The Western Meat School is organized by the Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network (NMPAN) and partners that include Colorado State University, Oregon State University and many more. It is a modern, accessible, affordable, and time-efficient way for producers to learn the most practical aspects of producing and marketing meat while deepening their understanding of the full niche meat supply chain. The six-week course is modestly priced and is suitable for start-ups & seasoned producers. You can attend classes at one of 13 sites in Oregon, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico, or from your own computer at home.
This isn’t the first time the Meat School has been offered. It builds on a pilot project in October of last year, attended by 50 farmers and ranchers. It was hosted by Colorado State University and NMPAN, an extension program housed within the Center for Small Farms and Community Food Systems at Oregon State University. The CSU school was inspired by the format and topics of the OSU Grassfed Meat School held in Central Point, OR in 2018.
Response to this pilot educational course was overwhelmingly positive. Producers really appreciated the opportunity to network at the in-person locations or to have the flexibility to still learn the course content from home. One Colorado grassfed beef producer had this to say about the school:
“Outstanding use of my time, rich learning experience, very targeted to the pressing questions and needs of my small, growing grass-fed beef finishing and direct marketing operation. [The speakers] were obviously people who had direct, lived, relevant expertise. Their presentations were very professional.”