Performing Department
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Non Technical Summary
Our long term goal is to enhance the economic diversity and development of rural America by providing career and technical training to all peoples so that they may find useful and rewarding work. Specific to this proposal is to provide career and technical training for people interested in meat processing, especially at a small or local level. Small meat processors are a vital link in the food supply and allow farmers, ranchers, and livestock producers to retain a greater portion of the live animals value locally. In addition, small regional and local retail grocery stores can increase sales by having fresh cut meats available, allowing them to differentiate themselves from the big supermarket chains. Further, in the time of COVID-19 we have seen a large increase in demand for local foods. The disruption in the livestock and meats supply chains resulted in short term shortages of many meat items, increasing the demand for more local products. However, the number of small meat processors and local butcher shops continues to decrease, especially in rural America. North Dakota currently has only 16 federally or state inspected slaughter facilities in a state with almost 1 million cattle. We are not proposing to train meat cutters for large processors, rather the focus of this program is to increase the amount of people that have the ability to work in meat processing at a local level, possibly opening their own shops or enhancing the productivity of existing small processors and grocery stores.While difficult to quantify, anecdotal evidence found in news reports and through personal contacts from interested processors and retailers, there is a noticeable lack of employees with skills or experience in meat processing. The long term goal of this project is to increase the availability of new workers for local, retail, and small scale meat processors by developing and implementing certificate program through a joint program with the North Dakota State College of Science (NDSCS) and North Dakota State University (NDSU).A 9-month certificate program is being developed where students would enroll at NDSCS and would take a full load of classes for one semester, then spend one-half of a semester being trained at the NDSU Meats Laboratory and finish the semester working as intern for small meat processing facilities and/or retail stores. The partnership between NDSCS and NDSU is a natural fit as NDCSC has the infrastructure and experience to recruit and mentor students of all ages and backgrounds in career development, and NDSU has the professional experience and facilities to effectively provide hands-on training in slaughter, meat cutting, and meat processing. NDSCS is located in Wahpeton ND, and NDSU is located in Fargo, ND, with the two campuses being only 50 miles apart from each other. In addition, NDSCS has a remote campus that is located adjacent to the NDSU main campus. In addition, student movement between the campuses is seamless as both institutions are part the Tri-College system, which allows students to take courses at either location without the need to additional registration or administrative hurdles to overcome.
Animal Health Component
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Research Effort Categories
Basic
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Applied
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Developmental
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Goals / Objectives
Training new workers in meat processing in Hazard Analysis, Critical Control Point (HACCP) systems, resulting in HACCP certification; training in safe food handling and processing; and providing an overview of laws and regulations pertaining to meats and meat processingTrain new workers in safe procedures for meat cutting and processingTrain new workers in small processing plant slaughter and dressing procedures for beef, pigs, and lambsTrain new workers in fresh meat cutting of beef, pork, and lamb including both wholesale and retail cuttingTrain new workers in meat processing procedures including grinding, fresh and cooked sausage manufacturing, meat curing, and meat cookery. Ingredients use and formulations will be covered, as well as use of common meat processing equipment such as grinders, stuffers, injectors, patty makers, and smokehouse operationsProvide a background in meat science so new workers can interact with consumers and others in a knowledgeable fashion about meat quality, meat inspection, meat grading, tenderness, cut identification, and cookeryProvide internships to new workers so they can apply their knowledge in an actual processing facility and learn from experienced processors.
