Source: OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY submitted to NRP
GROWING OUR OWN-BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE WORKFORCE AND OWNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST MEAT AND POULTRY PROCESSING SECTOR
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
ACTIVE
Funding Source
AFRI COMPETITIVE GRANT
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1030359
Grant No.
2023-70421-39508
Cumulative Award Amt.
$650,000.00
Proposal No.
2022-10330
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Apr 15, 2023
Project End Date
Apr 14, 2026
Grant Year
2023
Program Code
[A7602]- Meat and Poultry Processing - Agricultural Workforce Training
Recipient Organization
OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
(N/A)
CORVALLIS,OR 97331
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Oregon State University (OSU) Extension's Niche Meat Processors Assistance Network (NMPAN) will lead a collaborative, multi-state approach to solve the workforce needs of our small-scale, diverse red meat processing sector in the Pacific Northwest. Key project partners include Blue Mountain Community College (BMCC) in Pendleton, OR, which already has a campus livestock farm and slaughterhouse, and the Northwest Meat Processors Association (NWMPA), a non-profit trade group serving the independent meat processors of the Northwest since 1966.Key objectives include:1. Conduct a workforce needs assessment of the PNW meat industry to determine the most appropriate training programs that will result in a robust and sustainable workforce as well as living wage jobs that attract and retain that workforce into the future.2. Develop and implement appropriate educational programming at BMCC to meet the needs of our unique meat processing demographics in the PNW. There will be a strong emphasis on making the curriculum inclusive and accessible to historically marginalizedcommunities.3. In collaboration with NWMPA, strengthen and expand novel meat processing apprenticeship opportunities to prepare new butchers with the skills to get hired, advance in the workforce, obtain living wage employment, and be ready to launch their own businesses.4. Leverage existing relationships with the nationally recognized Niche Meat Processors Assistance Network at OSU to bolster resources, education, and technical assistance for meat processors stakeholders.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
50433203020100%
Knowledge Area
504 - Home and Commercial Food Service;

Subject Of Investigation
3320 - Meat, beef cattle;

