MEAT People

meatpeople

MEAT People is the official podcast of SMA (Southwest Meat Association)— a twice-monthly audio and video series designed to connect, celebrate, and inform SMA members and industry stakeholders. Hosted primarily by SMA Member, Neil Dudley with Greener Pastures Chicken, with rotating co-hosts and guests. MEAT People will showcase stories from across the meat processing and packing industry, highlight SMA’s resources and events, provide updates, and foster networking within this unique and collaborative industry community. The tone will be welcoming, conversational, and informative — like catching up with family at a reunion (except with more brisket).

  1. 3d ago

    El Rey Chorizo: A Family Recipe, No Fillers & Building a USDA Plant with SMA Support

    Neil interviews brothers Javier and David Gonzales of El Rey Chorizo, named after their father “Rey” (Reyes), who brought a chorizo recipe from Monterrey, Mexico to West Texas in 1970 and sold it from a home-based operation and later a small meat market in Crane. They describe their all-natural 80/20 pork and beef chorizo blend with no fillers or additives, using natural chiles rather than paprika, yielding higher protein and less grease and appealing to restaurants and health-conscious customers. The family of eight emphasizes keeping the traditional recipe intact while navigating shelf-life demands and learning modern processes like high-pressure pasteurization. They explain scaling challenges, private labeling, and co-packing, and detail building a USDA-certified plant near College Station by adding a sausage area to their oilfield facility, developing HACCP plans, and relying on SMA and industry mentors for guidance. The conversation highlights family values, hospitality, respect, community support, and views on immigration reform and legal pathways, plus their growth to dozens of restaurant accounts and retail placements.   LInks El Rey Chorizo: https://www.elreychorizo.com/ Visit us at www.southwestmeat.org Topics 00:52 Origins of El Rey 01:40 What Makes Our Chorizo 03:31 From House to Plant 04:23 SMA Event Connections 05:08 Family Business Roles 07:19 Family Values and Upbringing 11:27 Respect and Raising Kids 14:05 Scaling Without Fillers 17:13 Quality Ingredients Edge 19:12 Oilfield Roots and Funding 20:50 Community Support and Demand 22:32 Bootstrapping Demand 23:22 Inside the USDA Plant 24:48 Building HACCP Compliance 26:38 Scaling a Family Recipe 28:44 Community Help Network 29:26 Funding Without Banks 31:21 Opportunity and Gratitude 35:54 Immigration and Reform Talk 40:16 Wrap Up and Where to Buy 42:24 Final Thanks and Next Episodes

  2. Oct 19

    Meat Industry News: Red Meat Inspection Exemption Proposal, Imported Meat Oversight & Major Texas USDA Investments

    Hosts Lacy Bates and Brittany Moore review three key meat-industry updates: a proposed on-farm processing exemption, USDA oversight of imported meat, and USDA-funded projects in Texas. They discuss the Red Meat Inspection Exemption Act (introduced Oct. 5 by Reps. Thomas Massie and Chellie Pingree), which would exempt qualifying small producers who raise, slaughter, and process animals on-farm and sell direct-to-consumer from routine federal inspection, with annual limits of 25 cattle, 60 swine, 250 sheep, or 250 goats, while still requiring compliance with adulteration, misbranding, labeling, and potential USDA food-safety handling rules. They explain how FSIS determines foreign equivalency, reinspects shipments at U.S. ports using PHIS, and refuses entry for noncompliant products. Finally, they cover USDA grants to Texas Tech.   Visit us at southwestmeat.org   Topics 00:00 Welcome and Headlines 01:11 Red Meat Exemption Bill 02:02 Food Safety and Labels 03:58 Poultry Exemptions Compared 05:06 Imported Meat Eligibility 06:05 Port Reinspection Process 07:45 Refusals and Compliance Data 09:08 Texas Tech Food Science Complex 10:41 West Texas A&M Beef Facility 12:34 Wrap Up and Next Episode

    Meat Industry News: Red Meat Inspection Exemption Proposal, Imported Meat Oversight & Major Texas USDA Investments

  3. Oct 15

    Will Boyd on SMA Scholarships, StartKleen & Finding a Career in Sanitation

    At the SMA Dove Hunt & Fishing Tournament hosted by StartKleen Neil interviews Will Boyd, a StartKleen employee, about his path into the meat industry and sanitation. Boyd shares his background in 4-H/FFA, livestock and meats judging, and meat science at Clarendon College and West Texas A&M, then explains how attending SMA conferences and receiving an SMA scholarship helped him network, meet Rick and the Campbell family, and ultimately join StartKleen despite limited prior sanitation experience. He discusses core sanitation concepts like the importance of physical scrubbing, proper water pressure, chemical concentration, and preventing overspray, and describes his current chief of staff role focused on customer relations, retention, new business development, and travel. The conversation highlights mentoring, culture, parallels between sports discipline and sanitation, and StartKleen’s interest in AI-driven marketing visibility.   Topics 01:27 Will Boyd SMA Path 03:31 From Meat Science 04:35 Sanitation Basics 09:18 Finding His Role 10:06 Why Sanitation Matters 12:14 Sports Lessons 15:20 Scholarships Impact 17:05 Sales Mindset 21:26 Family And Culture 23:27 AI And Marketing 24:29 Wrap Up And Thanks

