SCHEDULE
APRIL 9-11, 2025
Thank you for attending!
AGENDA
| TIME | DATE | ITEM | DESCRIPTION | LOCATION | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7:00 | 4/9/2025 | Leave Tuskegee University | Preconference Tour Limited to 50 People, Preregistration Required. | 1200 W. Montgomery Rd. Tuskegee, AL-leaving from Henderson | |
| 7:30 | 4/9/2025 | Pick up from Tru Hotel | Pick up from Tru Hotel | 2411 W Pace Blvd, Auburn, AL 36830 | |
| 7:35 | 4/9/2025 | Leave for Tour | White Oak Pastures Farm | White Oak Pastures Farm & General Store 101 Church St, Bluffton, GA 39824 | |
| 9:30 | 4/9/2025 | Arrive at Tour | White Oak Pastures Farm | White Oak Pastures Farm & General Store 101 Church St, Bluffton, GA 39824 | |
| 9:30 –11 | 4/9/2025 | Tour and Questions | Tour of 50 with Description of the Objectives and Expected Highlights | White Oak Pastures Farm & General Store 101 Church St, Bluffton, GA 39824 | |
| 11:15-12:15 | 4/9/2025 | Lunch | Lunch at Tour- White Oak Pastures Farm | White Oak Pastures Farm & General Store 101 Church St, Bluffton, GA 39824 | |
| 12:30 | 4/9/2025 | Depart for Tuskegee | 1200 W. Montgomery Rd. Tuskegee, AL-leaving from Henderson | ||
| 4:00 PM | 4/9/2025 | Registration | Under the Tents | Goat Farm | |
| 5:00 PM | 4/9/2025 | Welcome Ceremony and Reception | Under the Tents Dinner | Goat Farm | |
| 7:00 PM | 4/9/2025 | Adjourn for Evening | Adjourn for Evening | ||
| 7:15 PM | 4/9/2025 | Shuttle to Hotel | Shuttle to Hotel | 2411 W Pace Blvd, Auburn, AL 36830 | |
| 8:15 | 4/10/2025 | Shuttle from Tru Hotel (Auburn) to TU | Shuttle Provided | 2411 W Pace Blvd, Auburn, AL 36830 | |
| 9:00 | 4/10/2025 | Welcome and Introductions | Introduction by Tuskegee Administration and Faculty | Thompkins Auditorium | |
| 9:30-10:00am | 4/10/2025 | Opening Session | Dr. Derris Burnett: State of the small meat and poultry processing industry in the SE | Thompkins Auditorium | |
| 10:00-10:45am | 4/10/2025 | Farm to Fork | Livestock extension specialists provide perspective on the attributes and performance targets of market destined and finished livestock. | Thompkins Auditorium | |
| 10:45-11:00am | 4/10/2025 | Morning Break | Light refreshments provided | Thompkins Auditorium | |
| 11:00-11:30am | 4/10/2025 | Setting up for Success: Food Safety | Mr. Maliq Holmes Will Present Safety considerations for small processing and farm-direct marketing. | Thompkins Auditorium | |
| 11:30-12:00pm | 4/10/2025 | Fragrances and Formulations | Miguel Del Toro, from IFF will present on current trends in food fragrances and ingredient formulations. | Thompkins Auditorium | |
| 11:30-12:00pm | 4/10/2025 | Spices, Marinades, and Seasoning: Sources and Strategies | Meggie Bertucci, AC LEGGS will discuss how sourcing high-quality spices and developing thoughtful marinades and seasoning blends can elevate meat products and enhance consumer appeal. | Thompkins Ball Room | |
| 12:00-1:15pm | 4/10/2025 | Grill Side Lunch and Learn | Participants will enjoy a lunch and learn session with a variety of cuts from the previous sessions on niche species fabrication and spices and marinades. This will help connect the concepts from farm to table. | Transition to Farm | |
| 1:30-2:00pm | 4/10/2025 | Organic Processing: Opportunities, Regulations, and Challenges | Dave Carter, Flowerhill will discuss evolving world of organic meat processing, exploring the growing market demand, certification requirements, and operational hurdles processors face. Join industry experts as we unpack the regulatory landscape, discuss strategies for maintaining organic integrity, and highlight the unique opportunities available to producers committed to sustainable and transparent practices. | Goat Farm | |