Field Of Science
3020 - Education;
Goals / Objectives
1. Conduct a workforce needs assessment of the PNW meat industry to determine the mostappropriate training programs that will result in a robust and sustainable workforce as well asliving wage jobs that attract and retain that workforce into the future.2. Develop and implement appropriate educational programming at BMCC to meet theneeds of our unique meat processing demographics in the PNW. There will be a strongemphasis on making the curriculum inclusive and accessible to historically marginalizedcommunities.3. In collaboration with NWMPA, strengthen and expand novel meat processingapprenticeship opportunities to prepare new butchers with the skills to get hired, advance inthe workforce, obtain living wage employment, and be ready to launch their own businesses.4. Leverage existing relationships with the nationally recognized Niche Meat ProcessorsAssistance Network at OSU to bolster resources, education, and technical assistance formeat processors stakeholders.
Project Methods
Logic Model and Operations PlanObjective: List each planned activity:Anticipated completion date:Milestones: Who will do the work?Obj 1. Conduct a workforce needs assessment of the meat and poultry processing industry in the PNW.-Put together a planning team.-Get human subjects review approval.-Organize at least two stakeholder virtual meetings.-Develop survey tools.-Administer survey.-Analyze data.-Write report.-Disseminate report.March-April 2023March-April 2023Spring & Summer 2023Spring 2023Summer 2023Fall 2023Oct-Nov 2023Dec 2023-At least 10 people attending each meeting-At least 20% of our sample size of 350 participate-Report complete by end of year 1Project Team & other stakeholdersOSUOSU, NMPANOSU, NMPANOSU, NMPANOSU, NMPANOSU, NMPANProject TeamObj 2. Collaborate with community-college partners and industry associations to develop and implement appropriate educational programming.-Review existing curriculum at BMCC & offered elsewhere in the PNW.-Review existing curriculum required for the NWMPA apprenticeship program.-Reflect upon other models that are out there.-Using data generated from Obj. 1 needs assessment, create plan to develop credential programs for the four key audiences.-Launch 1-2 more Associates degree level courses at BMCC that could go towards a new AAS program in Livestock and Meat Science.-Launch a shorter intensive certificate program at BMCC.-Add 1-2 weekend intensives HACCPtraining or other professional development courses.-Revise and adapt coursework as indicated by evaluation data.March-Aug 2023March-Aug 2023March-Aug 2023Jan-March 20242024-2025 school year20252024-20252024-2025-Review complete.-Review complete.-Discussions & review complete.-Needs assessment is complete. Plan for new content is completed.-Faculty hired; coursework approved & offered. At least 10 students sign up.-Instructors hired, coursework approved & offered. At least 10 students sign up.-Instructors hired, curriculum developed, location secured, classes offered. At least 8 students per intensive, and at least 1 intensive per year.-Courses evaluated & improved each year. Satisfaction scores increase over time.BMCC & Project TeamNWMPA, BMCC, & Project TeamProject TeamBMCC & Project TeamBMCCBMCCBMCC & Project TeamBMCC & Project TeamObj 3. In collaboration with the NWMPA, strengthen and expand novel meat processing apprenticeship opportunities.-Review existing NWMPA apprenticeship requirements, handbook, criteria, availability of training agents, etc.-Create a marketing plan to attract new apprentices but also training agents.-Create & deliver training agent curriculum (train the trainers).-Conduct outreach to attract apprentices and training agents.-Enroll new apprentices, connect with training agents.-Adapt, revise, & improve program over time.-Evaluate results of program each year.March-April 2023Summer 2023Summer 2023 & ongoingSummer 2023-2026Summer 2023-2026Fall 2023-2026Jan 2024, 2025, 2026-Thoroughly review papers of existing apprenticeship programs, strengths, weaknesses, etc.-Marketing plan will be complete and the work included will be carried out during the grant period.-Train the trainer resources will be developed & delivered.-New website up, graphics created & deployed.-At least 4 new apprentices in 2023, 10 in 2024, and 15 in 2025, all with training agents.-Use of apprenticeship program increases each year.-Evaluation results show success via employment rates, types, & wages garnered. -Create database for adoption by others.NWMPA & Project TeamNWMPA & marketing firmNWMPANWMPA & marketing firmNWMPA & training agentsNWMPA & Project TeamNWMPA & Project TeamObj 4. Leverage existing relationships with NMPAN to bolster resources, education, and technical assistance for meat processors, processing staff, and prospective employees in the industry.-Review existing NMPAN resources related to this project.-Develop a resource plan to improve and create relevant resources, such as webinars, how-to guides, videos, case studies, short courses, etc.-Collect and financial data and conduct benchmarking analysis.-Disseminate research findings in accessible formats.-Evaluate NMPAN resources use, accessibility, etc.-Disseminate and make available results of the entire project to a national audience.March-April 2023Summer-Winter 2023March-Dec. 20232024 & 2025Jan. 2024, 2025, 2026January 2026Resource development plan created. At least 2 new resources created per year of this project.Data from at least 20 plants is included.Publications written and published.At least 120 participants in each annual surveyAt least 1,000 downloads, clicks, views.NMPANNMPANOSU, processorsOSU & NMPANNMPANNMPAN

Progress 04/15/24 to 04/14/25

Outputs
Target Audience:During this reporting period, we have developed a new professional certificate program at Blue Mountain Community College that launches in March 2025 with the first level in Basic Butchery. So during this time period, our audience mainly consisted of our project team and the outreach we have done the last two months to get the word out about the certificate program. To help get the word out, we wrote an article for the Northwest Meat Processors Association newsletter that went out to over 350 meat processors in the fall of 2024. We also launched a webpage on the Blue Mountain Community College website in December 2024. The first week of January 2025 we wrote a press release and sent it out to radio, tv, and newspapers around eastern Oregon and western Idaho. We also launched the application portal. As of this writing, we had 46 applicants for 15 spots in the butchery program. Applications are no longer being accepted. We will select our students, invite them to participate next week, and the Basic Butchery course launches on March 10, 2025. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This will all occur in Year 3. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The BMCC Master Butcher certificate program is launching in Year 3. The NWMPA apprenticeship program will be using the BMCC certificate program as their educational compent of the apprenticeship experience in Year 3. We will also do thorough evaluation of the program and report on it in Year 3. We will also disseminate results to the college, local media, and NIFA as requested.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? 1. This was completed in Year 1. 2. This has been the focus on Year 2. We are planning to launch a 3 part non-credit certificate program at Blue Mountain Community College in March of 2025. This is a non-credit program designed for working adults that will be hybrid in nature. Some of the learning takes place online and some will be hands-on at BMCC. We are starting with Level 1 in Basic Butchery. We have 46 applicants for 15 spots in the program. We wish we could fit them all, but the meat lab at BMCC is small and can only fit 15 people safely. We have lined up the online portion of the curriculum with Range Meat Academy and the hands-on portion will take place over 4 weekends with expert butchers. The response in the community has been very strong and it received great press coverage.We have done outreach to the nearby Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) and several applicants from that Tribe. Additionally, we got applications from all over Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, which was our goal. We are very excited to start. Level 2 and Level 3 of this program will be offered during the 2025-2026 school year. Each level will be 12 weeks long and include online content and in-person learning weekends. We are making it a priority to make the certificates affordable, accessible, and available for working adults. 3. NWMPA has been promoting their apprenticeship program widely, They are also working to switch the educational component to the new BMCC certificate program. 4. We have produced a new Business Planning Guide for Meat Processors and a Wholesale Meat Guide for Meat Processors in 2024. We are also updating our Red Meat Plant Design Guide, which will be done in 2025. Also for 2025 is a new financial benchmarking guide for meat processors to be able to manager their production, pricing, and profitability better.

