NORTHWEST MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY
MARYVILLE, MO SCHOOL OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES DR. ROD BARR, DIRECTOR

In 2021, Northwest Missouri State University celebrated the opening of their new Agricultural Learning Center (ALC), the culmination of the university’s multiyear “Forever Green” fundraising campaign. The $11.4 million, 29,500-square-foot facility sits adjacent to the existing 448-acre R.T. Wright Farm. In addition to classrooms, laboratories, and study spaces, the facility also includes a certified commercial processing kitchen and meat fabrication laboratory. These spaces were designed with the aim of training students in how agricultural commodities are transformed into value-added food products.

To support these efforts, Dr. Jacob Tuell was hired as an Assistant Professor of Animal Science/Food Science beginning in the fall semester of 2022. Prior to joining, Tuell had received his Ph.D. from Purdue University focusing on fresh beef quality. In addition to Tuell, Dr. John Greathouse has been at the school since 2019 as an Associate Professor of Animal Science. At present, Greathouse teaches the school’s Beef Science and Swine Science courses, while Tuell teaches Meat Science and develops new offerings in food science, such as Animal Products.

“The aim of the Animal Products course is to teach students not only about fresh meat, dairy, and eggs but also how those are used to create innovative, value-added products,” Tuell explained. “In the class, students work on two main projects – the first being reverse-engineering an existing product and the second being developing a novel product of their own.” In the reverse-engineering project, students worked to reproduce either a fresh sausage or battered, breaded chicken product. Their success and future formulation and processing decisions were guided using sensory analysis techniques like degree-of-difference testing. During the product development project, students were provided with scenarios relevant to modern industry and consumer demands, such as replacing conventional sodium nitrite with celery or beet powders.

“In our facility, we have the equipment to do almost anything related to carcass fabrication and meat processing,” says Tuell. “The ALC does not have a harvest floor, but we are very fortunate to have several processors in Northwest Missouri that have been more than happy to host students for slaughter days. That has been one of the most encouraging aspects – they want us to bring as many students as possible, as often as possible.” In the Meat Science course offered at Northwest, students observe and participate in a federally inspected pork slaughter, fabricate those carcasses, and use that pork over the course of several weeks to make further processed products. Some of products have included injected pork loins and hams, dry-cured bacons, and fresh, smoked, and acidified sausages.

For the first time in Northwest’s history, students participated in the recent American Meat Science Association (AMSA) Reciprocal Meat Conference (RMC) held in St. Paul, MN. At the conference, Sadie Schafer, a Senior in Agricultural Education, was recognized as a recipient of the Undergraduate Scholastic Achievement Award. “RMC was a great opportunity for me both personally and professionally,” stated Schafer. “It exposed me to aspects of the meat industry I didn't realize existed and provided me the opportunity to network with so many people, from professionals to students. Having that opportunity opened new doors for me and provided a new pathway that I am excited to further explore.”

Also hosted at Northwest are the Missouri FFA Northwest District Career Development Events for Meats Evaluation and Technology, Food Science and Technology, and Milk Quality and Products. In April 2023, NWMSU hosted over 1,100 students from 53 high schools in Northwest Missouri. Additional outreach efforts are being developed to expose students, educators, and the public to agricultural and food sciences.

In addition to Northwest’s investment in meat processing, plans are currently underway for the outfitting of a micro-creamery adjacent to the meat fabrication laboratory in the ALC. This space will allow for the safe processing of the raw fluid milk from the University’s Guernsey herd into various dairy products. It is expected that the new course offerings and profession-based learning opportunities made possible by these investments will supply the surrounding food industries with a steady stream of capable, well-trained graduates.

For more information about the School of Agricultural Sciences at Northwest Missouri State University, visit https://www.nwmissouri.edu/ag/index.htm. Feel free to address further questions to Dr. Jacob Tuell at jtuell@nwmissouri.edu.