Central Lakes College Facility Addresses Increased Demand for Meat Processing

In recent years, the need to train meat cutters and butchers has increased across the nation. Despite already having a robust butchery program, Central Lakes College (CLC) is taking further action to address this demand. The college’s campus in Staples recently held a grand opening for their new, state-of-the-art modular meat processing facility, thanks to a partnership with Minnesota Farmers Union.

Rural Development made two awards that helped fund this innovative facility: a $604,000 grant through the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program and a $1,500,000 Rural Economic Development Loan. With the help of additional funding from other agencies, Minnesota Farmers Union (MFU) purchased the mobile meat processing unit for CLC and Ridgewater College to operate through their Meat Cutting and Butchery program.

Click here to view the original article from USDA Rural Development here.