Sen. Tina Smith Tours Central Lakes College’s Meat Cutting & Butchery Program

U.S. Senator Tina Smith of Minnesota stopped by Central Lakes College’s Staples campus to tour its meat cutting and butchery facilities on Thursday afternoon.

CLC’s program aims to prepare the next generation of butchers and keep local livestock in Minnesota processing facilities.

Smith secured federal funding for the new facility and equipment to promote meat processing in greater Minnesota. She is also a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee member, and she sees great value in what CLC is doing.

“I always think that the best ideas are always going to come from people who are on the ground doing the work, and that’s what this project is all about,” she said. “This is an area where there’s a lot of job opportunities. You can make a really, really good living, too. And so to be able to see what they’ve done with the funding that we were able to bring home is really exciting today.”

Central Lakes College leadership, students, and Minnesota Farmers Union members also took part in the tour.