NCTA receives $644,489 grant to address challenges in Nebraska meat processing industry

The Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture (NCTA) has received a $644,489 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to facilitate the development of a targeted curriculum for training individuals interested in joining or currently working in the Nebraska meat processing industry.

In collaboration with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Department of Animal Science and private industry stakeholders, NCTA will design this curriculum to address the specific needs of the sector.

In a recent interview, IANR Vice Chancellor Mike Boehm shed light on the program’s details and the challenges faced by the meat processing industry.

Boehm said a discussion was recently held between NCTA, UNL faculty, and representatives from 28 private-sector entities. They shared the following challenges:

1. Training new entry-level line workers is time-consuming and takes experienced employees away from their other duties. Small processors feel this extremely keenly.
2. New and potential workers might not have much or any knowledge of animal agriculture, so the learning curve can be steep.
3. There are numerous skills to learn, from knife skills and cut types to animal handling and food safety.
4. Once workers are trained, they often turn over quickly.

Based on those challenges, NCTA will develop short courses that incorporate experiential learning components to provide hands-on training in these skills. The courses will be offered in both English and Spanish and will take place at the NCTA meat laboratory as well as UNL’s Loeffel Meat Laboratory on East Campus.

The primary objective of the program is to offer individuals a comprehensive understanding of the diverse career opportunities available within the meat processing industry and to empower current employees to enhance their skill sets.

“Meat processing jobs, even the entry-level positions, are skilled jobs, and they’re critically important,” Boehm said. “We want to create pathways so that employees who are eager to learn and advance can do so.”

“It’s good for them, good for their employers, and good for Nebraska.”