You can probably get the info you are looking for by researching state agency websites and talking to state biologists. That said, Epic has hired a lot of former state biologists, especially from Utah, so they have a lot of knowledge, research skills, and connections to other biologists and...
meatyourmaker.com has a 25% off sale right now. Their 10 tray is $210 with the sale. I have the six tray and it is only $100 with the sale. The 6 tray works great for me.
Cutting the fat out will help increase shelf life but you can get away with some fat if you are going to eat in relatively soon.
Your ground meats will rehydrate better if you mix in some bread crumbs when cooking them. I have had some trouble getting larger whole beans (like Kidney beans) to...