Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue will travel to China this week, joining U.S. Ambassador to China Terry Branstad, to formally mark the return of U.S. beef to the Chinese market after a 13-year hiatus.

In events in Beijing and Shanghai on Friday and Saturday, Perdue will meet with Chinese government officials to celebrate the return of American beef products to the enormous market after shipments were halted at the end of 2003. On Friday in Beijing, Perdue and Branstad will ceremonially cut prime rib that originated in Nebraska and was shipped by Greater Omaha Packing Company.

“We will once again have access to the enormous Chinese market, with a strong and growing middle class, which had been closed to our ranchers for a long, long time.  There’s no doubt in my mind that when the Chinese people taste our high-quality U.S. beef, they’ll want more of it,” Perdue said in a news release.

President Trump, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin, officials with the U.S. Trade Representative's office and Secretary Perdue announced the deal brokered to allow the return of U.S. beef to China on May 11 as part of the U.S.-China 100-Day Action Plan.

The first shipment of U.S. beef arrived in China on June 19. China has emerged as a major beef buyer in recent years, with imports increasing from $275 million in 2012 to $2.5 billion in 2016. The United States is the world’s largest beef producer and in 2016 was the world’s fourth-largest exporter, with global sales of more than $5.4 billion. 

While in China, Perdue will meet with China’s Minister of Agriculture Han Changfu to discuss additional market access goals. He will meet with Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang to discuss expanding U.S. trade with China. Perdue will also tour a Chinese supermarket and participate in a cooking demonstration.

USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) today reissued a notice clarifying that it the only raw pork samples the agency will analyze for Shiga-toxin producing E. coli (STEC) in the program’s second phase will be those collected from slaughter establishments. 

FSIS said it will not analyze samples collected from non-slaughter plants for STEC in in the second phase of exploratory pork sampling, which will begin June 1.

Industry members had been pushing for the agency to focus its efforts at slaughterhouses. 

However, FSIS said it will analyze all samples for Salmonella and indicator organisms.

The American Meat Science Association (AMSA) has named its 2017 award recipients in conjunction with the recent Reciprocal Meat Conference.

J. Daryl Tatum received the R. C. Pollock Award recognizing the first general manager of the National Live Stock and Meat Board. The author or co-author of 166 scientific journal articles, Tatum’s research has focused on identification of factors affecting meat quality, including effects of growth enhancement on beef; and evaluation and grading of livestock and carcasses. Many of his findings have been adopted for use by both the domestic and international livestock and meat industries. During an academic career at Colorado State University, his favorite class to teach was Live Animal and Carcass Evaluation, known to the students as “Live and Dead.”

Eric Berg,  J. Brad Morgan and Steven Shackelford were named AMSA Fellows and 2017 Signal Service Award winners, for devoted service and lasting contributions to the meat industry.

A teacher and graduate student mentor at North Dakota State University, Berg’s work on investigating the role of meat in the diet has earned him international recognition. His research projects also have focused on meat quality, especially how diet and management affects pork. He is the author of more than 70 research articles, 130 abstracts and four book chapters.

Morgan, senior director of protein for Performance Food Group, is known for his research and expertise in meat tenderness and color. He has completed projects for companies including Wal-Mart, National Beef, Harris Ranch Beef, Tyson Foods, Outback Steakhouse, Standard Meat Co., Sam Kane’s Pacing, Sysco and PM Beef, as well as the U.S. Meat Export Federation.

Shackelford, author of more than 150 journal articles and numerous abstracts, presentations and book chapters, also has been involved in numerous meat safety research projects used in validating HACCP systems. His contributions include confirming the viability of instrument grading for beef carcasses and boneless pork loins, factors that affect beef tenderness, and relationships between shear force procedures and consumer acceptance of fresh meat.

AMSA presented its Meat Processing Award to Mac Orcutt. During his many years in industry, Orcutt’s soy ingredient and meat product development expertise made him a go-to resource for  help in troubleshooting meat processing-related problems. Among his accomplishments, Orcutt commercialized new structured vegetable protein ingredients and co-developed and commercialized a “better-for-you” beef patty that was given an American Heart Association symbol of approval. Orcutt currently helps lead clean label research and product development efforts at Solvaira Specialties.

Keith Belk is the Distinguished Research Award winner. A professor of animal sciences at Colorado State University, Belk has been principal or co-principal investigator on 529 separate grants and has authored 206 peer-reviewed journal publications. His research and expertise is in meat safety and quality, metagenomics/microbiome assessment, whole genome sequencing, international marketing and quality/safety management. He also teaches Global Food Safety Initiative programs, HACCP and FDA Preventative Controls for Human Foods to industry groups.

Matthew Doumit, professor in animal and veterinary science at the University of Idaho, is the recipient of the Distinguished Teaching Award. Since joining the University of Idaho in 2008, Doumit has taught courses that include Livestock and Carcass Evaluation, Animal Products, Animal Growth, and Introductory Animal Science. His research focuses on meat quality and animal growth. Under his leadership, a meat evaluation team was re-established at the university. Students consistently describe Doumit as an enthusiastic, knowledgeable and caring teacher.

Mindy Brashears, director of the International Center for Food Industry Excellence at Texas Tech University, received the Distinguished Extension-Industry Service Award. Brashears has dedicated her career to promoting the safety and security of the world’s food supply, with an emphasis on meat safety. She is recognized for creating a highly effective program to educate industry professionals and students for real-world work in the meat science field. She holds 19 U.S. patents and patents pending related to food safety and solving industry problems. Brashears has helped develop international food safety programs and is currently leading a large project in Honduras designed to re-establish the cattle and beef industries.

Declan Troy was selected for the International Lectureship Award. Troy is director of technology and knowledge transfer for the Teagasc Food Programme of the Irish Agriculture and Development Authority. He has fostered successful international collaborations in food science by leading trans-national research programs that supported 125 Ph.D. students globally. He served as chairman of the World Congress of Food Science and Technology 2016 in Dublin in his capacity as president of the Institute of Food Science and Technology of Ireland and will chair the International Congress of Meat Science and Technology to be held in Ireland in August.

William Benjy Mikel received the Intercollegiate Meat Judging Meritorious Service Award.  Mikel has supported youth and intercollegiate meat judging programs to enhance the critical thinking, decision-making and communication skills of future industry leaders. He is credited with revitalizing meat judging programs at Auburn University, Mississippi State University and University of Kentucky. Currently chief business development and sales officer for John R. White Co., he has served as president of the American College of Animal Sciences, Intercollegiate Meat Coaches Association and Southern Association of Agricultural Scientists, as well as AMSA.

AMSA presented its Distinguished Achievement Award to Anna Dilger, Jennie Hodgen and Keith Underwood. The award recognizes young members who have demonstrated significant scientific skills in muscle foods research and technology. Dilger is an associate professor of meat science at the University of Illinois, where her research focuses on prenatal and postnatal factors that alter muscle development and their impact on meat quality. Hodgen, a senior account manager for Merck Animal Health, is co-founder of Indiana Cattlewomen and active with the Indiana Beef Council. Underwood is an associate professor of animal science at South Dakota State University, where he has expanded extension programs serving producers, packers, processors and consumers.