University of Arizona – Arizona Beef Blog

The University of Arizona Food Product and Safety Lab Gets New Faces and New Equipment

March 25, 2022March 25, 2022Tiffany

The University of Arizona Food Product and Safety Lab (FPSL), formally known as the University of Arizona Meat Lab, has a long and important history at the UA farm in Tucson, Arizona. It is now heading towards a bright future, helping the surrounding community and the state of Arizona with food safety and creating a more delicious food product. Arizona Beef Council staff visited with the folks at the FPSL to learn about the updates and how they will help you, the consumer.

Dr. Garcia with Zane Campbell, a 4-H member from Kingman, AZ after winning the Steer of Merit Award at the 37th Annual Mohave County 4-H Carcass Contest.

Dr. Sam Garcia, Associate Professor of Practice and UA alumnus, manages the lab’s day-to-day operations while also teaching and conducting research. Dr. Garcia grew up in Douglas, Arizona, and Sonora, Mexico, bringing a unique perspective to the lab with experience raising cattle in Mexico and the United States. He is an integral part of the lab. He keeps things running daily, schedules and processes the harvesting of 20 animals per week, ensures research projects are up and running smoothly, and teaches UA students about animal science and husbandry. Having worked for the university since 2013, Dr. Garcia has built connections within the community and is a friendly face most everyone remembers. He also staffs and runs the Wildcat Country Market, which sells USDA inspected beef, lamb, goat, pork, and other products sourced locally from livestock raised, processed, and packaged by University of Arizona students.

The FPSL has recently seen numerous updates and an addition of a professor to help research efforts and community impact. Dr. Duane Wulf, Associate Professor, was hired by the UA in 2020 to perform research, teach, and provide community support. Dr. Wulf is an excellent addition to the FPSL with his commitment to producing high-quality meat products and his proven track record in teaching. Dr. Wulf was honored several times for his teaching excellence, highlighted by the Distinguished Teaching Award from the American Meat Science Association. Dr. Wulf has served as a missionary businessman in Sonora, Mexico for the past ten years. He started a meat processing plant, a cattle ranch, and a restaurant to provide training and career opportunities to the fatherless and underprivileged. In addition to these positions, Dr. Wulf has worked across all production and processing phases of the meat industry and has been hired as a consultant both domestically and internationally by both small and large companies.

Equipment investments have been made, too, including a brand-new smoker for products like bacon, sausage, jerky, and other value-added products new pork scalder used to dehair hogs after harvesting, and the cooler where meat carcasses are stored and aged is being redone. All these updates will allow for a more effortless flow of animals, a better teaching environment, and provide an excellent service to the community that the land grant university serves. The animal handling facilities are also being updated and will provide low-stress handling for the animals who enter the facility. The consumer testing kitchen has received a much-needed upgrade with stainless steel restaurant-quality appliances, making it easier to keep clean and professional.

Dr. Joslyn Beard, UA Livestock Extension Specialist

The University of Arizona is a land grant university tasked with disseminating research to the community to help grow better animals to produce a better meat product, amongst other projects. Extension agents such as Dr. Joslyn Beard, UA’s Livestock Extension Specialist, disperse the research for Arizona farmers and ranchers to apply. She says it’s like being the liaison or translator between what research the UA is doing and how producers can use it on their farms and ranches. With updates in personnel and equipment, the FPSL is equipped to provide the community and Arizona with a higher-quality meat product and hands-on learning experience through research, in the lab, and out on ranches across the state with learnings on continuously improving how animals are raised, transported, handled, and harvested.

Many people and lots of work go into the UA Food Product and Safety Lab operations. The benefit of this lab to both the agriculture community and consumers (by selling fresh meat) is apparent. Still, wider positive ramifications are felt throughout the state by Arizona beef farmers and ranchers with continuing education and extension specialist help. To learn more about the FPSL, check out the website here: https://acbs.arizona.edu/food-products-safety-laboratory

The V Bar V Ranch: A University of Arizona Gem

July 7, 2017July 13, 2017Tiffany

Cruising up the I-17 North, you reach Exit 298: Sedona, Slide Rock. A breath-taking hike in Oak Creek Canyon might be your only thoughts; unless of course, you are an Animal Science student at the University of Arizona or a local Arizona rancher looking for some resources. What are your thoughts then? We’re almost to the V Bar V! (You would also be turning right at that exit, instead of left).

17343022_1478710138806500_1157748653046719463_n — A beautiful view as ranchers at the V Bar V move cattle every two weeks as part of an intensive grazing system.

Located in Rimrock, tucked away between the beautiful red rocks and acres of green, rocky, northern Arizona rangeland, is the V Bar V Ranch, an experiment station for the University of Arizona (UA). The Morrill Acts of 1862, 1890, and 1994 ensured that universities such as UA would be instituted to teach agriculture, mining, and military tactics. Land grant institutions now serve as centers for research, extension, and education. Thus, the V Bar V is a priceless resource for local ranchers and students alike, addressing environmental, wildlife and domestic livestock issues applicable to Arizona and the Southwest, providing research and hands-on opportunities for students, and serving as a crucial link between the beef community and academia.

