Meat & Poultry -- January 2014 - 84

The Insider

OVERherd

Butcher in
training
Meat&Poultry Managing Editor,
Kimberlie Clyma, became a butcher
in training in December when she
attended Texas A&M Univ.'s Beef
101 workshop, a 3-day, hands-on,
intensive training program focused
on beef production from farm to

"It's been a
messy year."
-C. Larry Pope, CEO and president of
Smithfield Foods, during a call with
analysts in late December, on the
company reporting a $4.2 million loss in
its second fiscal quarter. Pope attributed
the loss largely to costs incurred when
the company was acquired by China's
Shuanghui International Holdings Ltd.
this past September. Merger-related
costs were estimated at $64 million
and complicated many accounting
calculations, which are not expected to
impact future results.

fork. More than 30 people from
various areas of the meat industry
joined Clyma in College Station,
Texas, to learn from members of
the A&M meat science faculty. The
training sessions were led by Davey
Griffi n, professor and extension
meat specialist, who was assisted by
many meat science students.
Kimberlie Clyma

M&P was honored to be invited
and can't thank the staff and
students enough for sharing their

Carnivorous
business
cards

vast knowledge and insight into the

An inventive business card created

beef-production process. In 2014,

by Meatcards (www.meatcards.

Beef 101 will be held: May 13-15;

com) may help job seekers land their

June 24-26; Dec. 3-5.

next job, according to Huffington
Post. The company is selling laser-

Tight supply of
reindeer meat

etched beef-jerky cards on 2-by-4-

The Alaska Dispatch reported early in December that the volume of reindeer

except for one-upping someone

meat produced in Finland is declining. In fact, Finnish reindeer producers

who has a regular paper card,"

were unable to accept a German order for reindeer meat from 100,000

Thompson said.

animals because there weren't that many animals in the country that could

inch slabs of jerky.
Meatcards founder Chris
Thompson hopes these cards will
stand out from traditional business
cards. "There's no real use for it

Burning a 12-point font onto

be slaughtered. At present, Finnish reindeer meat producers can satisfy just

meat isn't easy. But once finished

their own domestic demand.

with the laser treatment, the cards

Reindeer meat production has been in decline for years. However, the

should remain edible for up to one

domestic market could now take all the reindeer meat produced there plus
more. As a result of tight supplies, prices could skyrocket and producers

against consuming these cards,

worry the meat may become too expensive for domestic buyers - further

which are designed to make an

shrinking demand for this meat.

84

year. But still, Thompson advises

impression, not satiate appetites.

* Meat&Poultry * January 2014 * www.MeatPoultry.com
http://www.meatcards http://www.MeatPoultry.com
Meat & Poultry -- January 2014

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