COLLEGE STATION — Texas A&M University has been chosen by the American Meat Science Association (AMSA) to host the organization’s 70th annual Reciprocal Meat Conference (RMC) scheduled for June 18-21, 2017.

RMC serves as the annual meeting of AMSA and features an interactive program tailored to share research findings and seek solutions to new and existing industry concerns. RMC brings together more than 1,000 meat scientists from nearly twenty countries around the world.  Attendees are members of academia, government and industry as well as undergraduate and graduate students studying in the meat and food science fields.

“Like RMC, Texas A&M and its meat science program are rich in history and success. We are honored to bring RMC and our meat science friends to Texas A&M in 2017 to celebrate the organization’s 70th anniversary of providing a home for this strong, invaluable network of meat science professionals and education,” said Dr. Russell Cross, professor and head of the Department of Animal Science.

“Hosting RMC provides an opportunity to showcase Texas A&M and the meat science program,” said Dr. Jeff Savell, university distinguished professor and leader of the meat science section.

Meeting attendees will be exposed to many of the finest facilities Texas A&M has to offer, Savell said. RMC events will be held at the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum, Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park, the Memorial Student Center, and the Rudder Complex.

“A broad-based planning committee of faculty, staff and students has been assembled to begin the process of making sure that the local arrangements for the RMC are the best they can be,” Savell said.

Dr. Dan Hale, professor and Extension meat specialist, and Dr. Ashley Arnold, assistant research professor, are serving as co-chairs of the committee.
Texas A&M University hosted the RMC in College Station in 1974 and was the host university for the RMC portion of the International Congress of Meat Science and Technology when it was held in San Antonio in 1995.

Sharon Beals with Maple Leaf Foods will serve as chair for the 2017 RMC.

More information about AMSA and the annual RMC can be found at http://www.meatscience.org.

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The American Meat Science Association is a broad-reaching organization of individuals that discovers, develops, and disseminates its collective meat science knowledge to provide leadership, education, and professional development.

For more information regarding news from the Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Texas A&M University, please contact Maggie Tucker at maggie.tucker@tamu.edu or (979) 845-1542.