| 2:00-2:45pm | 4/10/2025 | Tools of the Trade: Processing Equipment to “Meat the Need” | Mike Ward, Southeastern Butcher will present on options for procuring equipment and supplies for Small and Medium processors. | Goat Farm | |
| 2:45-3:30pm | 4/11/2025 | Meat me on the Farm | Mobile Processing Capabilities, challenges, and opportunities. Tuskegee University: Brooklyn Divers, Derris Burnett | Goat Farm | |
| 2:30-4:30pm | 4/10/2025 | Hides to Handbags: Mastering Traditional Tanning | Learn sustainable methods, and gain practical skills that deepen your connection to the craft of meat processing. This workshop offers valuable insights into transforming raw materials into beautiful leather. | Goat Farm | |
| 5:15-7:00pm | 4/10/2025 | Offal Party: Dinner and Discussions | Dinner will consist of a variety of meat cuts and samples of offal dishes to demonstrate the added value of this industry. | Goat Farm | |
| 7:15pm | 4/10/2025 | Shuttle to Hotel | Tru Hotel | 2411 W Pace Blvd, Auburn, AL 36830 | |
| 7:00am | 4/11/2025 | Shuttle to Tuskegee | Pick Up From Tru Hotel | 2411 W Pace Blvd, Auburn, AL 36830 | |
| 8:00am | 4/11/2025 | Welcome and Introductions | Introduction by Tuskegee Administration and Faculty | Auditorim | |
| 8:30-9:00am | 4/11/2025 | Keynote Session | Beyond the Bottleneck: Succeeding in the value-added industry | Auditorim | |
| 9:00-9:30am | 4/11/2025 | Marketing | Making the Grade: Grid pricing and Remote Grading: AMS (Beruk Lemma) | Auditorim | |
| 9:30-9:55am | 4/11/2025 | Tech Session | AI and Robotics in Meat Processing and Evaluation | Auditorim | |
| 10:00-10:30am | 4/11/2025 | MPPTA Resource Navigation | The Meat Locker: AMSA Rob Maddock | Auditorim | |
| 10:40-11:15pm | 4/11/2025 | Workshop A | Taking Animals across the finish line: Lee Menius | Auditorim | |
| 10:40-11:15pm | 4/11/2025 | Workshop B | Organic Opportunities in Meat Processing/Organic institute- Dave Carter | Auditorim | |
| 10:40-11:15pm | 4/11/2025 | Workshop C | Matt Leroux: By the Cut Sales Cornell Calculator | Auditorim | |
| 11:30-12:00pm | 4/11/2025 | Workshop D | Dr.Kristin Woods: Mini Grants | Ballroom | |
| 11:30-12:00pm | 4/11/2025 | Workshop E | Darrell Tennie, The Tennie Group Meat Processing Finances | Ballroom | |
| 11:30-12:00pm | 4/11/2025 | Workshop F | Emory Davis: From Producer to Processor | Ballroom | |
| 12:00-1:15pm | 4/11/2025 | Lunch | Amber Pratt, Farm Credit and Keynote Speaker (Kim Ratcliff) Ratcliff Premium Meats | Ballroom | |
| 1:15-2:00pm | 4/11/2025 | Afternoon Session | Workforce: Training, Recruitment and Retention Dr. Clarissa Harris | Auditorim | |
| 2:30-3:30pm | 4/11/2025 | Roundtable Discussion | Roundtable Discussion: Halal, Kosher, and Indigenous Harvest: Accessing and Accommodating Niche Markets- Dr. Youssouf Diabate | Goat Farm | |
| 3:30-3:45 | 4/11/2025 | Afternoon Break | Break Refreshments | Goat Farm | |
| 3:45-4:15pm | 4/11/2025 | Roundtable Discussion | Contemporary Challenges for Small Processors | Goat Farm | |
| 4:15-4:45pm | 4/11/2025 | Roundtable Discussion | Contemporary Challenges for Small Processors | Goat Farm | |
| 5:00pm | 4/11/25 | Shuttle to Hotel | Tru Hotel | 2411 W Pace Blvd, Auburn, AL 36830 | |
| 5:30pm | 4/11/25 | Dinner | Dinner on your own | ||
Thank you to our Sponsors
