Friends and Neighbors –

Please join me in congratulating Sibley East Public Schools, which was recently one of nine recipients of a Meat Education and Training (MEAT) Grant through the Department of Agriculture. Sibley East schools were awarded $21,962 to update an old Family and Consumer Sciences lab to turn it into a meat-cutting lab and develop a pathway in which students will build upon skills every year in grades 8-12, culminating in a work-based capstone.

This round of awards was worth $350,000. The MEAT Grant provides the opportunity for Minnesota schools to fund equipment purchases, facility renovation, curriculum development, faculty training, and more processing-related activities at new or established training programs for secondary students. Nine schools received grants through this funding, with a maximum award of $70,000.

This grant will support Sibley's new meat cutting and butchery training program, which gives students hands-on experience and teaches them about careers in meat processing – experience that is critical as we develop the next generation of meat processors and grow this vital industry here in Minnesota.

A full list of MEAT Grant recipients can be found in the Department of Agriculture’s announcement.

Congratulations again to Sibley East schools!

God Bless,