RANDOLPH, VT. — Vermont State University (VTSU) announced that construction on a new meat processing facility is underway at its Randolph, Vt., campus. The new butchery expands the university’s Center for Agriculture and Food Entrepreneurship.

“This facility is a pillar of our future trainings and our future degree program,” said Glenn Evans, the executive director of the Center for Agriculture and Food Entrepreneurship. “What we are really trying to do is stand up something that is innovative and distinctive but that capitalizes on the needs we see in the state and the region.”

While Vermont has dozens of meat processing plants, it currently does not have one on a college campus to train the next generation of meat industry professionals. The state-of-the-art campus facility will meet this need. The site will include saws, smokers, packaging and sterilization equipment.

Facility Director DeMetris Reed, Jr. added that the facility will benefit not only the future generation of meat professionals and consumers who enjoy the end product but also Vermont’s wide population of hunters.

“We know that a lot of Vermonters like to hunt,” Reed said. “We are looking at processing deer, showing them what they can do with the entire carcass.”

The facility, which will be called 1787 Butchery, will open in May 2025. It will feature a digitally integrated classroom, an environmentally controlled processing floor with professional grinders, cutting, storage, and packaging equipment, and a meat smoker to accommodate teaching on cured meats.

Through the completion of the facility VTSU will be able to offer hands-on training and educational programs on several meat science topics, including meat processing, grading techniques, food safety, advanced processing technology and the culinary aspects of meat. By partnering with Vermont businesses active in the meat industry, students will have the opportunity to learn workforce and entrepreneurial skills from innovators in the industry.

“We are thrilled to be home to this innovative center for meat science education,” Reed said. “This facility will position VTSU-Randolph at the forefront of meat processing education in New England, while reinforcing our university’s mission of providing practical, career-oriented learning experiences.”