  4. Oct 5

    Meat Industry News: FSIS Expands RTE Listeria Sampling, PHIS NR/MOI Updates & Farm Bill 2.0 Status

    Brittany Moore and Lacey Bates review key meat industry updates, including FSIS’s expanded Listeria environmental sampling in ready-to-eat (RTE) establishments producing post-lethality exposed products. After a pilot in Raleigh, Chicago, and Alameda adding four environmental swabs (two food contact and two non-food contact), FSIS will expand sampling across all nine districts in phases starting January 2027 to improve early detection of sanitation deficiencies and areas where Listeria can persist; positives may trigger follow-up verification testing or food safety assessments. They also cover recent FSIS PHIS updates affecting noncompliance records (NRs), memos of interview (MOIs), and appeals, including new numbering for records created after September 18 and new functions such as requesting finalized versions after changes. Finally, they discuss Farm Bill 2.0 negotiations as the 2018 Farm Bill extension expires Sept. 30, noting MCOOL for beef as a key House-Senate difference.   Topics 01:07 Listeria Sampling Expansion 02:12 What FSIS Will Test 03:34 Impacts for RTE Plants 04:34 Rollout Timeline Prep 05:47 PHIS Updates Explained 07:10 New NR MOI Numbering 08:15 Farm Bill Deadline 09:36 MCOOL Policy Divide 10:48 What to Watch Next 11:44 Wrap Up and Resources

    Meat Industry News: FSIS Expands RTE Listeria Sampling, PHIS NR/MOI Updates & Farm Bill 2.0 Status

  5. Oct 1

    Jason Beyer and D.L. Funderburgh on Building a Plant, Surviving Cycles, and Why SMA Matters

    Neil interviews ABF Packings founders Jason Beyer and D.L. Funderburgh about how the Southwest Meat Association (SMA) helped them start ABF in the mid-1990s, learn processing, find markets, and later survive major setbacks like a plant fire by relying on members to keep products flowing during rebuilding. They describe starting with baby calves, expanding into heavier cattle, building their Dublin facility themselves without formal plans, and lessons learned (especially plumbing/drains) along with the critical importance of water supply (about 260 gallons per cow). They discuss HACCP’s impact and how SMA support and member expertise helped them implement programs and meet evolving “approved supplier” requirements. They address today’s high beef prices as cyclical with tight margins, emphasizing persistence, yield measurement down to thousandths of a percent, continuous improvement, and building a strong team. They highlight SMA’s scholarship auction raising about $150-160k, their “give back” mindset, and ABF’s related kettle-cook business producing soups, sauces, and queso for foodservice.   Visit us at https://southwestmeat.org/   Topics 01:02 Why SMA Matters 01:37 ABF Origins and Mentors 04:15 Building the Dublin Plant 06:19 From Calves to Cows 07:57 Water and Plant Basics 10:06 SMA Support and HACCP 12:16 High Beef Market Cycles 16:32 Scholarships and Giving Back 18:49 Sales and Customer Growth 23:03 Yield and Measurement Culture 27:19 Delegation and Programs 29:49 Family Sacrifices and Diversifying 35:46 Leadership and Trusting Teams 37:49 Final Thoughts and SMA Call

  6. Sep 21

    Meat Industry News: FSIS Fee Relief;  USDA’s $50M Program; Farm Bill & Mexico Cattle Updates

    Brittany Moore and Lacey Bates introduce episode 2 of Meat Industry News, a biweekly 10–15 minute segment of the Meat People podcast, and cover four key updates. FSIS extended temporary overtime and holiday inspection fee reductions for eligible small (30%) and very small (75%) federally inspected meat, poultry, and egg product establishments through September 30, 2027, or until funding runs out; overtime inspection applies to services outside regular hours, with rates near $90/hour and holiday rates about $106/hour, and relief requires submitting FSIS Form 5200-16. USDA announced the Stand Up Program (up to $50 million) to help states establish or expand state meat inspection programs in partnership with FSIS; state programs must meet standards at least equal to federal requirements, but sales are generally limited within the state unless using Cooperative Interstate Shipment. The Senate Ag Committee advanced the Farm Bill 12–11, including language directing USDA and USTR to find a WTO-compliant path to reestablish mandatory country-of-origin labeling for beef. Finally, cattle imports from Mexico resumed via Douglas, Arizona on Aug. 24 under a phased reopening after New World screwworm-related closures, with 580–850 head/day moving and heavier cattle (700–900 lbs), while Santa Teresa and Columbus, New Mexico remain closed and future reopening depends on disease risk and progress under the joint action plan.   Visit us at https://southwestmeat.org/   Topics 01:10 FSIS fee relief extended 02:15 How overtime inspection works 03:19 How to apply for relief 04:06 USDA Stand Up program 05:46 State vs federal inspection 07:46 Farm Bill update 08:48 COOL language explained 09:59 Mexico cattle border update 10:59 Port capacity and outlook 12:28 Wrap-up and newsletter

    Meat Industry News: FSIS Fee Relief;  USDA’s $50M Program; Farm Bill & Mexico Cattle Updates

  7. Sep 17

    Jason Hinds on Marcus Food Company, Meat Trading & the SMA Family

    Neil talks with Jason Hinds of Marcus Food Company (part of the SMA family) about his experience with the Southwest Meat Association, describing how he first attended a midyear meeting, was initially singled out for coming without family, and now his family looks forward to the annual meeting because of the community and referrals it generates. Hines shares his background in corporate travel management (including work tied to major accounts like Google and Smithfield) before entering meat sales, and explains Marcus’s trading model, his focus on beef trimmings, and the competitive realities of buying and selling truckloads to processors like hot dog and sausage makers. He highlights transparency, logistics challenges, and Marcus’s technology-driven cataloging of vendors as key advantages, then reflects on food, diet, and his East Texas upbringing, and closes with thoughts on internal change, professionalism in the industry, and his working relationship with Aaron Marks.   Visit us at https://southwestmeat.org/ Marcus Food Company: https://marcusfoodco.com/   Topics 01:30 Joining the SMA 03:02 Why SMA Matters 05:28 Meat Judging Origins 06:36 From Travel to Meat 08:23 Loving the Sales Life 10:03 Tattoos and Stories 12:24 How Meat Trading Works 15:07 Honesty as an Edge 16:08 Tech Powered Trading 17:46 Where Food Comes From 18:55 Convenience And Gratitude 20:05 Know Where Food Comes From 20:52 Simple Nutrition Rules 21:56 East Texas Food Memories 24:07 Country Childhood Adventures 25:27 Sales Frogs And Cold Calls 26:11 Freight Chaos And Fixes 28:07 Truckers Keep America Moving 28:53 SMA Shoutouts And Wrap 30:03 Aaron Marks And Company Dynamics 34:06 Industry Culture Then Now 34:46 Final Sign Off

  8. Sep 8

    Meat Industry News: On-Farm Processing, Ground Beef Import Waiver & USDA Ranchers First

    The first installment of Meat Industry News reviews key U.S. policy and market developments. It discusses President Trump’s statement about expanding farmers’ and ranchers’ ability to process their own food, emphasizing that regulatory details and inspection implications are still unknown, and outlines current options (custom-exempt processing, building inspected facilities, or using inspected regional processors) plus how the PRIME Act could expand in-state direct-to-consumer sales while raising questions about inspection and retail acceptance. The episode highlights food safety, traceability, and consumer trust concerns tied to deregulation and notes that processing is only one part of building a profitable beef business. It also covers a temporary tariff waiver for 300,000 metric tons of imported ground beef (100,000 per month Sept. 1–Nov. 30 through 2026), its limited market scale, expected effects mainly on ground beef, and logistics/FSIS re-inspection. USDA updates include the Ranchers First initiative’s BRAND livestock risk protection to encourage heifer retention, SPUR support and a new guaranteed loan concept for small/regional processors, and potential institutional purchasing opportunities for locally processed beef.   Visit us at https://southwestmeat.org/   Topics 00:57 Trump Processing Proposal 01:49 Current Processing Options 03:13 PRIME Act Explained 04:19 Food Safety and Trust 05:31 Profitability Realities 06:23 Tariff Waiver Imports 07:30 Market Size Context 08:33 Price Effects by Cut 09:51 Import Logistics and Suppliers 11:06 Ranchers First BRAND 12:17 Why Herd Rebuild Takes Time 13:04 SPUR Support and Loans 14:48 Institutional Buying Opportunities 16:02 What to Watch Next 17:14 Wrap Up and Disclaimers

    Meat Industry News: On-Farm Processing, Ground Beef Import Waiver & USDA Ranchers First
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

MEAT People is the official podcast of SMA (Southwest Meat Association)— a twice-monthly audio and video series designed to connect, celebrate, and inform SMA members and industry stakeholders. Hosted primarily by SMA Member, Neil Dudley with Greener Pastures Chicken, with rotating co-hosts and guests. MEAT People will showcase stories from across the meat processing and packing industry, highlight SMA’s resources and events, provide updates, and foster networking within this unique and collaborative industry community. The tone will be welcoming, conversational, and informative — like catching up with family at a reunion (except with more brisket).

Information

  • Creator
    meatpeople
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    42
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    MEAT People

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