14707833_1323701560974026_2627153869472800784_o — The V Bar V is a working ranch, serving as a comparable resource for other Arizona ranches.

Today, the ranch superintendent at the V Bar V is Mr. Keith Cannon, or as everyone knows him by, Bopper. Bopper is a 4^th generation rancher, whose family came to Arizona from Texas in the late 1890’s. He was raised ranching, and in 1990 participated in an educational program sponsored by the University of Arizona for ranchers. He brought his two sons, Keith and Jacob, and their involvement was so praiseworthy that they received an invitation to the Santa Rita Ranch for a similar, more extensive opportunity. Shortly after, Bopper was invited to be involved in research, then serve as a cowboy at the V Bar V Ranch, working his way up his current position as ranch superintendent and later joined by his son Keith in 2001.

14692041_1323703427640506_9211379197313490478_o — Keith and Bopper are a hard working team and work efficiently to keep time for family at the end of the day.

Bopper shared, “The V Bar V is a unique opportunity to combine old school ways and traditions with new technologies. The goal today is to run this experiment station as a profitable ranch to serve as a model for Arizona ranchers while showcasing the ability to improve continuously by using new technologies and research.” The current focus is improving cattle breed genetics and creating more cross-breed cattle that perform well in Arizona conditions (high drought and heat tolerance) while still grading high in meat quality. With those goals in mind, the Waygu breed was introduced to the predominantly Angus and Hereford herd and found that the cattle were well-suited for the environment while grading 90% choice or better.

Bopper sees the importance of the V Bar V in outreach to Arizona ranches, commenting, “It’s easier for ranchers to accept strategies from a fellow cowman than from academia. We aren’t just saying this is what you need to be doing. We are showing them that we are also doing it ourselves and it’s working.”

14611122_1322000157810833_1350048052962601541_n — While the V Bar V employs efficient strategies such as four-wheelers for gathering cattle over large, rocky areas, they still embrace ranching traditions like gathering horseback.

Ever been to the Phoenix Zoo? If so, you’ve most likely been directly touched by the V Bar V. Do you remember seeing the Hereford cow in the farm section? Yes, the one with the cute calf that visitors get to help name each year. She came from the V Bar V! And every year, Keith and Bopper, along with their interns, prepare and breed her so zoo attendees can continue to learn about the beef community.

16938963_1456571744353673_8039445036204155202_n — This cow and calf are happily being raised on the ranch, just like the pair representing their story to the community at the Phoenix Zoo.

The positive impacts in helping local ranchers and the community are only part of the mission of the V Bar V. Bopper smiles as he comments, “The most enjoyable thing about my job is working with students and interns. There is a lot of heritage on my side, and it’s great to be able to pass that on.” Bopper has welcomed interns from Japan, South Africa, Brazil, France, Germany, and around the United States. He views them all as part of his family (rumor has it, his wonderful cooking proves helps build this sense of community!). Interns, high school and university students alike participate in calving classes, branding, and cattle handling, along with basic veterinary practices. Bopper aims to spark their interest in both the cattle community and the University of Arizona.

This year’s intern, Andrew Miles, says, “The V Bar V is a crucial part of the University’s Animal Science program, providing opportunities for students to learn about cattle and ranching. Furthermore, its unique location includes rangeland transitioning from low to the high desert, spruce and brush, and all the way up to high mountain country. It serves as an incredible resource for students from a variety of academic backgrounds to be involved in research benefiting many different fields of study and the state of Arizona as a whole.”

14721509_1305889406102441_8402360163695978775_n — Andrew Miles, the 2017 Summer Intern, has benefited from the V Bar V through Animal Science courses at the University of Arizona, working at the UA feedlot, and now working on the ranch.

Want some wisdom from the ranch that every intern learns?

From Bopper:

“Don’t ever tell me you can’t do something… Tell me you won’t, but can’t isn’t in my vocabulary.”

“Every morning when I wake up and go outside, it’s a new day, so every day you must be open to learning something new.”

“I’m always looking for the missing link, and that’s Newton’s Law: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. If you manage and make decisions based on the reaction, you are always two steps ahead. What you do today will affect tomorrow; what you do tomorrow will affect the future.”

14480601_1301284526549063_4636761684368430565_o — Interns work hands-on, learning practices such as ear-tagging that allow for proper identification and record keeping for the best possible care of cattle.

“The most important thing I have learned is how well you can integrate new technologies and ideas into tradition. Keep challenging yourself and never stop trying to improve methodology,” says Keith Cannon who has been involved in the University of Arizona’s School of Animal Science since 1997 as a student, working at the feedlot for ten years, and now helping run the ranch.

