MEAT People

meatpeople
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  • Business
  • Updated Biweekly

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 Pederson’s Farms, 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. Aug 20

    SMA Intern and Scholarship Recipient - Meet Meredith Magliolo

    Hosts Brittany Moore and Lacy Bates welcome SMA summer intern Meredith Magliolo to the Meat People Podcast to discuss her background, college life, and convention experience. Meredith, a junior agribusiness major at Texas A&M from Schulenburg, Texas, grew up in her family’s meat business, Willie Joe’s Processing, which does custom, deer, and retail processing. She shares lessons on hard work from her parents, her favorite ag economics classes and mentor Dr. Mendes, and a Scotland agriculture study abroad. Meredith describes receiving an SMA Foundation scholarship in honor of Cecelia Railey and what it meant to meet her after Railey’s Hall of Honor induction, emphasizing donor impact. She outlines her internship work on convention signage, social media reels, and logistics, highlighting the welcoming SMA culture, networking, and favorite convention event, Best of the Worst. Meredith encourages students to pursue internships, build connections, and stay open-minded about careers in the meat industry.   Topics 01:49 Meredith Basics and A&M 02:47 Choosing Agribusiness Path 04:34 Hobbies and Fun Facts 05:56 Family Processing Business 07:46 Lessons From the Plant 09:30 College Favorites and Mentors 10:49 Study Abroad Scotland 11:59 College Challenges and Advice 14:13 SMA Scholarship Story 16:41 Cecilia Raley Connection 18:20 Internship How It Started 21:24 First Day Nerves and Culture 23:01 Day to Day Intern Work 23:54 Projects Skills and Reels 26:42 Working With SMA Team 26:47 Office Culture Fit 27:15 Intern Funny Moments 28:39 Convention First Impressions 30:09 Best of the Worst 30:59 Convention Rewards Challenges 33:00 Steps and Soreness 34:03 Scholarship to Intern 35:21 Post Graduation Plans 36:12 Why Apply to SMA 36:58 Rapid Fire Favorites 42:17 Advice for Students 44:22 Internship in Three Words 45:27 Closing Thanks and Wrap

    SMA Intern and Scholarship Recipient - Meet Meredith Magliolo

  2. Aug 6

    David Englutt on Western Swing, Sales & the SMA Family

    Neil interviews David Englutt about his life, singing, sales career, and long involvement with the Southwest Meat Association (SMA). Englutt describes gaining confidence singing classic country and Western swing (Ray Price, Johnny Bush, Faron Young, Bob Wills) and appearing with the Western Swing Music Society of the Southwest, including a March showcase in Wichita Falls. He outlines his career path from Tarleton State—where he joined activities, discovered meat judging, and won a national championship—into Cargill as its first pork-division management trainee, helping start plants in Beardstown, Illinois and Ottumwa, Iowa, then moving through Smithfield/Gwaltney, Jimmy Dean/Sara Lee, and into equipment and packaging sales before joining Townsend Engineering and later Morrell, which was acquired by JBT. Englutt shares customer-retention keys (integrity, product knowledge, consistency), a sales process acronym “PATTERN,” and emphasizes relationship-building. He recalls his first SMA convention in San Antonio and serving multiple terms on the board, describing SMA as a supportive, family-like community. SMA StartKleen Dove Hunt  Friday Oct. 2, 2026 - Saturday October 3, 2026  Copper Ridge Ranch Nocona, Texas Visit www.southwestmeat.org to register.    Links https://jbtmarel.com/ https://southwestmeat.org/   Topics 01:24 How Singing Started 03:00 Old School Country Tales 04:08 What He Does Today 04:42 Mergers and Growth 05:40 Keeping Customers 07:07 Meat Judging Roots 08:11 Getting Involved Early 10:48 Cargill Career Break 13:59 Smithfield and Tar Heel 15:16 Learning to Sell 19:14 Sales Process Pattern 21:37 First SMA Convention 24:59 SMA Family Culture 26:28 Final Thanks and Wrap

