Meat Cutting

Ridgewater’s Meat Cutting program offers hands-on training in the art of butchery, equipping students with the skills to break down carcass, trim and prepare various cuts of meat. Meat cutters play a critical role in the food and agriculture industries by ensuring that livestock are harvested, meat products are prepared, presented and sold in a safe and appealing manner.

Student learns skills in:

Food safety and carcass breakdown into retail cuts
Livestock, poultry and game slaughter and processing

* Tuition/fees and additional costs are approximate and based on 2025-26 school year.

18 credit certificates
Online courses
In person weekly labs

Program Delivery

Online coursework
- No set meeting time; students attend lectures and access class materials according to their schedules
In-person labs
- 10 hours of weekly lab time at a meat shop near you or the Willmar campus facility
Fall start – Beginning
Spring start – Advanced

Program Cost*

Tuition/Fees

Beginning Meat Cutting Certificate – $4,294
Advanced Meat Cutting Certificate – $4,294

Additional Costs

A Microsoft® Windows 11 laptop computer is required for all students enrolled in Ag programs. Tablets, Chromebooks, and Mac/Apple devices are not supported by D2L Brightspace, the system-wide online learning management system.

Careers & Jobs

Meat Cutter
Butcher
Meat Merchant
Entrepreneur
Meat Processor
Meat Inspector