Australian Intercollegiate Meat Judging Association

INCORPORATED

What is ICMJ?

The Australian Intercollegiate Meat Judging Association (ICMJ) Inc is a not-for-profit association aimed at exposing and encouraging students into careers in the meat industry. ICMJ runs two competitions each year: a schools competition held in Tamworth; and a university competition and training course held in Armidale.

Program Objectives

The objective of the Intercollegiate Meat Judging Competition is to provide an opportunity for students to learn and to build the pool of intelligent young meat industry representatives, fired with enthusiasm who will give the Australian meat industry the expertise and drive to compete in the meat quality world of the future.

 

This is done through:

 

·         Exposing students to the fundamentals of meat quality education.

·         Demonstrating to students how and why markets perceive meat quality differently and highlighting the various carcase specifications required by these markets.

·         Exposing students to different systems of meat identification and classification

·         Providing training and a non-threatening competitive environment to assist students develop confidence and communication skills.

·         Providing an opportunity for students to acquire and apply knowledge of practical aspects of meat science.

·         Raising students' awareness of career opportunities that exist in the meat industry.

·         Exposing students to the requirements of the end-user (consumer)

·         Exposing student to new technologies within the meat industry.

 

History

Intercollegiate Meat Judging was begun by Meat Science Professors  in the USA in 1927. The US has 60 Land Grant Colleges—most of which have large meat science facilities—something that we are yet to see at one University in Australia.

 

The US has various contests each year and students travel all over the US competing. Nowadays many of the top managers in the US meat industry are former contestants.

When on his 1983 Churchill Fellowship in Meat Marketing, John Carter (current Australian ICMJ president) realised the enormous contribution that the program made to the US industry. When he became Chairman of the NSW Meat Industry Authority he was able to begin the program in Australia.

 

 

Australian ICMJ time line

1990

The first contest was held at Glenmore Meats, Glebe, Sydney

1993

The competition was held at Rockdale Beef

1994

1st team competed in the US at the National Western ICMJ contest in Greely, Colorado

1997

Korea/Japan trip introduced

2000

The competition was held at Cargill Wagga

2006

Japanese team joined the competition

2001

The schools competition was developed

2006

A 2.5 day workshop was introduced prior to the competition. This significantly boosted the level of interest.

2007

A US University (University of Illinois) competed in the competition (and won)

 

Throughout this time over 1300 students enrolled in tertiary education from 21 different institutions have participated. Since 1994, ICMJ have sent 82 students to the US, and in teams of 5-6 have competed in the National Western ICMJ contest at Greely, Colorado .This follows an intensive two week tour of abattoirs and University Meat Science facilities where students  judge the quality and yield of beef, lamb and pork carcasses.

Outcomes

The purpose of the ICMJ program has always been to attract graduates into the red meat industry. This has certainly been successful with alumnae either having been employed or currently employed by the following companies:

 

- Meat and Livestock Australia

- Teys Bros

- Cargill's

- Nippon

- Sanger

- Elders

- Twynam

- Catapult Genetics

- Rangers Valley feedlot

- Smithfield feedlot

- Australian Country Choice

- National Australia Bank

- Food Science Australia

- Department of Primary Industries

- Australian Angus Society

- Primo