Project Methods
We would identify groups in the meats cutting and processing industries to ensure the necessary skills are being addressed in the curriculum.The certificate program curriculum will include one semester of resident instruction at NDSCS, eight weeks at NDSU for hands on learning, and an eight week internship with a meat processor or retail store.As an institution in the North Dakota University system, NDSCS has the following requirements for a certificate program; 24-36 credits with five of those credits being general education from at least two disciplines. The first semester of the program would take place on the NDSCS campus. A suggested course of study for that semester would include:BOTE 108 Business Mathematics (3 credits) Review of mathematical fundamentals with emphasis on business applications and problem-solving. The fundamentals of the four basic operations involving whole numbers, fractions and decimal numbers and proceeding into business computations involving bank records, payroll, simple and compound interest, percentages, promissory notes, markups, purchasing, selling, present value and annuities.ENGL 105 Technical Communications (3 credits) This course concentrates on business correspondence, informal report writing, technical communication, job preparation, and oral presentation. Prerequisite: Placement test.ANSC 114 Introduction to Animal Sciences (3 credits) General principles of the livestock industry and relationship to mankind.BUSN 120 Fundamentals of Business (3 credits) An introduction to the basic principles of business organizations and enterprises in society which provide a function for personal business and entrepreneurial decision-making. Beneficial for individuals as employees or entrepreneurs. Explores the American business system, ownership forms, labor management relations, banking and finance, risk management, the legal environment and the government's role in business.AGEC 145 Farm Records (3) This is a basic course in farm balance sheets, accounts, inventories, enterprise and production records, and various other financial records. The course also includes, but is not limited to, crop and feed check, monthly inventory, and family living expenses. The course will cover paper-based as well as computerized farm recordkeeping systems. The hands on training at NDSU will utilize the following eight week schedule:Week TopicIntroduction to the meats profession; Hazard Analysis, Critical Control Point CertificationFundamentals of Meat Science; Meat Quality; Meat Grading; Meat Labeling; Local, State and Federal Regulations for Meat ProductsSlaughter of Beef, Pigs and LambsPork, Lamb and Beef ProcessingSlaughter of Beef, Pigs and LambsPork, Lamb, and Beef ProcessingFresh and Cooked Sausage ManufacturingMeat Curing and SmokingDetailed Topics of InstructionWeek 1Arrive at NDSU campus and become familiar with meats labPersonal safety and proper use of personal protective equipmentProper use of equipment and utensils, and knife sharpening and maintenanceGood Manufacturing Practices for meat processing establishmentsProper sanitation procedures for meat processing facilities (Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures)HACCP training course with students receiving seal from International HACCP Alliance as a "HACCP-Trained Individual"Week 2Overview of meat science and muscle biologyBasic animal and carcass anatomyMeat grading standardsFactors affecting meat quality including palatability (tenderness, juiciness and flavor) and meat colorRegulations and laws impacting meat processing including Packers and Stockyards Act, Humane Slaughter Act, Pure Food and Drug Act, and othersMeat labeling requirementsWeek 3Classroom instruction of the procedures used in the slaughter of beef, pigs, and lambsHands on practice of all slaughter procedures including antemortem handling, stunning, bleeding, shackling, hide/pelt/hair removal, head and feet removal, evisceration, splitting, trimming, weighing, and chillingPackaging of offal productsIntroduction to meat cutting principlesWeek 4Classroom instruction of meat cutting procedures including introduction to Institutional Meat Purchasing Specifications (IMPS) for wholesale and retail meat productsHands-on cutting of beef, pork, and lamb carcasses into wholesale cutsValue and yield determination of carcasses based on wholesale cut outRetail cutting of pork and lambWeek 5Supervised, but independent slaughter of beef, pigs, and lambsRetail cutting of beefIntroduction to meat plant operations including interacting with customers, finding resources, ordering supplies, buying livestockWeek 6Supervised, but independent cutting of beef, pork, and lamb carcasses into wholesale and retail cutsClassroom introduction to meat processing including meat ingredients, functional ingredients, spices/seasonings/flavorings, casings and packagingWeek 7Hands on meat curing including use of restricted ingredients such as nitrite and cure accelerators, proper cure formulation, types of cure application including injection, cover cure, dry cureMeat cookery and smokehouse operations including development of cooking cycles, importance of time and temperature for different productsWeek 8Hands on processing of fresh and cooked sausage manufacturing including reading formulations, selecting meat block, grinding, stuffing, hanging, cooking/smoking, chilling and packagingCooking/smoking of sausage productsClass wrap up and evaluationInternship, including stakeholder involvementInternships have been a core part of NDSCS Agriculture programs from its inception. All students that graduate with an AAS degree from current NDSCS Agriculture programs must complete a 400-hour internship between their first and second year. The students enrolled in the meat processing certificate program would also complete a 400-hour internship with a cooperating processing business. Working with industry a set of learning outcomes and competencies would be set. Students and cooperators would work together to meet and document these outcomes and competencies. NDSCS faculty would do additional supervision.