  3. Jul 30

    Recap of SMA’s 70th Annual Convention & Supplier Showcase

    Brittany Moore and Lacy Bates kick off a new twice-yearly Meat People podcast recap series by reviewing the 70th SMA Annual Convention and Supplier Showcase at Moody Gardens in Galveston, Texas, with about 532 attendees. They highlight student workers; board updates, and major events such as the Bob Andusek Memorial Golf Tournament (about 110 golfers) that raised $16,860. Friday featured education sessions, scholarship research presentations, and policy updates and a record 92-company Supplier Showcase. The Surfin’ USA dinner and auctions raised roughly $73,000 for scholarships, contributing to $171,000 awarded across 50 scholarships, and Hall of Honor inductees included Ray and Donna Kimbrell and Cecilia Raley. They announce the first podcast guest raffle winner and share dates for the 71st convention, July 28–31, 2027 in Bastrop, Texas.   00:00 Welcome and New Recaps 02:02 Galveston Venue Overview 02:58 Wednesday Student Crew 04:50 Registration and Reception 05:49 Board Meeting Updates 07:27 Golf and Mosquitoes 11:39 Thursday Night Music 13:21 Friday General Session 19:30 Best of the Wurst 24:40 Supplier Showcase Record 27:27 Surfin USA Dinner Theme 29:27 Heads or Tails Game 30:47 Auction Night Highlights 31:03 Auction Bidding Drama 31:45 Record Scholarship Fundraiser 32:48 Coffee With Mindy 34:04 Saturday Speaker Highlights 35:15 Gen Z Talent Panel 37:11 AI Takes The Stage 37:55 Poolside Member Hangout 39:00 Scholarships And Awards 40:32 Hall Of Honor Stories 42:43 Dance Floor Finale 44:02 Rapid Fire Recap 46:42 Behind The Scenes Fixes 48:42 Why Convention Matters 53:18 Favorite Moments Picks 58:50 Podcast Raffle Winner 01:00:13 Final Thanks And Next Year

  4. Jul 9

    Eddie Behrends on Reviving New Mexico State Meat Inspection & Building Meat Culture

    Neil interviews Eddie Behrends, who grew up in Fredericksburg, Texas and now lives on his wife’s fifth-generation ranch in New Mexico while raising three children involved in FFA and showing cattle. Behrends, executive manager of New Mexico’s State Meat and Poultry Inspection, explains the state’s effort to bring back state inspection to support ranchers, build a meat culture, and expand processing avenues; he says state programs must be at least equal to USDA standards, follow nine required components, and the key limitation is not selling across state lines. He recounts a career shaped by meats judging and education, running meat labs at Texas Tech and Colorado State, working at BPI/Empirical Foods, deer processing and sausage production at Hudson Sausage, San Angelo Packing, retail leadership at H-E-B, and returning to Angelo State, emphasizing mentorship, connections through SMA, and giving back.   Visit southwestmeat.org/   Topics 00:46 Ranch Roots and Legacy 02:27 Raising Kids Ranching 04:16 Why the Meat Forum 04:21 Building State Inspection 10:09 USDA vs State Programs 15:05 Career Path in Meat Science 16:03 Pink Slime Explained 18:23 Words Shape Perception 18:35 Facing Uncertainty 20:24 Early Meat Industry Stops 20:43 Deer Processing in Austin 21:35 QA Manager to H-E-B 23:20 Undercover Meat Cutter 24:02 Market Manager Challenges 24:46 Back to Teaching Meat Lab 25:20 Scholarships and Mentorship 28:28 Music and Being Yourself 29:50 Comparison and Encouragement 32:37 Career Opportunities and Faith 34:07 Give Back and Wrap Up

  5. Jun 25

    Brian Sapp on the Fatback Pig Project, White Oak Pastures & Building a Meat Business

    Neil interviews Brian Sapp about his career and the Fatback Pig Project. Sapp explains Fatback began in 2011 by converting an underused 1996 emu plant in Eva, Alabama into a hog slaughter and fabrication facility, backed by partners including Jim ’N Nick’s Bar-B-Q and others, based on a “three-legged stool” of customer, supply, and distribution. Early plans struggled due to small-plant costs and higher-priced pork for foodservice, but the business was later revived around 2020–2021. Sapp recounts entering meat in 2004 via the University of Florida meat lab and judging, then being hired by Will Harris to build and run White Oak Pastures’ processing plant in 2008, learning he needed help to scale. He discusses SMA’s value, cash-flow pressures, and leaving slaughter in 2023 for relief, briefly consulting before returning as Fatback’s operating partner, and mentions Burning Tree Smokehouse/Barbecue opened in Birmingham in March.   Links https://www.fatbackpig.com/ https://southwestmeat.org/   Topics 01:15 Fatback Origin Story 02:18 Three Legged Stool 03:33 Small Plant Reality Check 05:26 Will Harris Connection 06:08 From Flower Farm 06:54 Meat Lab Breakthrough 10:12 Meat Judging Culture 12:22 Skills Needed Everywhere 13:49 Welding Gets Hired 15:57 Keys To New Plant 19:14 You Need Help 20:08 Associations Matter 21:40 Keeping SMA Alive 22:16 Why SMA Matters 23:31 Welcomed Into SMA 24:18 Profit and Pricing Mindset 25:42 Cash Flow Reality Check 27:14 Scaling White Oak Pastures 28:27 Delegation and Hiring Trust 30:52 Leaving to Own Something 33:36 Consulting to Fatback Return 34:43 Slaughter vs Assembly Economics 36:50 Hard Work Lessons 38:07 Wrap Up and Plugs

  6. Jun 11

    Sara Scott on Gate-to-Plate Perspective & Marketing Meat on Value (Not Price)

    Neil interviews Sara Scott at the MEAT Forum. Sara shares her background growing up on a Central Valley, California cow-calf and stocker operation, studying ag business and marketing at Oklahoma State, and building a career at Certified Angus Beef working with retail and foodservice buyers, packers, and processors—giving her a “gate to plate” view of the supply chain. Now based in southeast Kansas with her husband Travis and two kids, she runs Sara Scott Coaching, helping meat companies define their ideal customer and sharpen messaging to stop competing on price and start competing on value. She discusses bridging producer-consumer knowledge gaps without overwhelming audiences, why marketers suffer from the “curse of knowledge,” retailer pricing tactics like good-better-best and loss leaders, and the importance of trust, relationships, and industry networks such as SMA.   Topics 01:03 Sara’s Ranch Roots 03:18 Stillwater and Youth Ag 04:54 Gate to Plate Perspective 05:43 CAB Career and Trust Gaps 09:15 Ag Storytelling on Social 12:01 Meat Judging Detour 14:17 Coaching Meat Brands 21:29 Retail Pricing and Value 26:42 Going Solo as Entrepreneur 28:50 Favorite Work and Change 32:22 Wrap Up and Travis Scott

  7. May 28

    Pat Nicholson on Generational Meat Businesses

    The guest is Pat Nicholson, who recounts moving to Mertzon, Texas at age 10 and growing up as a third-generation butcher as his father left corporate grocery to buy a locker plant in 1974, later building Nicholson’s Meat Company into a regional smoked-meats brand that ran for nearly five decades before being sold. The conversation highlights succession planning challenges and respect for fourth- and fifth-generation operators, along with Pat’s belief that timing, experience, and faith shape business outcomes. Pat describes his current work with Texas Best Proteins, including farm-to-market kettle-cooked foods (queso, chili, Cajun items) serving customers like Taco Cabana and Brookshire Brothers, plus Kennedy Sausage and retail stores emphasizing Texas-made products. He also shares lessons from 15 years at Danhill packaging, founding the Meat Board, and deep involvement in SMA—using it to appreciate customers, grow networks, and raise scholarship funds—while emphasizing perseverance, preparation, and not quitting.   Topics 00:52 Growing Up in Mertzon 02:29 Succession and Legacy 04:05 Timing Faith and Opportunity 04:51 Texas Best Proteins Overview 07:17 Meat Board Partnership Origins 08:04 Hard Work and Family Stories 10:17 Packaging Career at Danhill 12:15 Jay Daniel Leadership Lessons 13:46 Why SMA Matters 17:55 Scholarships Networking and Mentorship 20:23 Hard Times and Fundraising Wins 22:39 Plant Rebuild and Growth 23:59 Career Reflection and Roots 25:48 Winning Mindset and Closing

  8. May 13

    Deidrea Mabry on Leading AMSA, Partnerships & the Expanding World of Meat Science

    The guest is Deidrea Mabry, COO of the American Meat Science Association (AMSA), about her path from 4-H and FFA to Texas Tech, meat judging, and ultimately joining AMSA remotely after moving to Wyoming. Mabry describes her COO responsibilities, including managing sustaining partner and association relationships (including SMA), budgeting and financial stewardship, and organizing AMSA’s annual Reciprocal Meat Conference. She highlights how AMSA supports students through networking, leadership and professional development, and multiple career pathways beyond meat judging, from food safety and R&D to equipment, ingredients, pet food, aquaculture, marketing, law, and medicine. Mabry outlines AMSA’s outreach tools—Meat’s Pad podcast, newsletters, social media, monthly webinars, and websites like meatscience.org and a meat locker resource site—and encourages schools and extension agents to contact AMSA for help starting youth meat judging.  Reach out to AMSA at https://meatscience.org/ Find SMA at https://southwestmeat.org/ Topics 00:52 Meet Deidrea Mabry 01:33 Path to AMSA COO 03:04 AMSA and SMA Partnership 04:16 Meat’s Pad Podcast 05:09 COO Duties and Budgeting 08:36 Beyond Meat Judging Careers 11:56 100 Years of Meat Judging 13:51 Sharing Resources and Webinars 17:37 Student Membership and RMC 20:48 Youth Judging and Closing

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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 Pederson’s Farms, 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
    33
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    MEAT People

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