The American Meat Science Association’s (AMSA) 69th Reciprocal Meat Conference (RMC) will be held June 19-22, 2015 at the Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas. Drs. Elsa Murano, Judith Capper and Mindy Brashears will be the featured speakers at the event focused on Food Security: Re-defining Sustainability Symposium. They will discuss the need for animal-based protein sources around the world to address food security needs in the global population.
Presentations from these speakers will focus on:
· Can Livestock Save the World?: The demand for livestock products around the world has been increasing at a dramatic pace, with the demand being greatest in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. It is calculated that we will need 460 million tons of meat per year, compared with half that amount in 2005. An important issue is that small farmers dominate livestock production in many of these countries. This demand can be met, but it must be met sustainably. Dr. Murano, Professor and President Emerita at Texas A&M University, will present possible solutions, with the aim of engaging the audience in a discussion of how to eradicate world hunger and poverty through livestock production.
· Exploding population with a finite resource base – how do we achieve food security by 2050: In this presentation Dr. Capper, Independent Livestock Sustainability Consultant, will focus on the ways in which we will meet future food demands as the global population approaches 9.5 billion; competition for resources intensifies; and per capita income gains increase the demand for animal-based foods.
· Turning By-Products to Beef: Sustaining the Cattle Industry in Honduras: Dr. Brashears, Professor at Texas Tech University will discuss how the utilization of by-products can be a sustainable mechanism for establishing the livestock and meat industry in developing countries as a form of sustainable animal agriculture. Specifically, she will discuss how utilization of by-products from the Palm Kernel Industry in Honduras have been formulated into a feed for finishing beef cattle by a team of meat, food and animal scientists at Texas Tech University. The dietary formulations, animal performance, economics, food safety and meat quality aspects of this product will also be discussed along with the personal impact on the cattlemen of Honduras.