Programs that prepare high school students for the workforce with meat processing skills are developing in West Virginia, according to a press release.
The state agriculture department said 35 schools statewide have programs in operation that qualify or push beyond requirements for meat-cutting businesses. Two counties - Pleasants and Marshal - are building new facilities. Doddridge County recently opened a new facility.
"The Department has been working for a number of years on getting schools to upgrade their facilities mainly to support the FFA ham and bacon auctions that occur throughout the state," commissioner Gus R. Douglass said. "But the student interest in this profession and the directions these programs are moving has exceeded my expectations. Perhaps the only problem we're seeing is that student demand is outgrowing some of the facilities."
Many schools also offer various levels of classes for meat sciences.
One responsibility for the West Virginia Department of Agriculture is inspecting the programs for sanitation issues and procedures of production while helping ensure products prepared at the facilities are labeled prior to being sold.
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