The Michael L. Parson Meat Science Education and Training Laboratory is set to open on the University of Missouri campus during July 2026. On April 28, 2026, university and state leaders announced that the student-run retail space within the facility will be renamed as the American Foods Group Meat Market at Mizzou, following a gift from The Rosen Family Foundation to the university's College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR).

Mizzou’s meat market supports teaching, extension and research activities of the food science and animal sciences programs in CAFNR. The space is a storefront for the community to purchase meat products produced in the Michael L. Parson Meat Science Education and Training Laboratory facility and will be operated by students in CAFNR, combining traditional learning with hands-on, entrepreneurial experience.

The Parson Meat Science Education and Training Laboratory, located just south of the Trowbridge Livestock Center on the Mizzou campus, will promote innovation in meat processing through research, provide training to the state’s workforce on the latest technology and best practices, and inform communities across the state on food sourcing. The building is named in honor of former Gov. Mike Parson, a champion of agriculture during his time in office and a third-generation cattleman. In 2023 and 2024, Parson signed budget bills that included a combined $35 million for the facility now bearing his name.

The news of the meat market naming was announced as part of Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe's visit to America’s Heartland Packing facility in Warren County, Mo., which opened in 2025. During the visit, Kehoe and state officials declared May Beef Month in Missouri.

American Foods Group's 800,000-plus-square-foot facility in Warren County employs 1,300 people and offers expanded processing options for Missouri cattle producers.

“This is a perfect example of public/private partnership that will benefit our state through shared priorities in applied research, industry‑driven innovation and workforce development,” said Bryon Wiegand, director of the Parson Meat Science Education and Training Lab and the Division of Animal Sciences in CAFNR. “I am grateful to The Rosen Family Foundation for recognizing the importance of our meat market space for impactful student education and experience in meat processing; in turn, the space will educate future leaders for companies such as AFG that have come into our state and proven they truly are the food processing business for Missouri.”

“American Foods Group appreciates the generosity of The Rosen Family Foundation and its support for the University of Missouri’s new meat laboratory and its continued commitment to charitable, educational and scientific purposes,” said David Jagodzinske, president and COO of American Foods Group.

The Michael L. Parson Meat Science Education and Training Laboratory is the state’s only working and teaching laboratory devoted entirely to meat processing and will enhance capacity for research and outreach with expanded lab space, classrooms and faculty offices, in addition to the American Foods Group Meat Market at Mizzou.

Source: University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources