JONESBORO, Ark. — Arkansas State University will hold a dedication ceremony Wednesday, Oct. 28, after completing $750,000 in upgrades to its meat lab to expand snack stick production and train students on commercial meat-processing equipment.
The ceremony begins at 10 a.m. at Judd Hill Farmers’ Market, followed by a tour of the meat lab in room 131 of the College of Agriculture.
The project was funded by a grant from the state Office of Skills Development. The money paid for new equipment, a new roof and refrigeration updates.
The lab has partnered with Arkansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry since fall 2023 to produce snack sticks for weekend backpack programs across Arkansas. The organization provides the snacks to 70 schools in 48 counties, according to the university.
Students in the College of Agriculture help produce the snack sticks while learning to use meat-processing and packaging equipment.
“We will have key speakers regarding the Arkansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry (AHFH) snack stick program and their partnership with A-State,” said Corey Readnour, meat lab director.
New equipment includes a roll stock vacuum packaging machine, snack stick cutting machine, vacuum stuffer, meat grinder and meat mixer.
“These upgrades were to implement a high-speed snack stick line and train students on updated, state-of-the-art equipment that you would find in a commercial operation,” Readnour said.
Readnour said the lab has worked to improve its process and develop the product while waiting for the equipment to be installed.
“We have been working on fine tuning the process and product development, while waiting for the new equipment to be installed,” he said. “Now we are ready to launch large-scale production.”
The equipment will streamline production and allow the program to benefit more children in Arkansas, Readnour said.
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