Hawaiʻi Community College‘s Kō Education Center in Honokaʻa announced the launch of a new six-week, non-credit butchery course starting in spring 2025. The course was made possible through a four-year, $950,000 grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
“We are excited to be able to offer this new course and others at Kō Education Center,” said Hawaiʻi CC Chancellor Susan Kazama. “The USDA grant aims to improve opportunities for Native Hawaiian and underserved students in agriculture-related fields and fits perfectly with our college’s mission to train students for jobs on our island.”
The first of its kind at Hawaiʻi CC, the course offers students comprehensive, hands-on training in butchery, including humane slaughter methods, carcass breakdown and meat processing. The curriculum also covers food safety standards, proper meat labeling and animal husbandry, to prepare students for employment in Hawaiʻi’s butchery industry. The training is part of the UH Meat and Poultry Workforce Consortium, in collaboration with UH Hilo and UH Mānoa’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources.
“We are pioneering the kind of butchery that’s needed today,” said Bill Wong, co-founder and owner of 17 Ranch in Kohala. “This course is a small piece but it comes at a time when we are concerned about the future of our planet and our food sources. What students will learn in six weeks would normally take a year to learn in the workforce.”
Hawaiʻi CC announced the butchery course during the 2024 Hāmākua Sugar Days Festival in October. The festival, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the closure of the last local sugar plantation, honors Hāmākua’s agricultural past while showcasing new initiatives like the butchery course. An information booth will be set up on October 12 during the festival’s parade day to share details about the course.
Crucial opportunities for rural communities
Nicole Garcia, executive director of the Honokaʻa Heritage Center and coordinator of the Hāmākua Sugar Days Festival, said it’s crucial for small, rural communities to have access to post-secondary education, technical training and certificate courses to provide opportunities for everyone in the community.
“I think our community will greatly benefit from the butchery program,” said Garcia. “It aligns perfectly with the needs of our area, where ranching is such a big part of life. I’m particularly excited to see this program fill a critical gap, offering valuable professional development close to home.”
The grant is part of a larger effort to improve pathways for Native Hawaiian and underserved students in agriculture-related fields. The UH Meat and Poultry Workforce Consortium aims to improve animal science transfer pathways from community colleges to four-year institutions, developing a skilled labor force for meat and poultry production, fostering a sense of belonging for underserved students, and enhancing industry connections.
For those interested in the butchery course, fill out the form online. For more information, email hawvcca@hawaii.edu.