Publications


    Progress 04/15/23 to 04/14/24

    Outputs
    Target Audience:Our project team spent Year 1 creating an advisory committee structure, conducting an industry needs assessment as well as external scan of other meat workforce development programs, and analyzing data. The advisory committee includes the listed project team as well as members of the Northwest Meat Processors Assocation board of directors. We met virtually on a couple occasions to develop a comprehensive employer and employee survey that was mailed out in the fall of 2023 to 440 meat processors in the Pacific Northwest. At the 2024 Northwest Meat Processors Association convention in March of 2024, we presented preliminarly data from that survey, along with data collected from the Oregon Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) and unemployment insurance records managed by the great team at the Oregon Employment Department (OED), and individual wage record data managed by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). We also collected additional survey data at the convention about what professional development subjects would be useful for their meat workforce. Our team is now meeting to develop draft curriculum for a new Butchery certificate program that will be beta tested in the 2024-2025 school year at Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton, Oregon. We will run that curriculum by the same advisory commitee as well as other community and academic partners. Changes/Problems:At this point, the only major change is that we will probably NOT be launching a 2 year degree program in meat science, as was originally considered. There is just not interest in this from either the owners or the employees of meat processing facilities. They do not want to spend the time and investment in a 2 year Associates Degree when a shorter 3 month long certificate in basic butchery could get someone skilled enough to work on the cutting room floor. We think our non-credit stackable certificate program will be much more affordable, accessible, and in higher demand than a 2 year degree program. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Although not explicitly stated in this grant, OSU and NWMPA partnered to put on an in-person HACCP training in Corvallis, OR on April 13-14, 2024. This was a huge need for our processor community and a very important professional development opportunity, as there has not been a HACCP course at OSU in over a decade. It is also in line with Goal #4. We had a full house with 20 attendees getting certified in HACCP. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?We wrote an article for the NWMPA spring newsletter that goes out to around 300 members. The same article was published in the NMPAN Februarly newsletter which goes out to a mailing list of 3,500. We presented preliminary workforce data to the NWMPA convention in March 2024 to an audience of around 100 meat processors. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We are diving deep into Goals #2 and #3 by convening our project team and advisory committee to develop a curriculum for a non-credit certificate program that will have three levels (stackable). Each certificate will be offered in a hybrid format, with some content being online and other content taught in weekend long in-person workshops at Blue Mountain Community College and regional meat processing facilities in the Pacific Northwest. We have a draft curriculum prepared and are running it by stakeholders, community partners, and other acadmic institutions. Our goal is to have the Level 1 certificate in Basic Butchery launched in Year 2 and add Level 2: Food Safety & Quality and Level 3: Meat Entrepreneurship & Management in Year 3 of the grant. These certificates will also become the educational requirement of the NWMPA apprenticeship program. We will also publish the results of the Year 1 needs assessment in at least one peer-reviewed journal and one Extension publication in Year 2.

    Impacts
    What was accomplished under these goals? We finished Goal #1 and have started goals #2 and #3 by planning for a non-credit certificate program at Blue Mountain Community College that would also be part of the NWMPA apprenticeship program. Under Goal #4, we finished publication of a new Small Meat Processor Business Planning Guidebook, which is available as a PDF on our website here: https://www.nichemeatprocessing.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/NMPAN2023-BusinessGuide-3.6.24-PAGES.pdf

    Publications