Something New for Fair Grove High

There is a new class in the Agriculture building. Matt Crutcher, one of the two agriculture teachers, recently started a new class that consists of learning how to process meat and much more. 

When seeing the things about meat/meat sciences that were being spread across the internet, Crutcher decided to step in and take action. “With the rising costs of food and the misinformation being spread on social media about food sources, this was started as a way to educate students on not only where their food comes from, but the differences in quality, food safety, and processing,” he explained.

Even though it is still the first semester, a lot has been accomplished. “So far, students have processed several deer, making steaks, burgers, summer sausage, and jerky,” said Crutcher.

Besides learning how to process and package the meat, the students also get to eat what they make, which is thoroughly enjoyed by all. Braden Booth (12), a student in the class, said that, “My favorite part has got to be the food. We eat a lot.” Aiden Baxter (10) added to that saying, “Eating the meat is my favorite part of the class.”

This class is going to be a bit different in future years considering they had to set up the whole room this year to get started. “Well, this year we had to order all the equipment, and we had to go through the room and remodel it all, it will be very different for the future classes because we set it all up,” said Tony Lassley (10), a student in the class.

So far, the class has been a hit. Multiple students have shared that they would definitely recommend it to future students even if meat sciences might not be your future career plan. Baxter said, “This is a class I would definitely recommend. You learn so many things that you can use in real life even if you’re not planning on going into the meat industry. Also, it is very fun.” 

If incoming students do want to take this class, they will have to wait until the 2024-2025 school year. Crutcher is keeping this class on a rotation with the veterinary science class so it will only be offered every other year.