KEARNEY, MO. – The American Meat Science Association (AMSA) has named the next recipient of its AMSA Intercollegiate Meat Judging Meritorious Service Award which recognizes outstanding contributions to the Intercollegiate Meat Judging Program. AMSA will present the award to Jeff Savell, PhD, University Distinguished Professor, Meat Science and E.M. “Manny” Rosenthal Chair in Animal Science at Texas A&M University, during the AMSA Reciprocal Meat Conference (RMC) in Reno, Nev., Aug. 15-18. The award is sponsored by Food Safety Net Services and Agri-West International.

Savell, also a contributing editor to MEAT+POULTRY and author of “Meat Perspectives,” has spent almost 50 years participating in meat judging through Intercollegiate Meat Judging, 4-H/FFA judging contests and associated training. His tenure as a meat judge began in FFA in Ferris, Texas. As an undergraduate, he was a member of the 1974 Meat Judging team. He also served as an assistant coach in 1976 and head coach in 1977 while he was in graduate school at Texas A&M (TAMU). From 1980-1993, he served as the Meat Judging Team Faculty Coordinator at TAMU.

“For many of us, intercollegiate meat judging was our entry into the meat science discipline” Savell said. “My time as a team member, coach, coordinator and committee member/chair has given me so many friendships, relationships and mentorships that I cherish so much and that have been so meaningful to me.”

During his career, Savell has been involved in the acquisition of over $13 million in research funding, which has resulted in the training of 90 Master of Science students, 35 PhD students, and more than 300 research articles in industry journals.

“In my opinion, he would be one of the four on the meat judging Mt. Rushmore,” said Brad Morgan, PhD, professor at Colorado State University. “What more can one person do in terms of supporting meat judging than Dr. Savell has?”