CORVALLIS, ORE. — Oregon State University (OSU) Extension Service announced plans to use a three-year $650,000 grant from the US Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to address labor issues in the meat industry.

OSU Extension’s Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network (NMPAN) will lead a collaborative, multi-state program to help solve recruitment and retention problems in Oregon and the rest of the Pacific Northwest. NIFA’s grant will drive research on creating strong meat processing training programs.

To uncover insights into the issue, NMPAN is working with Blue Mountain Community College and the Northwest Meat Processors Association. Together, they will conduct a survey to determine the struggles and needs of employees and employers. From that data, they will collaborate on designing effective training programs.

“Some of our programs are hitting the ground running, creating certification programs or two-year associate degrees,” said Rebecca Thistlethwaite, Extension outreach specialist and director of NMPAN. “We didn’t want to put something out there based on assumptions. That’s why we’re taking the first year for a needs assessment. We want a program that will last and serve both employees and employers. What training would employers like to see? What training would employees like? What are their aims?”

One of NMPAN’s objectives in the survey is to find out if employees are compensated for additional training. In the program’s new training curriculum, the group plans to intentionally make it accessible and inclusive for historically marginalized communities.

Part of the grant funding will support the expansion of Blue Mountain Community College’s meat processing program. The college currently has a meat lab and two meat processing courses. The funds will support the addition of new equipment and a meat lab manager. Blue Mountain will later offer professional certification or an associate degree in meat cutting and entrepreneurship. The curriculum will touch on business plans, leadership and accounting so that meat industry personnel can be equipped with foundational knowledge to launch their own business.

Additionally, after completion of the survey, NMPAN will work with Northwest Meat Processors Association to create an apprenticeship program geared toward workers already in the field.

“We want to design a program that gives workers the skills to get hired, advance in the workforce, obtain living wages and be ready to launch their own businesses,” Thistlethwaite said.

OSU was one of seven universities awarded funds through a $4.5 million grant from NIFA’s Meat and Poultry Processing – Agricultural Workforce Training program. Each grant recipient is to curate a detailed plan for how it will use the funds to enhance meat processing training.