The aging of America's agricultural population has been a growing concern for decades. The average farmer is now over 58 years old. Rural businesses, likewise, are suffering as one generation retires with no one following behind.
Anyone ready to throw in the towel on the future of young people in rural communities should attend an American Association of Meat Processors (AAMP) convention for a jolt of optimism.
AAMP bills its annual gathering as a family affair. That’s no overstatement.
Developing a small meat processing facility probably isn’t what the average person would envision for post-retirement. Dave Endicott didn’t envision it either.
Yet, five years after stepping down from a career in higher education, he is overseeing the grand opening of a new processing facility established by Minnesota Farmers Union Foundation in Staples, MN.
Dave spent 30 years in K-12 and higher education, culminating as the Dean at Central Lakes College in Staples, MN. There, he developed a Meat Cutting and Butchery Program to address the need for skilled professionals to replace the aging butcher workforce in the upper Midwest.
