A virtual career exploration experience

Butcher/Meat Cutter

Description of job: Cut, trim, or prepare consumer-sized portions of meat for use or sale in retail establishments.

Whether they’re planning a grill out or bringing home a holiday roast, customers count on the skills of a butcher to prepare the meat they purchase. Butchers and meat cutters cut and trim meat into steaks, chops, and other cuts using knives, grinders, or meat saws. They prepare meat for sale— weighing it, wrapping it, and putting it on display. Butchers may serve customers directly. Butchers who run their own store often track inventory, order supplies, and perform other recordkeeping duties. In processing plants, these workers are known as meat, poultry and fish cutters and trimmers. Because they typically work on an assembly line, they usually perform a single cut repeatedly during their shift. These workers need to consistently follow procedures to meet safety and health standards. Butchers and meat cutters often stand for long periods, and usually work in cold rooms. Dexterity, strength, and stamina are also essential qualities in this field. There are typically no formal education requirements to become a butcher. They train on the job, learning simple cuts within a few weeks, and advancing to more complicated tasks over several months to a year. While most butchers work full time, shifts may be scheduled from early mornings to late evenings, and include weekends and holidays.

Also known as:  Butcher, Meat Clerk, Meat Cutter, Meat Specialist, Meat Trimmer, Meat Wrapper

Sources: Minnesota CAREERwise & CareerOneStop

Typical Job ActivitiesSkills & KnowledgeAve Wage/Job OutlookEducation & Training

Typical Work Tasks
People who work in this career often:

  • Inspect food products.
  • Load items into ovens or furnaces.
  • Mark products, workpieces, or equipment with identifying information.
  • Confer with customers or designers to determine order specifications.
  • Estimate material requirements for production.
  • Cut meat products.
  • Prepare meat products for sale or consumption.
  • Weigh finished products.
  • Record operational or production data.
  • Direct operational or production activities.

Typical Working Conditions

  • Working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions.
  • Wearing common protective or safety equipment such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, hard hats, or life jackets.
  • Frequent contact with others.
  • Dealing with external customers.
  • Making decisions that impact co-workers or company results.
  • Exposure to hazardous equipment.
  • Working in very hot or cold temperatures.
  • Meeting strict deadlines.
  • The importance of being accurate or exact.
  • Responsibility for others’ health and safety.

Source: Minnesota CAREERwise

Most Important Skills for Butcher/Meat Cutter

  • Listening—Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Managing People—Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
  • Managing Time—Managing one’s own time and the time of others.
  • Reading—Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • Speaking—Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Thinking Critically—Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • Being Aware of Others—Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
  • Helping Others—Actively looking for ways to help people.
  • Monitoring Performance—Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • Persuading Others—Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.

Most Important Knowledge Areas for Butcher/Meat Cutter

  • Food Production—Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
  • Customer and Personal Service—Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • Production and Processing—Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
  • Sales and Marketing—Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
  • Mechanical—Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
  • Mathematics—Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
  • Administration and Management—Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
  • English Language—Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Education and Training—Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
  • Clerical—Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.

Interests
Different careers may be a good fit for your personality or interests. This career is:

  • Realistic—Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
  • Conventional—Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Source: Minnesota CAREERwise

Wages Per Hour For Butcher/Meat Cutter (MN)
Low

$17.35

 Median

$19.27

 High

$23.67

Low indicates 25% of workers earn less and 75% earn more. Median indicates 50% of workers earn less and 50% earn more. High indicates 75% of workers earn less and 25% earn more.

Demand
This career is seeing low growth compared to other careers. There will be a need for about 2,716 new Butchers and Meat Cutters to meet market demand between 2018-2028. This includes the demand due to replacement (workers leaving the occupation or retiring) as well as growth.

Source: Minnesota CAREERwise

This career requires at a high school diploma. This career does not require a license but there is a certification that is helpful for advancement.

View the local post-secondary education options for this career from Central Lakes College.

Spotlight on Central Lakes College

If you have a physical, mental, developmental, or cognitive condition that requires educational support, learn about support options at CLC.

Helpful High School Courses
Examples of helpful classes that help you prepare for this career:

  • Applied Math
  • Blueprint Reading
  • Computer Applications
  • Drafting
  • Electronics
  • Geometry
  • Industrial Technology
  • Introduction to Business
  • Physics
  • Pre-Calculus
  • Technical Writing
  • Trigonometry

Source: Minnesota CAREERwise


Visit the Minnesota State Northern Agricultural Center of Excellence for more information about this and related careers, as well as links to education and training programs.

Videos
Day in the Life: Meat Team Member at Whole Foods Market
Take this Job – Butcher

Additional Resources
AgCareers.com (National FFA)
Career in Agriculture and Natural Resources (Utah State University Extension)