Burgers’ Smokehouse recently pledged $100,000 to the University of Missouri’s College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources in support of a new meats education and training center through its E.M. Burger Foundation. The building, which will be constructed on the east side of campus, will serve students and faculty in both the college’s animal sciences and food science programs. This is the first donation for this effort.

The facility will enhance the education and training of both undergraduate and graduate students preparing for careers in the meat animal industry. It will also continue a tradition of providing valuable information to producers, processors, consumers, regulators and health officials both within state borders and beyond.

“The University of Missouri has a long history of preparing students for careers in meat science,” said Steven Burger, president of Burgers’ Smokehouse. “The state needs a modern and upgraded meats education and training center to prepare future generations of meat scientists and provide technical support for a vibrant meat processing industry located throughout Missouri.

“The E. M. Burger Foundation supports education at all levels and is proud to contribute $100,000 toward the construction of a state-of-the-art meats lab dedicated to teaching and research.”

Burger, who earned a business degree from MU in 1984, is part of a 60-years-plus tradition, including three generations of family members, who have attended or are currently attending the school – including his father, Morris, who graduated with a degree in agriculture in 1957.

The facility will include new opportunities for research in pork production, which accounts for close to 80 percent of company sales, including its nationally recognized country ham and bacon products.

Founded in 1952 by Steven’s grandfather, E.M. Burger, Burgers’ Smokehouse is a four-generation family-owned-and-operated meat processing business that offers a variety of cured and smoked meats and other products nationwide in grocery stores and through mail order and its website. The company also still maintains a factory country store in California, Mo., where the company began and is still headquartered.

Source: University of Missouri