A taste of success: Redefining hands-on education

MARSHFIELD – Mid-State Technical College’s new Meat Market is a thriving community-facing venture redefining the meaning of hands-on education.

The student-led, faculty-supervised Meat Market is an extension of Mid-State’s growing Meat Cutting and Butchery program, which recently expanded to offer certificates and technical diplomas in Meat Cutting and Butchery and Meat Processing and Retail.

All certificates and technical diplomas aim to prepare students for real-world careers in the meat industry.

The program’s expansion from certificates and technical diplomas into a public-facing initiative was a natural evolution in the growth of the program.

Through their courses, students go through food safety certifications, retail standards and planning, making a student-run retail project the logical next step that best allows students to develop their skills.

Alex Lendved, dean of Mid-State’s Marshfield Campus and School of Applied Technology, said, “we decided that we would have a student-led, faculty supervised meat market to really showcase that our students are learning these safety practices and principles—and to make their handcrafted products available to the public.”

The initial idea for the Meat Market emerged from faculty conversations during the program’s early semesters.

Adam Schlafke, Mid-State’s Master Meat Crafter and lead faculty member for the program, said, “We would process a pig or a lamb, and we’d have all these cuts leftover. We didn’t know what to do with them except give them to the students. Then we realized we could make up some of the cash for the class itself, so we started pondering the idea of a Meat Market.”

While the idea took shape during the 2023-24 academic year, the market officially opened in early fall 2025, following a soft launch limited to Mid-State faculty and students.

“Once we got the ball rolling and were comfortable, that’s when we opened it up to the general public,” Schlafke said.

“[The Meat Market] is a good use of our students’ learning and knowledge as well as a good use of the products that they’re so proud of,” Lendved said. “It really helps our students keep it front of mind that the products they’re making will be consumable by the public. As they’re cleaning, doing temperature checks, weighing spices—everything they do matters more because it’s real.”

Unlike traditional coursework, the Meat Market exposes students to the realities of retail operations. Orders come in online, are fulfilled by students, and are prepared with careful attention to labeling, packaging, and quality control.

“They’re getting a taste of the retail end of it, how to run a market,” Schlafke said. “Some students want to open their own butcher shop. Others end up in grocery store meat departments. Having that background in managing and running a retail operation is huge.”

The market has also increased student engagement, with Schlafke noting a marked difference in how students approach their work.

“They realize our name is on something that’s going out to the community,” he said. “So they keep a little bit closer track and are more mindful of not messing up who gets what.”

So far, community response has been overwhelmingly positive.

Products frequently sell out, and interest grew rapidly once the market began advertising on social media.

“Orders just started coming in left and right,” Schlafke said. “The community is definitely interested in what we have going on.”

Part of the appeal lays in the market’s specialty items. Rather than focusing solely on everyday staples, students and faculty experiment with unique recipes that showcase creativity and craftsmanship.

“One of my favorites is a jalapeño cranberry cheddar brat,” Schlafke said. “It’s got a little heat and a little sweetness. We’ve also done things like a Greek gyro brat and a chicken spinach feta cheese brat. Those sold out almost immediately.”

While current recipes are faculty-developed, that will soon change.

“When we start our advanced sausage-making course, students will really get involved in creating and refining their own recipes,” Schlafke said. “I’m very excited for what we’re going to come up with.”

For now, the focus remains on quality, learning, and turning impactful education into a shared community experience.

“We try to make high-end, specialty products that we’re excited for the community to try,” Schlafke said. “We’re happy people are buying from us, and we hope it keeps growing.”

Mid-State’s Meat Market is an opportunity for students to learn by doing, offering them the chance to grow — and the community a taste of their success.