Merrill meat processor wins national honor

Geiss Meat Service, of Merrill, won national recognition at the American Cured Meat Championships (ACMC) held July 26-28, 2012, in St. Paul, MN, in conjunction with the 73rd Convention of the American Association of Meat Processors (AAMP). The ACMC annually draws hundreds of entries from across the entire United States. This year there was a record 1,023 entries in 26 product categories.

Geiss Meat Service was awarded 1st Place, Grand Champion, in the Ring Bologna class; 3rd Place, Champion, in the Flavored Meat Snack Sticks class; 3rd Place, Champion, in the Specialty Flavored Smoked Sausage class; and 4th Place, Reserve Champion, in the Traditional Boneless Ham class. All entries were judged on the basis of aroma, flavor, eye appeal, color and texture.

Technical Advisors for 2012 were Joseph Cordray, PH. D., Iowa State University, Ames Iowa; Jeffrey J. Sindelar, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin; and Jay Wenther, Ph.D., Executive Director, AAMP, Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania.

Judges for this year's panel were Roger Alewel, Alewel's Country Meats, Sedalia, Missouri; William N.G. Barron III, Kraft Foods/Oscar Mayer, Madison, Wisconsin; Larry Borchert, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison Wisconsin; Jonathan A. Campbell, MS, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa; Ryan Cox, Ph.D., University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota; Dean Henderson, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, University of Wisconsin-River Falls, Hudson, Wisconsin; Wieland J. Kayser, retired, former owner of Lena Maid Meats, Lena, Illinois; Tim Lorang, Tyson Prepared Foods, Cambridge, Wisconsin; Andrew L. Milkowski, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin; Peter Nelson, University of Minnesota, St. Maul, Minnesota; James L. Peterson, formerly of ALKAR-RAPIDPAK Inc., Lodi, Wisconsin; Robert E. Rust, Professor Emeritus, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa; David Schafer, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Kansas Meat Processors Association, Manhattan, Kansas; Jospeh G. Sebranek, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor and Endowed Chair, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa; Steve Watters, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-River Falls, River Falls, Wisconsin.

Geiss Meat Service is a member of the American Association of Meat Processors, the nation's largest trade organization representing small businessmen in the meat/food related industry.