Wisconsin’s Meat Talent Development Program in Danger of Being Cut from State Budget

Reports are coming out of Wisconsin that the Meat Talent Development Program, which is funded through the state’s Department of Agriculture, Trade & Consumer Protection, is potentially losing funding in the state’s 2025-2027 budget. The program has funded numerous education and training initiatives that have benefited meat processors in Wisconsin and elsewhere, and AAMP is asking our members to help restore its funding.

In January 2022, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers announced he was providing up to $5 million in funding for meat talent development programming. The MTDP has been used to attract students to meat careers, provide financial support to students in Wisconsin meat processing training programs, support program development, and connect the meat processing industry with potential employees. The program has:

• Funded the Humane Handling Institute, a program launched by the University of Wisconsin-River Falls in October 2022. The HHI offers hands-on training for meat industry workers in humane pre-slaughter handling, transport, stunning, and equipment maintenance. It is the only training center of its kind in the United States.
  
• Launched a new meat industry high school curriculum for Wisconsin agricultural education programs. The goal of the program is to make high school students aware of career opportunities in the meat industry using a curriculum prepared by UW-River Falls instructors
  
• Offered tuition reimbursement for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) trainings held at the University of Wisconsin - Madison Meat Science and Animal Biologics Discovery Center. The school’s Basic HACCP Short Course discusses HACCP plans federal regulations, ensuring a safe and wholesome food supply.

The original $5 million for MTDP came from federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding. Gov. Evers and the DATCP have supported funding the Meat Talent Development Program by adding a new request to the state’s budget. However, that request has been removed from the budget by the co-chairs of the Joint Finance Committee. AAMP is asking that our members and other industry professionals contact key members of the Committee and ask to include the Meat Talent Development Program in their budget and support funding for the program. The Committee is expected to vote on DATCP budget funding sometime this week, so it is critical that you reach out to these members as soon as possible.

Key committee members:
Senator Rob Stafsholt sen.stafsholt@legis.wisconsin.gov; (608) 266-7745
Senator Romaine Robert Quinn sen.quinn@legis.wisconsin.gov; (608) 266-3510
Rep. Shannon Zimmerman rep.zimmerman@legis.wisconsin.gov; (608) 237-9130
Sen. Patrick Testin sen.testin@legis.wisconsin.gov; (608) 266-3123
Rep. Karen Hurd rep.hurd@legis.wisconsin.gov; (608) 237-9169
Sen. Howard Marklein sen.marklein@legis.wisconsin.gov; (608) 266-0703
Rep. Mark Born rep.born@legis.wisconsin.gov; (608) 237-9137

A link to AAMP’s letter is available here, if you are looking for talking points. If you have personally benefited from programs at the HHI, UW-Madison or other Wisconsin institutions, please let the committee members know. It helps our cause if you personalize your message rather than repeat word-for-word what we are saying.