Meat + Poultry - October 2016 - 8

C O M M E N TA R Y

Teaming efforts
After assuming the role of editor of MEAT+POULTRY,
I was fortunate to inherit some longtime contributing
editors and lucky to be able to recruit several others
who've become coveted mainstays. This issue showcases
several of these editorial stars and is why we are proud to
claim their bylines in M+P.
Contributor Steve Kay, whose many accolades
include receiving the American Meat Institute's Industry
Innovation Award as well as being inducted into the
Meat Industry Hall of Fame, has been a valued editorial
partner since 1987. Longevity pays dividends as Kay
has developed a reputation for
his authoritative writing and
speaking engagements. But
perhaps more importantly for
M+P, Kay's historical intelligence
in the industry provides readers
with layers of context and intel
that can only be achieved from
spending most of three decades
writing and talking about the
industry. Who else can say they
wrote a story in 1987 on what was
then IBP's 21-year-old mothership
plant and 29 years later returned
to that same plant in Dakota City,
Nebraska. M+P sent him back
to see what a difference Tyson's
acquisition has had on operations
This issue
at the massive facility just days
showcases
before officials celebrated its
several
Golden Anniversary. His sequel
(See "Beef Battleship," Page 16) is
M P
a perfect example of how readers
editorial
of M+P benefit from the expertise
stars.
and longevity of someone who
remembers marveling at the
600,000-sq.-ft. plant in 1987 and whose eyes popped to
see the 2016 version, at triple the square footage and
brimming with technology. Kay is a master of his craft
who's dedicated his career to reporting on the industry
and that mastery shines in this must-read story.
Meanwhile, Temple Grandin, Ph.D., in her From
the Corral column (See "Shortage of skills," Page 110)
demonstrates why she is not only the world's leading
authority on animal welfare issues, but also a thought
leader in the industry. Her points about the shortage of
skilled laborers trained to design, build and maintain

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MEAT+ POULTRY | 10.16 | www.meatpoultry.com

the technology used every day in every processing plant
across the country is perceptive and authoritatively
delivered by someone who's spent 25 years teaching
college students and more than four decades designing
and working in the construction of meat processing
plants. It is a privilege to work closely with Grandin for
many years and we look forward to her contributions for
years to come. Speaking of Grandin (SPOILER ALERT),
I had the opportunity to shadow the professor of animal
science at Colorado State Univ., on the campus and in the
classroom this past month. A profile of the academic side
of Grandin will be the subject of M+P's November cover
story and will provide a glimpse of her expertise as an
educator of many of tomorrow's industry leaders.
Jerry Karczewski's background working in operational
management at processing plants operated by Cargill for
his entire career give extra credibility to his informative
writing style, which shines in his feature on North
Country Smokehouse (See "Premium product," Page
48). The former director of the American Association of
Meat Processors, Steve Krut, also shines in this issue,
with another profile of one of America's leading small
processing companies. Having hosted Krut at the M+P
booth at this past summer's AAMP convention in Omaha, it
is clear that he is one of the most popular and best-known
names in the small- and medium-size plant segment.
Walking around with Krut at this event was like walking
around with Stan Lee at a Comic-con exposition and M+P
appreciates this relationship more than ever.
With a dedicated staff working daily on writing
features and news items for the print magazine in
addition to creating two headline-packed e-newsletters
each day as well as the twice-monthly Bacon Business
News e-newsletter, the M+P team has answered the bell
each day with excellence and commitment. Couple that
with the corral of contributors and a collective focus on
identifying the news trends affecting the industry every
day and it's easy to see why I'm one of the luckiest editors
in publishing and definitely the proudest.
J O E L C R E WS, E D I TO R | j c r e w s @ s o s l a n d.c o m
http://www.meatpoultry.com
Meat + Poultry - October 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Meat + Poultry - October 2016
