Projects and Grants per year
Grants and Contracts Details
Description
Gate to Plate Perkins CF Funds
Abstract
Kentucky is currently the largest beef cattle producer East of the Mississippi River. We rank 8th
in the nation in beef cattle inventory with about 1,033,000 head of beef cattle. The average cattle
herd for the 33, 823 producers across the state is approximately 31 head of cattle. In 2022, gross
receipts from the production of cattle totaled $1.1 billion (KY Livestock Coalition, 2023).
Being one of the largest producers in the nation, it only makes sense for KY to have a clear
pathway utilizing food science, culinary arts, and career pathways to certification for the food
industry. The Professional Development Project will assist educators in developing a strong
network of knowledge, resources, and networks for their secondary students with the post-
secondary workforce, 2-year, and 4-year colleges and universities centered around the fifth
largest commodity in the state. This will ensure we have a well-trained workforce for the food
systems industry in the future.
Career and Technical education is a major pipeline to having a well-educated, career-ready
workforce for the 21st century. Student in secondary and post-secondary CTE programs deserve
to have the best possible instructors who have been trained in the most up to date,
technologically advanced, and research proven strategies. This will in turn prove to be an
economic provider for our state. Having a well-trained work force in both content knowledge
and soft skills such as time management, leadership development, record keeping, and basic
skills will keep more jobs and industry in Kentucky while being a great way to recruit new
industries to the commonwealth.
The Meats Industry is one of the largest industries in our nation. As we were shown by the Covid
19 pandemic, the industry was one of the hardest hit when trained workers were not available
thus interrupting the entire food system. The UK Meats Lab, The UK Agricultural Education
Program, and the KY Beef Council would like to train Agricultural Educators from across
Kentucky how to better train and certify their secondary students who are directly entering the
workforce. The participants in the professional development will have the opportunity for a full
demonstration and hands-on opportunities with a cow-calf operation which is most prominent in
KY. Participants will also participate in harvesting animals taking them from the pasture (Gate)
to the processing facility and participating in meats processing (Plate). Participants will also have
the opportunity to participate in lectures and demonstrations on food handling safety, creating
their own dry rub for cooking, and learning more about the HS BBQ Association through
cooking challenges.
Status | Finished |
---|---|
Effective start/end date | 7/1/23 → 6/30/24 |
Funding
- KY Department of Education
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Projects
- 1 Finished
-
Perkins Professional Development: Gate to Plate
Epps, R. (PI) & Rentfrow, G. (CoI)
7/1/23 → 6/30/24
Project: Research project