STAFF EDITORIAL The Summit Takes Texas By Jake W. Renner, M.S.
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he 2021 IGS Youth Leadership Conference, The Summit, took place July 26-29, in Amarillo, Texas. Nearly 50 delegates from more than 17 states associated with the Gelbvieh, Shorthorn and Simmental breeds convened in the Amarillo area eager to experience all the Texas Panhandle had to offer. Delegates spent the better part of the morning on Tuesday visiting and networking with a variety of industry leaders, professors and research agents for West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas. The department of agricultural sciences has made headlines and history for its PrimeOne cloning project. The department partnered with Viagen Inc. and local scientists to take genetic material from a Prime 1 Yield Grade 1 beef carcass and create cloned calves. A bull calf, Alpha, and three heifers were born in 2012. Now in phase two of the research, the offspring of the clones are born. The nine bull calves and four heifer calves are the first offspring to be born of cloned parents of any species. The offspring of the clones will be harvested, and their carcasses will be evaluated in hopes of improving the production of Prime 1 Yield Grade 1 beef. The remainder of the time spent at West Texas A&M
covered topics such as beef harvest and fabrication, along with a unique quality and palatability session taste testing samples of steak of various quality grades and cuts. We’re always taught to treat others as we’d like to be treated, and the delegates of the 2021 Summit did just that. After touring Wrangler Feedyard in Tulia, Texas, and a quick stop at Cadillac Ranch, delegates found themselves at the heart of Snak Pak 4 Kids, Amarillo. Snak Pak 4 Kids is an organization providing meals to those in need all over Texas. We may think of meal programs for the “poor” or the “hungry” but we often forget that sometimes life happens and we’re not in control. Thanks to the generosity of numerous volunteers, donors and supporters like Cactus Feeders’ Cactus Cares program, organizations like Snak Pak 4 Kids change lives every day. Fifty delegates with grateful hearts packed over 2,000 meals in less than an hour. Opportunities like The Summit are open to all young leaders interested in taking the next step in their beef journey. Be on the lookout for more information coming about where The Summit is headed in 2023. FF
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