Skip to main content Skip to office menu Skip to footer
Capital IconMinnesota Legislature

Bill offering assistance to small meat processors could fix a weak link in food chain

Greg Wierschke, owner of Clean Chickens and Co. in Elk River, testifies before the House Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee March 2 in support of a bill sponsored by Rep. Nathan Nelson, left. (Photo by Andrew VonBank)
Greg Wierschke, owner of Clean Chickens and Co. in Elk River, testifies before the House Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee March 2 in support of a bill sponsored by Rep. Nathan Nelson, left. (Photo by Andrew VonBank)

Small and medium size meat processors are struggling to keep up with demand.

A report from the Minnesota Institute of Sustainable Agriculture states: “There is a distinct bottleneck in the Minnesota small meat processing industry, exacerbated by COVID-19 and the lack of a skilled workforce.”

Lowering the hurdles often faced by processors aiming to start or expand their businesses, is behind two bills sponsored by Rep. Nathan Nelson (R-Hinckley).

House agriculture panel hears HF1302 3/2/23

As amended, HF1302 would appropriate $75,000 annually for a meat processing liaison within the Department of Agriculture, and HF1303 would appropriate $100,000 in fiscal year 2024 for technical assistance grants for small processors with 50 or fewer employees. Both bills were laid over Thursday by the House Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee for possible omnibus bill inclusion.

Starting or expanding a meat processing business is a daunting task, Nelson said. Making sure proper permits and inspections are in place is crucial because one misstep might mean starting over from the beginning. As subject matter experts, the Department of Agriculture is well-equipped to answer inspection questions.

A goal of the department is to lower any language barriers.

House agriculture panel considers HF1303 3/2/23

The proposed technical assistance grants would help processing businesses and livestock producers, said Greg Wierschke, owner of Clean Chickens and Co. He is currently working on building a lamb and goat processing center, which would be the only halal-certified plant between here and Chicago.

There are 100,000 citizens here that can’t access the food they want, Wierschke said. To meet the need, processors need food safety, formulation and business plans.

“And to get there we need technical assistance,” he said. 

The bills have widespread support, including from livestock producers and economic development organizations.

“This is a need we really see in our communities,” said Rep. Kristi Pursell (DFL-Northfield). “It impacts people who have a small number of animals.”


Related Articles


Priority Dailies

Legislature — with budget incomplete — gavels out, prepares for special session
House Speaker Lisa Demuth and Republican Floor Leader Harry Niska speak with the media following the May 19 end of the regular legislative session. (Photo by Michele Jokinen) Some years, state legislative sessions surge to a climax on their final day, a flurry of activity providing a sustained adrenaline rush, culminating in smiles of satisfaction as...
Walz, lawmakers strike budget deal in session's final days
Gov. Tim Walz and three of four legislative leaders announce a bipartisan agreement on biennial budget targets during a May 15 press conference. (Photo by Andrew VonBank) With five days to go in the 2025 session, three of four legislative leaders announced a budget agreement Thursday that would sunset unemployment insurance for hourly school empl...