Applications Now Open for the 2026 Best Butcher Contest: Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative and PA Pork Producers Council Invite Butchers & Meat Cutters to Compete

Bedford, PA – Butchers and meat cutters from across the Northeast region, spanning Maine to Virginia, are invited to apply for the 2026 Best Butcher Contest, scheduled for Thursday, May 14, 2026, at the Penn State Meats Lab in State College, Pennsylvania.

Hosted in partnership with the Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative (NEBPI), a subcontractor to the Beef Checkoff, and the PA Pork Producers Council, the contest will take place during the Pennsylvania Association of Meat Processors (PAMP) Annual Convention, one of the region’s largest gatherings for butchers, meat cutters, processors, and industry professionals.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the United States is home to an estimated 139,100 butchers and meat cutters (2023), with a projected decline of 2,900 positions by 2033. Now more than ever, this competition celebrates and elevates the skilled artisans essential to sustaining the region’s beef and pork supply chains.

“The Best Butcher Contest is about honoring the craftsmanship, precision, and deep product knowledge that these professionals bring to retail and foodservice customers every single day,” said Kaitlyn Swope, Director of Marketing, NEBPI. “Their work ensures consumers can trust the quality, consistency, and care behind their beef and pork purchases.”

A True Test of Skill

The 2026 Contest will challenge participants through multiple skill-based events, including:

• Precision cutting of beef and pork subprimals
• Product yield evaluation
• Consumer display development and a sales-pitch component

Competitors will have the chance to demonstrate their expertise, gain regional recognition, and compete for the title of 2026 Best Butcher and a $500 cash prize.

How to Apply

Butchers and meat cutters interested in competing can learn more and apply at nebpi.org/education/best-butcher-contest

Applications are due by April 14, 2026. Please reach out to Kaitlyn Swope, Director of Marketing with the Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative with any questions – 814-623-2698 or kswope@pabeef.org. 

For more information about beef promotion in the Northeast region, visit www.nebpi.org/.

The Beef Checkoff Program was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The Checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States may retain up to 50 cents on the dollar and forward the other 50 cents per head to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board, which administers the national Checkoff program, subject to USDA approval. Internal links within this document are funded and maintained by the Beef Checkoff.  All other outgoing links are to websites maintained by third parties.—