Farm Talk

Area Farm & Ranch News

July 21, 2010

MU to host Show Me Beef University courses

Associated Press

Parson, Kansas — Beef producers will see what happens to their product on the way to the supermarket meat case in two workshops, August 9-11 and August 11-13, at the meats lab at the University of Missouri.

“Producers can learn what adds value to their product,” said Carol Lorenzen, MU Extension meat specialist. “They will see the process from live animal to carcass to retail package.”

The “Show Me Beef University” workshops are sponsored by MU Extension in cooperation with the Missouri Beef Industry Council. The classes will help producers think beyond the farm gate to learn what consumers want when buying beef.

“Too often, beef producers never think about what affects quality. Few think of what happens to their calves once they leave the farm,” said David Patterson, MU Extension beef reproduction specialist.

“The workshops will be very much hands-on,” Lorenzen said. The instructors will be MU professors from animal sciences, veterinary medicine and food science.

A big part of the lessons will focus on food safety at every step of the process. Finally, participants will go into a commercial kitchen to see the final steps to the dinner plate.

Participants will cut a whole rib, progressively, down to the final products. They will also see displays of different types of retail case-ready packages and convenience products.

They will see processing of a market steer and a cull cow to learn the difference in meat quality and value.

The workshop will also feature taste-testing of beef to discover the differences between USDA quality grades and aging times of meat.

Enrollees will arrive at 5 p.m. on the first day to study meat products and participate in taste tests.

Research updates will follow dinner.

The second day runs from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. with lectures and participation exercises.

The final day, the participants will see the cutouts from the carcasses graded the day before.

The program ends with lunch the third day.

The classes will be limited to 30 participants on a first-come basis.

The $100 registration fee includes four meals, a parking pass and instructional materials.

To register, contact Lorenzen at LorenzenC@mis souri.edu or 573-882-2452. Tuition can be paid upon arrival.

A block of rooms has been reserved at the Courtyard by Marriott, 3301 LeMone Industrial Blvd. in Columbia. Room rate is $89 per night with breakfast included. To make a reservation, call 573-443-8000 by July 26 and ask for the “Show Me Beef University” rate.

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