Connecting Processors and Apprentices
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Our team is working to address the bottlenecks in the Minnesota meat processing industry. We do this through research, helping small processors with workforce and succession planning, and connecting potential apprentices with employers and programs at Ridgewater College and Central Lakes College.
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Our Team
Paul Sobocinski is a Redwood County sustainable livestock farmer who has raised pigs for Niman Ranch for over 20 years, plus cattle and hogs for direct and market sale. For 40 years, Paul was a farm organizer for the Land Stewardship Project and other organizations. Paul is a very active member of Minnesota Farmers Union and currently serves as the Redwood County MFU as it vice president.
Tom Nuessmeier farms in Le Sueur County raising crops and hogs. He has used local meat lockers to process pigs for family and direct market customers for over 20 years. Tom has also worked as a rural organizer with the Land Stewardship Project. He joined the Bottleneck Project team in November of 2023.
Julio Cesar Tena Soria is an immigrant who arrived in the United States at the age of 19, settling down in Kandiyohi County. He initially worked in the construction. In 2016, he began his studies in theology at Saint John's University and became certified as a lay minister in 2021. He is now serving Spanish-speaking communities in Minnesota and will soon be ordained Deacon Permanent in the Catholic Church inn the Diocese of St Cloud. Julio began working with the Bottleneck Project in March 2023 and lead's the group's outreach to the Hispanic community
Ryan Solberg is a first-year Masters in Public Policy student at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs. Prior to coming to graduate school, he worked in local economic development in the greater Sioux Falls, SD area, getting the chance to work on several meat processing projects. Ryan joined the Bottleneck Project in August 2024 as a graduate assistant though the University of Minnesota Extension's Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships (RSDP).
Tom Nuessmeier farms in Le Sueur County raising crops and hogs. He has used local meat lockers to process pigs for family and direct market customers for over 20 years. Tom has also worked as a rural organizer with the Land Stewardship Project. He joined the Bottleneck Project team in November of 2023.
Julio Cesar Tena Soria is an immigrant who arrived in the United States at the age of 19, settling down in Kandiyohi County. He initially worked in the construction. In 2016, he began his studies in theology at Saint John's University and became certified as a lay minister in 2021. He is now serving Spanish-speaking communities in Minnesota and will soon be ordained Deacon Permanent in the Catholic Church inn the Diocese of St Cloud. Julio began working with the Bottleneck Project in March 2023 and lead's the group's outreach to the Hispanic community
Ryan Solberg is a first-year Masters in Public Policy student at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs. Prior to coming to graduate school, he worked in local economic development in the greater Sioux Falls, SD area, getting the chance to work on several meat processing projects. Ryan joined the Bottleneck Project in August 2024 as a graduate assistant though the University of Minnesota Extension's Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships (RSDP).
Our Partners
In the Media
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7/12/24 Star Tribune - A rural Minnesota meat locker goes up in flames, but the business isn’t down for good
3/14/24 Solving the Meat Processing Bottleneck Project participate in the Minnesota Association of Meat Processors (MAMP) Annual Convention11/23/22 Fixing Minnesota's meat processing industry is a work in progress - Ag Week |
8/8/22 State's small meat processors need skilled workforce, report says - Mankato Free Press10/6/22 Finding the Next Generation of Minnesota Butchers - Twin Cities Business Magazine7/29/22 UMN report: small meat processors in Minnesota facing challenges - Supermarket Perimeter7/22/22 Minnesota's meat lockers need apprentices to solve bottlenecks, report says - Star Tribune8/22/2022 Report offers ways for Minnesota meat processors to replenish diminished workforce - Ag Week8/13/2022 Small meat processing shops offer big benefits to rural communities - Minnesota Farm Guide |
