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Ag Bytes<br />
tions were the William N. Goettler Revocable<br />
Living Trust, Maquoketa, 1889; and<br />
Gary J. Marcus, LaMotte, 1919.<br />
Naig announces<br />
Artisanal Butchery<br />
Task Force members<br />
<strong>Iowa</strong> Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig<br />
last summer announced 19 members appointed<br />
to the Artisanal Butchery Task<br />
Force, which will study workforce challenges<br />
in the meat processing industry, specifically<br />
for small-scale meat lockers.<br />
The task force will be chaired by Naig and<br />
consist of meat locker owners from across<br />
the state, livestock producers and professionals<br />
from the public and private sector<br />
who have a vast knowledge of the industry.<br />
During the <strong>2021</strong> legislative session,<br />
lawmakers charged the <strong>Iowa</strong> Department<br />
of Agriculture and Land Stewardship with<br />
establishing the Butchery Innovation Task<br />
Force to study workforce<br />
issues in the<br />
meat processing industry.<br />
The legislation<br />
also established a<br />
grant program jointly<br />
administered by the<br />
Department and <strong>Iowa</strong><br />
Economic Development<br />
Authority to help<br />
lockers purchase equipment to increase<br />
production and create jobs.<br />
“When I visit meat lockers across <strong>Iowa</strong><br />
throughout the year, I typically hear about<br />
two major challenges they face: difficulty<br />
affording upgrades to grow their businesses<br />
and a lack of skilled workers that hampers<br />
their ability to increase processing<br />
capacity,” said Naig.<br />
The task force will study the feasibility of<br />
establishing an artisanal butchery program<br />
at a community college or at Regent institution.<br />
The task force will consider things<br />
such as apprenticeship and internship opportunities,<br />
employment outlook for graduates,<br />
and potential program enrollment<br />
and costs. A report with findings and potential<br />
recommendations is due to the <strong>Iowa</strong><br />
General Assembly by the end of the year.<br />
Meat processors<br />
awarded grants<br />
Five <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> companies were<br />
among more than 200 awarded meat processing<br />
and expansion grants through the<br />
<strong>Iowa</strong> Department of Agriculture and Land<br />
Stewardship. The funds can be used to<br />
purchase or upgrade equipment, develop<br />
a direct-to-consumer sales strategy,<br />
or participate in food safety certification<br />
training. The grants are part of $4 million<br />
in Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic<br />
Security (CARES) Act funding allocated by<br />
<strong>Iowa</strong> Gov. Kim Reynolds. Local recipients<br />
include the Charlotte Locker, Charlotte;<br />
Matthiesen’s Deer & Custom Processing,<br />
DeWitt; Tada Meats, Maquoketa; Cinnamon<br />
Ridge Inc., Donahue; and Woven<br />
Strong Farm, LaMotte.<br />
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Connor Harms, Susanne Snead, Landon Hunter, Bree Kilburg, and Tony Portz<br />
eifarmer.com <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2021</strong> | <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> 125<br />
<strong>Eastern</strong><strong>Iowa</strong><strong>Farmer</strong>_<strong>Fall</strong><strong>2021</strong>.indd 125<br />
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