Last week I attended the 75^th annual Reciprocal Meats Conference in Des Moines, Iowa. I am honored to serve on the Board of Directors for the American Meat Science Association and had the opportunity to spend six days in meetings, technical sessions, reciprocation sessions and observing student events. We did get to meet last year, but this year was really the first time since 2019 that the event was back to “normal.” There are several positive takeaways from this meeting that I want to share because this industry is strong and the future is bright.

The science: I was amazed at the technical sessions at this meeting, as they indicate that our industry is moving forward toward innovative solutions to keep our food supply safe and to empower us to feed the world. The science presented at this meeting in all settings from keynote addresses, technical sessions, reciprocation sessions and graduate student research posters will have an impact not only today, but in the years to come. Our industry is grounded in science and data which are two components that will stand the test of time and keep us moving forward. According to one of the keynote speakers, the vast majority of the world eats meat and will continue to eat meat and we want to serve the consumer by providing the best product we can possibly produce.
The future: Two important components of the meeting point to the fact of preserving the future of this industry. First of all, there were more than 300 students at the meeting; I was thoroughly impressed with their commitment and knowledge of meat science. One of the events was the “Iron Chef” competition that was held at the Iowa Culinary Institute. The board had the opportunity to judge charcuterie boards and see the outcome of other elements of the competition. They are so smart and creative and I was impressed. There was also the student quiz bowl competition; while our Texas Tech Red Raiders made the finals, ultimately University of Florida won. I sat in on several sessions of the quiz bowl and the knowledge these students possess was incredible. Secondly, AMSA has started an endowment. The endowment will support programs for perpetuity for the association and will ensure that the scientific arm of the industry remails strong.
The family: AMSA is a family. From students to professors to industry professionals, we all have a connection through meat science. The support and camaraderie is keenly evident from the opening reception to the picnic all the way to the final banquet. As the award winners were announced at the banquet, a video was played highlighting the accomplishments and careers of each winner. It is so evident that the lives of the people are connected with each other personally and professionally.

I want to give a huge shout out to the AMSA staff, the Host Committee and RMC Chair for putting together such a wonderful event. If you aren’t familiar with AMSA or if you have never attended RMC, I encourage you to look into it — you won’t regret it!

A 'meating' of the minds

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