13938187_1247480968596086_1186724804880850939_o — Keith helps a student learn to check a cow’s pregnancy, an important component of keeping cattle healthy and updated in records.

While at the ranch, Hyatt, Keith’s son, gave us a wonderful tour of his market goat project and we were enlightened on the importance of knowing your animals and knowing their needs (and we got to see a newborn kid! I guess ranches aren’t always just about the cattle.)

13100931_10207873258222754_2166848693627388861_n — Being directly involved in agriculture is important for future generations like Hyatt to gain an understanding of where their food comes from, and an appreciation for the animals!

Bopper and Keith show a beautiful picture of a generational love of ranching traditions as well as improvement, and display the importance of extension resources including the V Bar V. There is plenty that the ranching community, the public, and students can learn from the V Bar V, and we agree with Keith and Bopper’s final desire: “We hope that the UA keeps the V Bar V as an operational ranch and that it can become more useful to the University as well as Arizona ranches, serving as a true extension resource for the state.”

14434808_1301283813215801_1009312745257552989_o — The V Bar V has an endless positive impact on educating present and future members in the beef community, including teaching proper cattle handling practices.

Blog post by Nicole Van Eerd, Arizona Beef Council 2017 Summer Intern.

In Pursuit of a Beefy Passion

October 14, 2016October 14, 2016Tiffany

This week’s blog post was previously published on Tiffany’s personal blog, Tiffany Nicole and Co as a brainstorm during the development of a presentation she gave to the Veterinary Science Careers course at the University of Arizona.

Looking back, I now realize that I (sort of) had a cushioned and extremely lucky landing into my job at the Arizona Beef Council. I fully recognize this can be a rare phenomenon for most college graduates, but I’m so grateful for the good fortune that came my way. I prefaced my statement with “sort of” because I worked hard during my college career to make the connections and built relationships which offered me the opportunity to obtain my current position with the Arizona Beef Council. Today, I’m so extremely grateful to have been placed on this path because this job has led me to discover a passion I would never have known without it.

I’ve always enjoyed the outdoors and open spaces and Arizona has no shortage of those things. Growing up, an affinity for the outdoors started while I worked at a horse training barn in exchange for riding lessons. I found myself counting down the days, hours, and minutes until I was released from the classroom and would be back outside, breathing in the scent of horses and fresh air. Caring for and riding horses is a love I began to develop as a youngster from my mother’s tales of her youth spent in the saddle, so when the time came for me to be afforded this opportunity, I was willing to put in the long hours required. In a horse barn is where I learned how to work hard, get the job done, and do it all with a pleasant attitude. I can further credit the University of Arizona and a great club, which was part of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, for encouraging my love for the open spaces of Arizona and for converting my love into a real passion for Arizona agriculture.

Pictured is Kris Harris on the Quarter Circle U Ranch. She is a great example of the many friends I’ve been fortunate to make in this community.

As many young college students do, I set my sites on vet school after completing my undergraduate career. Working outdoors was one major factor in my future path, so small animal medicine just wasn’t in the cards. As a result, livestock and a large animal practice is what I wanted to pursue. I did not have much large animal experience outside of horses, so I decided to join the Collegiate Cattle Growers Association. The group owned and managed a herd of cattle and hogs, which were bred each year with the end goal of raising show quality livestock that could be sold to 4H and FFA students. We also used the animals for judging practice for the University of Arizona’s Livestock Judging Team and offered hands-on animal husbandry experiences for students. As luck would have it, this was the perfect environment to pursue the path my heart called for and I so badly wanted to follow. Ultimately, I ended up learning, by and through the people I met and the experiences I obtained, is that what the universe had in store for me, actually far exceeded the original goal and expectations I had set for myself.

Pictured with the famous Baxter Black, cowboy poet extraordinaire, and Lauren Scheller, fellow passionate Beef Council colleague.

It has been an honor to be a part of this community and through various internships, meetings, and activities, I discovered that Arizona ranchers are some of the hardest working, most passionate, not to mention friendliest people on this planet. I also learned that agriculture was so much more than just the science, which, at first, was the personal interest I had focused on in college. It was about so much more…the land, the people, and the animals, and how they and it all worked together. Moreover, I learned caring for livestock requires more than just a focus on the animal, but a synergy with the land, the policies, the families, the neighbors, and the public. Finally, I understand that raising cattle wasn’t just a pretty photo of a grassy pasture, but a way of life and tradition, which requires all that you have to give.

Although representing Arizona beef farmers and ranchers is the technical description of what I do for the Arizona Beef Council, what I am really doing is helping secure, alongside the many other organizations, ranchers and supporters of the beef community, that there is ranching far into the future. It is my goal and our goal to ensure that beef is still at the center of your great-great-great grandchildren’s plate. For me, this isn’t just a job, it’s about ensuring the open spaces stay open and the steaks keep sizzling.