Beef 101 Program Is Beef Checkoff's Rising Star

The Iowa Beef Industry Council (IBIC) funds Beef 101 Workshops for aspiring chefs and culinary professionals. Birthed out of a necessity to provide in-depth, hands-on training for culinary students, each workshop provide the opportunity for students to learn about beef aging, grading, new cut innovation, product selection and the beef life cycle. Without programs like Beef 101, students wouldn't otherwise receive training pertaining to beef on such a detailed level through standard culinary school curriculum. 

IBIC's Director of Nutrition and Health, Erin Good, works with program coordinators at community colleges around the state to offer the intensive program to culinary students. Most recent workshops included trainings for DMACC and Indian Hills Community College but are available for students across the state. IBIC serves as the chasm that bridges the gap between gate to plate by connecting students with one of the leading institutions on meat science, the Iowa State University Meat Lab. IBIC coordinates the effort with Iowa State University meat lab staff to discuss these topics through unique classroom instruction where the highlight of the session is a hands on beef carcass breakdown with Dr. Terry Houser. Houser deconstructs the carcass into primals and then individual cuts while discussing why proper cooking method for each cut is important, how innovation has led to the creation of new cuts, aging, marbling, price, etc.

The workshop concludes with a beef farm tour at the ISU Beef Teaching Farm. David Bruene, ISU Beef Teaching Farm Manager, showcased a cow-calf operation, rotation grazing and allows the students to ask questions firsthand with a Q&A session to conclude the workshop. There's no substitute for seeing the cattle first hand and allowing the students to ask the expert, Farm Manager David, about where their food comes from. 

Casey Anderson, Director of Industry Relations shared, "When talking to producers about the Beef 101 program, we often receive great producer feedback. Producers like to see collaboration between Iowa State and IBIC but more importantly, they like knowing we are giving students a great training. It's impactful considering these are young professionals who will soon enter the workforce and ultimately have a big impact on the culinary and food service industry. It's a win-win for everyone involved."    

“The Beef 101 course through the Iowa Beef Council and Iowa State University is exceptional! We look forward to attending every year because it is such a wonderful experience for our students. It’s one of the very last classes that DMACC/ICI students attend before they graduate our program and I get nothing but excellent positive feedback from our students on the experience,” commented Dean Luttrell, CEC, Executive Chef/Professor at ICI DMACC.  

Students complete a pre- and post-event survey to determine their knowledge of the beef industry. At a prior event, the student’s knowledge level of beef was 2.3 out of 5 on average. After the presentations, farm tour and guest speakers, the student’s knowledge level of beef increased to 4.1 out of 5 on average.  

“The Beef 101 workshop provides valuable information to help students make informed menu decisions on beef for their food service operations upon graduation,” Erin Good, IBIC Director of Nutrition and Health.  Workshops are funded by the Iowa State Beef Checkoff Program. Events such as the Beef 101 educational workshop provide opportunities for culinary students to learn more about the beef industry and to use that knowledge in their careers.