The University of Idaho will celebrate the grand opening of the Meat Science and Innovation Center on Friday, April 10, from 10:00 am to noon at 775 Perimeter Drive in Moscow.
The 12,750-square-foot, $17.5 million facility replaces an outdated building from the 1960s and will accommodate larger classes, expand research and training opportunities, and increase production capacity for the university’s Vandal Brand Meats program. Dedicated spaces allow multiple operations to run simultaneously, significantly improving efficiency.
The center is one of the few USDA-inspected plants in the region where small-scale northern Idaho ranchers can process their beef, and will continue training workers to staff meat processing facilities across Idaho. Vandal Brand Meats generates more than $325,000 in annual sales, and U of I’s meat science program boasts a 100% job placement rate among graduates.
The center honors the late Ron Richard, a longtime Vandal Brand Meats manager who helped build the program’s reputation.
Parking for the grand opening is available in Lot 110 on the north side of Idaho Avenue.