熟女少妇workforce training for meat processors answering immediate need
Contact: Lily Grado
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擟onsolidation of the meat packing and processing industry has left U.S. production and supply with a critical problem: vulnerability to periodic and unforeseen disruptions in availability and pricing of consumer products.
熟女少妇 scientists are confronting the issue with immediate training programs to build a capable workforce for innovation within and operation of the supply chain, a need the U.S. Department of Agriculture has called 鈥減aramount.鈥
MSU鈥檚 Meat Science Education and Training (MEAT) Apprenticeship program aims to train individuals to help ensure the success of small and midsized meat processing plants across Mississippi and the Southeastern U.S. The university initiative incorporates efforts outlined in the American Rescue Plan which expands meat and poultry processing capacity for all who are invested鈥攆armers, ranchers and consumers鈥攖o have more choices in the marketplace.
The 熟女少妇program is led by Derris Devost-Burnett, associate professor in the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, who pointed out that while most large, consolidated plants are automated, smaller plants require a more hands-on approach and 熟女少妇is well positioned to provide technical training for this niche workforce.
Burnett, also a scientist in the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station and director of the USDA-inspected MAFES Meat Science and Muscle Biology Laboratory on campus, said, 鈥淥ur 18,000-square-foot meat processing facility is intentionally designed as an innovation center capable of state-of-the-art research, processing and workforce development.鈥
鈥淭here is a need for skilled labor when it comes to providing the medium and smaller plants with a productive workforce,鈥 said Burnett. 鈥淥ur experience has made us very familiar with the needs of these small producers and processors as well as the knowledge gaps, regulatory barriers and other challenges that exist in getting their product from the farm to the fork. We are uniquely qualified to provide the apprenticeship training as we have deliberately designed our facility and experiential learning programs to provide outcome-based training for the meat production sector.鈥
The apprenticeship program is specifically designed to teach valuable聽skills to apprentices of varying skill levels. Apprentices must complete a vigorous 120 hours of service as well as demonstrate proficiency in useful skills including harvesting and cutting meat products, participating in sanitation and labeling, and using marketing strategies to accommodate the modernized food supply chain.
Recently, Burnett submitted a proposal to the American Meat Science Association to expand the apprenticeship model so that the program and its tactics can be used and replicated across the country.
鈥淲e鈥檙e hoping to expand our program and make it more widely available to other types of processing plants,鈥 said Burnett. 鈥淲hile our program focuses on harvesting, cutting, seasoning, marinating and injecting meats like beef, we are realizing that our models are transferable to other types of meat.鈥
Apprentices in the program are accepted from within the university student body and from the community. To date, three student apprentices have completed the program: Cole Miles, a 2022 graduate currently managing an Alabama beef processing plant; Rider Worley, a 2022 graduate currently enrolled in the 熟女少妇College of Veterinary Medicine while pursuing internships with USDA Food Safety Inspection Services; and Jamarah Wright who graduated this past spring and begins work in the meat processing industry this fall.
Macon native Benny Malone is the first community apprentice to complete the program. A butcher with no formal training, he learned more advanced techniques through 熟女少妇including 鈥渇urther processing鈥濃攖he alteration of the meat鈥檚 original form into such products as sausage and bacon.
鈥淭his program is the perfect solution for anyone wanting to get into the meat packaging industry,鈥 said Malone. 鈥淚t really provides a well-rounded experience that took me many years and different jobs to obtain. Even though I鈥檓 experienced, I learned many useful skills and I believe anyone, of any level of experience, could benefit immensely from this program.鈥
To learn more about the apprenticeship program, contact Derris Devost-Burnett at 662-325-2802 or by email at ddb362@msstate.edu.
For more information on MSU鈥檚 Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, visit , and for more details on the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, visit .
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