SUNY Cobleskill harvests cattle, pigs, goats, and sheep through their United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved meat processing facility. The program attracts interested students from all over the country. They learn the latest food safety and sanitation guidelines and obtain a good understanding of the steps involved in livestock processing and butchering. We observed students performing animal slaughter, cutting, packaging, and storage.
Eric Shelley and Clint Layne teach a class of ten students twice per year (June and January) in the Meat Processing and Food Safety Certificate Program. Students learn the entire process from slaughter to packaging, and they provide these services for local farms.
Clint Layne diligently looks on as he teaches Staci McCune the details of skinning a lamb. Each student is carefully monitored by the instructors throughout the entire day, in each step of the process.