Belk, Keith
Professor, Center for Meat Safety & Quality
Research Interests:
Red meat quality and safety; live animal development; international marketing of red meats; quality management systems.
Professional Experience:
- Associate Professor, Department of Animal Sciences, Colorado State University, 2001-2004.
- Assistant Professor, Department of Animal Sciences, Colorado State University, 1995-2001. Meat Extension Specialist (1995-1999).
- International Marketing Specialist, USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, Livestock and Seed Division, 1992-95. Developed/implemented international standards programs for federal grading, certification, & market information services to facilitate U.S. agricultural trade; coordinated AMS foreign assistance programs for developing/emerging democracies; provided technical input into trade negotiations and international standards development bodies; and worked closely with academia and industry on marketing-related issues. Travel included 26 countries on five continents.
- Research Associate, Texas A&M University, 1992. Conducted research and extension activities for the Meat Science Section Head in the Department of Animal Science.
- Buyer, Fresh Meat Procurement, Corporate Meat Division, Safeway Stores, Inc., 1986-88. Duties included market analyses and procurement of fed beef carcasses, cow carcasses, raw grinding materials, and various by-products for fabrication facilities and various retail and ground beef processing operations.
- Quality Control Supervisor, Corporate Meat Division, Safeway Stores, Inc., 1986. Developed/supervised quality and safety assurance programs in Los Angeles beef prefabrication plant and ground beef unit, managed three QA technicians.
- Intern, Corporate Meat Division, Safeway Stores, Inc., Summers of 1981-83. Installed production control systems in a Denver prefabrication plant, revised carcass and boxed beef purchasing specifications, conducted quality assurance and yield testing, and trained receiving personnel in Denver, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Wichita plants.
- Livestock production. Family enterprise which included management, production and showing of registered purebred Suffolk sheep, club calves, and custom-fed slaughter cattle.
Professional Contributions:
Refereed publications (in print) = 75; scientific abstracts = 75; popular and trade articles = 22; monographs and conference proceedings = 76; animal science program reports = 59; research reports to sponsors = 91; book chapters = 3; book reviews = 1; patents = 2. Graduate Committee Chair = 30 (22 M.S., 8 Ph.D.); Graduate Committee Member = 18. Grants and extramural support = $6,616,801; addresses, guest lectures or presentations of a professional nature = 268.
Awards:
- USDA-AMS-LS Marketing Assistance Award for Re-establishment of Export Markets for U.S. Beef; 2005.
- CSU “Celebrating Service Milestones” 10 Years of Service Award; 2005.
- U.S. Meat Export Federation Distinguished Service Award; 2004.
- American Society of Animal Science Meat Science Research Award; 2003
- CSURF (Colorado State University Research Foundation) Honored Researcher; 2000-2001.
- Named One of Seven of Meat Processing Magazines “Rising Stars for 2001.”
- Western Section, American Society of Animal Science; 1999 Young Scientist Award.
- American Meat Science Association; 1998 Achievement Award.
- Awarded USDA Certificate of Merit for conducting a worldwide beef quality audit, 1995.
- Selected for inclusion in Marquis “Who’s Who In Science and Engineering”, 1993.
- Champion Ph.D. Graduate Research Poster, 1992 AMSA Reciprocal Meat Conference.
- Coached the high meats judging team at the 1985 International.
- Winner of the 1980 Douglas County (Colorado) 4-H Scholarship.
- Winner of the 1979 Jr. Colorado Cattlemen’s Association Scholarship.
Affiliations:
- Member, The Western Stock Show Association.
- American Society of Animal Science.
- Institute of Food Technologists.
- American Meat Science Association.
- International Association for Food Protection.
- Intercollegiate Meat Coaches Association.
- National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.
- Colorado Livestock Association.
- Colorado Cattlemen’s Association.
- American Society for Testing & Materials, International.
- Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance Certificate Number US 00126 for Lead Assessor.
- Alpha Gamma Rho, Rho Chapter Alumni.
Teaching:
- ANEQ 565 “Interpreting Animal Science Research”; Spring 1997-2011
- ANEQ 360 “Meats”; Spring 2003; Fall 2003-2010
- ANEQ 792D “Seminar-Meats”; Spring/Fall 2000-2011
- ANEQ 350BV “Animal & Products Judging-Meats”; Coordinator 1995-2009
Education:
- Ph.D., Meat Science, Texas A&M University. Department of Animal Science, College Station, TX. May 1992.
- M.S., Meat Science, Colorado State University. Department of Animal Science, Fort Collins, CO. May 1986.
- B.S., Animal Science, Colorado State University. Department of Animal Science, Fort Collins, CO. May 1983.
Contact Information:
Office: Animal Science Building 7C
Phone: (970) 491-5826
Fax: (970) 491-0278
Email: keith.belk@colostate.edu
