In last week’s Spotlight, I talked about the role two Michigan State University Extension educators played in the Vets to Ag program when they taught ServSafe as part of the meat-processing session. Another important role in the Vets to Ag Program is played by Sarah Wells, academic specialist in the MSU Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition and the Department of Animal Science.
As facility coordinator of the MSU Meat Laboratory, Sarah taught several lectures in the six-week course and was involved in coordinating the cutting and processing sessions in which the vets received hands-on experience. Meat lab manager Jennifer Dominguez and assistant manager Ryan Varner assisted with the lab components.
View this WLNS video about the program and one veteran’s reaction.
In addition, to her part in the Vets to Ag program, Sarah also has been busy contributing to other MSU Extension activities. She coordinated the Michigan Meat Association’s pre-convention workshop on jerky at the lab earlier this month as part of ANR Week. She and Extension educator Jeannine Schweihofer taught the Michigan Meat Association members who participated in the workshop. Sarah arranged for Dr. Jeff Sindelar, an MSU alumnus, Extension meat specialist and associate professor in meat science from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, to teach part of the jerky workshop as well. She also held a fermented sausage-making workshop this past summer that meat processors from around the state attended.
