News from AAMP Convention 2017: Lexington, KY
We recently came back from Lexington, KY where we attended our annual national meat convention. We are proud longtime members of the American Association of Meat Processors (AAMP) – the organization that puts on the convention each summer in a different city (so this is usually our family vacation as well) We had a great time as usual learning in educational sessions, reuniting with our friends from all over the country, and exploring the trade show, leaving with samples and lots of ideas.
I’ve written previously in more detail about the sessions, trade show and meat competition, so feel free to check that out and I’ll go ahead and get to our two pieces of news that came from this convention.
The first news item is that we got an award in the ACMC (American Cured Meat Championship) competition! There were over 70 meat plants that competed and I believe around 700 products entered in different categories, and we placed 4th (Reserve Champion) in the Dried Beef class which got us an award. You may have noticed the awards on the wall in our store – we will be adding this one in the near future.
We’re proud of our other placements as well, even if we didn’t place high enough for an award. For a few examples, we placed: 6th out of 42 entries in Lightweight Bacon. We placed 11th out of 22 for Andouille Sausage. 9th out of 19 in Country Bacon.
We know we are in amazing company with other processors around the country that make phenomenal products, so we don’t mind that we only walked away with one plaque. Congrats to all of our colleagues, you do a fantastic job!
And what happens to all of that meat when it’s done being judged? As an association we were able to donate 740 pounds of food to the local food bank, a great tradition.
The other big news is that Tom Eickman was nominated and accepted to join AAMP’s board of directors. This is a position that both his grandfather Merlyn and his father Mike have held as well, and is something Tom has worked toward for many years. AAMP is lucky to have his unique experiences and knowledge at their disposal as he joins a great group of people that all care about AAMP and the meat industry. Congratulations Tom!