through farmer’s markets or directly to restaurants.  In November 2016, the ANR Agent and rabbit producer traveled to Jackson County to see the MPU in person for the first time.  In April 2017, both the ANR Agent and rabbit producer traveled to Frankfort to train and become certified to process both poultry and rabbits in the MPU.  Upon completion, the producer (and the ANR Agent) slaughtered his first thirty-eight rabbits in September 2017.

By the end of October 2017, all thirty-eight rabbits were sold.  Prices ranged from $14 to $16 per whole rabbit, more than double the price of the younger rabbits.  Rabbits were sold through the Riverview Farmer’s Market to local individuals as well as a restaurant in Louisville.

 During the first processing experience, a new Carroll County rabbit producer assisted, and now has shown interest in also becoming certified to use the MPU.  Additonaly, a second interested Carroll County rabbit producer is planning to attend MPU training in the Spring 2019.