Author: Gregg Rentfrow
Planning Unit: Animal and Food Sciences
Major Program: Agriculture and Extension Leadership Development
Outcome: Long-Term Outcome
The one positive from the COVID-19 pandemic is a renewed interest local food and meat availability. The limitations of red meat during the pandemic has caused a renewed interest in developing meat cutting skills. The 2022 Beef and Pork Processing Workshops were sold out; the Beef Workshop sold out in 90 minutes. Eight new beef processors and 15 new pork processors were trained on how to humanely harvest and fabricate beef and pork carcasses into retail cuts. In addition, I trained 40 people at the University of Maine's Meat Processing School. The majority of participants in the UK Meat Cutting School was from Kentucky, but there were people from Tennessee, Ohio, and Florida. The UMaine School hosted people from all over the upper New England States.