New $2 Million Meat Processing Facility Gives Opportunity to Prison Residents
A new, $2 million meat processing facility has officially opened as part of the Northeastern Regional Corrections Center’s (NERCC) working farm.
A nearly 5,200-sq.-ft. building and the facility’s working residents process small and large animals, including poultry, sheep, goats, hogs, cattle, deer, elk and buffalo. The facility’s first smokehouse is also part of the new building.
NRECC is a rural, minimum-security prison located 22 miles north of Duluth, Minn. The 3,200-acre property was designated as a working farm in the 1930s and includes gardens, orchards, animals and a new greenhouse in addition to the new processing facility.
State funds were provided for the project, as local lawmakers pushed for a modernized meat plant, a local news source reports. In addition to modernization, capacity is also a welcome feature. Matt Wrazidlo, the processing plant manager, estimates he and his team of five to 10 men could process around 25% more meat than in the past facility.
The processing plant is open to local producers as both custom and non-inspected, as well as Minnesota Department of Agriculture Inspected processing. Additionally, animals grown at NERCC are harvested to provide meat for residents and excess is donated to area food shelves.
Processing on NERCC not only keeps costs of food at the facility down, but it also provides an opportunity for residents to learn an in-demand trade. Residents working at the facility can earn a Meat Processing Certificate and become a Certified Food Protection Manager.
Residents can also earn a GED and gain experience in cooking, baking, gardening, maintenance and mechanics while staying at NERCC.
NERCC’s philosophy is to “increase the capacity of the individual to make the changes necessary to become a productive member of the community and avoid further contact with the criminal justice system.”
About 90% of residents do not commit a crime within three years of leaving the NERCC, according to Wally Kostich, executive director of Arrowhead Regional Corrections.
