Western Meat School Opens for Registration

• By: admin
• On: 09/08/2022 10:16:54
• In: Industry News

NMPAN and Colorado State University are very excited to announce the newly updated and expanded intermediate-level short course for small and mid-scale livestock producers, called the Western Meat School. This is a collaborative effort of the Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network at Oregon State University, Colorado State University, Montana State University, University of Wyoming, and Mesalands Community College.
This fully remote learning experience will help farmers, ranchers, butchers & others learn the essentials for direct marketing niche meat from experts in livestock production, processing, marketing & pricing.

This 8 week-long course will highlight the following topics:

• Marketing
• Production
• Adapting to a Changing Environment
• Handling and Harvesting
• Processing
• Packaging
• Market pricing
• Costs of Production

Who is this course designed for?
The Western Meat School is ideally designed for the following audiences:

• Livestock Producers with at least 2 years experience
• Meat Processors and Butchers
• Meat Buyers, Distributors, Retailers
• Agricultural Professionals, Extension Specialists, NGOs working on local livestock and meat supply chains
• 4H and FFA program leaders

The livestock species covered in this course include:

• Beef & Bison
• Pigs
• Sheep & Goats
• We do not cover poultry, but many of the subjects could be applicable to processing & selling poultry

When is the course?
Tuesdays, October 11-December 6, 2022 from 5-7pm PST/6-8 MT
What is the investment?
The course fee is $150 for up to two individuals in your business or family who will share the same login and Canvas learning dashboard. Start the enrollment process here. 

Thanks to generous support from USDA AMS Local Foods Promotion Program, Intertribal Agriculture Council, and Western SARE, we have support for up to 100 partial scholarships of $75 off the normal price. These will be reserved for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) farmers/ranchers as well as folks experiencing significant economic hardships. Deadline to apply is Oct. 1. Please fill out this short application here if you would like to be considered for a scholarship. All information provided will be confidential.