THE final year students at Grootfontein College of Agriculture recently had a blast with their practical course in meat processing.
It is integrated into the three-year diploma course at the college and presented by Andries Pretorius over a one-year period when they are divided into practical groups of 15 students.
During this course students are introduced to meat safety, hygiene and the basic meat processing in an abattoir.
They are also introduced to the basic cuts on sheep, beef and game carcasses.
The students get hands-on training on how to cut the prime cuts of meat and retail cuts like rump, T-bones, fillets, stewing steaks and biltong, as well as how to add value to the meat through processing. Hoof grading of animals, classifications of meat and how to make things like boerewors, patties, biltong and droëwors are also part of the course.
The products that are prepared and processed by the students themselves in the fully equipped abattoir at Grootfontein are then used for student meals at the hostel on the campus.
Meat processing forms an integral part of the three-year course and is also combined with the dairy processing course, which takes place during the same period of time. During dairy processing they prepare different types of cheese as well as yoghurt.
Through these practical courses at Grootfontein, the students gain the basic experience needed to start their own small scale meat or dairy business or at least to be able to process these products in their future career.