What You See Is What You Get

Since I get to write about whatever I would like for this post, I am going to give a look into one of the biggest passions in my life. I have worked in the meat industry since I was 16. I started out how many people in the industry start, grinding meat and cleaning equipment. As my time at my first job at Beatty's Country Market continued I started receiving more responsibilities. Being able to have the trust from my employers, to make products on my own, allowed my passion for the industry to grow. 

When I first started at Beatty's it was a year after they had opened and I was one of the few employees that were not a part of their family. By the time that I left the shop the number of employees had outnumbered the number of family members working there. Being able to watch the mom and pop shop grow into a place that the whole community is now supporting, is something that I was really proud to be a part of. 

As my interests continued to grow, I was able to observe the butcher, that would come in to break down carcasses at the market, to get an idea of what it was all about. My employers knew that I was able to do just about anything that they would ask me with little instruction. After my 3 and a half years working with them, I had memorized many of our recipes and loved being a part of developing new products. 

Last year, when COVID-19 shut down the country, it took a toll on all businesses. Since we all got sent home from State College, I lost my job up here at the Meats Laboratory. Once Beatty's Market was able to reopen with takeout orders, my boss asked me and my brother to come back and work with them, so that we were limiting the number of households that were in the shop. My brother, Shane, had been working with them since I had left for college. Honestly, we all made the most of the hectic days of getting takeout orders ready for our three pickup times throughout the day. I was making more products than ever trying to keep fresh meat available to our community. I could not have asked for that time to play out more perfectly, we were able to stay safe and continue to do what we all love. 

Shane and myself at Beatty's Country Market

Due to my experience at Beatty's, I was able to get a job at the Penn State Meats Laboratory when I moved up to State College. Here, I have been able to learn new processes, different ways of doing things, and growing my skills. One thing that was a new experience for me was working on the kill floor. I had never had the opportunity to learn these skills before. I was able to receive training on stunning and animal welfare. It is a very interesting and heavily inspected process that I have found to be a cool experience. 

The Meats Laboratory has given me many new opportunities as well. With the help of my managers, Glenn Myers and Dave Weaver, I was able to develop my own product, a Spanish Style Dry Chorizo. I will also be taking that product as well as other products to the American Association of Meat Processors competition this summer in Oklahoma City. 

Cuts of Beef and Pork from the
Penn State Meats Laboratory

I think that all of my time in the meat industry has given me experiences and a passion that not many people get to have. The industry is dying for more people to enter it and I hope to pass my passion on to some of my future students, through educational content and plant tours. I know that I would not be where I am today without my experiences and I can never thank everyone who has given me these opportunities enough.