For members competing in the National FFA Meats Evaluation and Technology Career Development Event (CDE), Purdue University’s campus isn’t just a competition site — it’s also a farm-to-table learning experience.
Inside the Land O’ Lakes Center for Experiential Learning, which competitors will have an opportunity to tour, Purdue students are busy working on the cutting floor of this state-of-the-art, state-inspected laboratory. Recent Purdue University graduate Evan Campbell, for example, received hands-on experiences in the Boilermaker Butcher Block, a retail store housed in this center, that prepared him for his future.
“I come from a city background — no livestock, no agriculture,” Campbell says. “I had some pretty transformative courses, and I kind of took a leap of faith that the meat science stuff was something I enjoyed and was interested in. After my sophomore year, I made the switch from pre-vet to focus on the meat industry and production, and I haven’t looked back since.”
Bringing Agriculture Into Action
In the lab, students like Campbell get the real-world exposure they crave as they search for their career path. That early exposure is also what FFA members who participate in the meats evaluation and technology CDE get to experience at an even younger age.
The CDE emphasizes cooperation, communication and the evaluation of meat products through various individual and team activities that equip competitors with valuable employment skills and knowledge of meat animal products. Competing at the national level during convention also provides members with exposure to a working meat lab.
“This is really our opportunity to bring agriculture into action,” says Purdue Associate Professor Stacy Zuelly, who serves as the National FFA Meats Evaluation and Technology CDE superintendent. “That’s one of the reasons why this is such a great career path — because it’s so diverse in opportunities. There’s so many different careers that fall under this window, and having that base knowledge of animal agriculture sets those students up for such success.”
Beyond the Block
FFA Alumna and Boilermaker Butcher Block Manager Emily Ford says she found her love of the industry at a young age.
“I really enjoyed showing livestock as a child, but I also enjoyed cooking,” Ford says. “So, meat science is my bridge to those two joys that I had as a child. I really enjoy making new meat products and educating students at Purdue.”
For Ford, the experiences offered at the butcher shop mimic real-life careers in the industry, and Boilermakers have a unique opportunity to get a taste of what a career in this field may look like early on.
“They learn a lot, and they find that our facility helps them immensely in their classwork,” she says. “They have direct access to all of the things that they’re learning in their textbooks.”
Although students, like Campbell, plan to continue their education, others consider working at the butcher shop as a side hustle and passion project.
Purdue senior Levi Baker, for example, finds himself on the banks of the Wabash River studying entomology. The Indiana FFA Alum’s hunting background brought him to work at the butcher shop.
“We do everything, from the harvest to the final cuts,” says Baker, who dreams of being a pilot after he graduates from Purdue. “We do finished products, such as ready-to-eat snack sticks and bacon, and all sorts of things that are ready to go on the table. I think it’s a really cool full-circle thing that we have here, where the students raise and process the animals, and it’s sold to students and faculty, as well as the community, which is a really fun thing to be a part of.”
Campbell and Baker encourage FFA members who come for the tour to keep an open mind about the industry and possibilities for their futures.
“When I came here, I had never touched a cow or done anything with livestock,” Campbell says. “If you would have told me I would be working in a meat lab, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. So, if there’s something you find interesting, don’t shy away from it.”
Baker echoes that sentiment: “Use your interests, and let those move you forward,” he says.
