Senator Carrie Ruud (R-Breezy Point) authored legislation that would provide an appropriation of $2 million to two-year colleges in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system for meat cutting and butchery programs. This language was included in the final Agriculture Budget bill, which passed in the Senate today with overwhelming bipartisan support.
Currently, there are processing shortages in the livestock industry and workforce shortages, which were further exacerbated by COVID-19. There are only seven training programs in North America, none of which are in Minnesota.
“I’m happy we were able to get these grants included in the Agriculture budget, because this language presents an exciting opportunity for growth in the butcher and meat cutting industries, specifically for Central Lakes College,” said Sen. Ruud. “In this line of work, training for students coming out of high school is extremely important, and not everyone wants to go to a four-year college. This funding makes this new program possible, so we can train students and keep these bright entrepreneurs in our State.”
This issue is a top concern for family farmers and those is the agriculture industry. This language addresses the following issues:
- Processing shortages experienced by livestock producers
- Workforce shortages facing processors
- Inclusion of slaughter in the workforce training program