RANDOLPH CENTER, Vt. (WCAX) – Construction is underway on a new meat processing facility at Vermont State University’s Randolph campus.
As sharp knives cut through big slabs of beef, construction moved forward on a new butchery that is an expansion of Vermont State University’s Center for Agriculture and Food Entrepreneurship.
“This facility is a pillar of our future trainings and our future degree program. What we are really trying to do is stand up something that is innovative and distinctive but that capitalizes on the needs we see in the state and the region,” said Glenn Evans, the center’s executive director.
While Vermont has dozens of slaughterhouses and meat processing plants, it currently does not have one on a college campus to train the next generation of butchers. The state-of-the-art campus facility will include saws, smokers, packaging, and sterilization equipment. And it’s not just about the meat that ends up in the supermarket aisle or those who want to make a career out of it.
“We know that a lot of Vermonters like to hunt. We are looking at processing deer, showing them what they can do with the entire carcass,” said facility director DeMetris Reed, Jr.