Dell Allen, a retired Kansas State University Department of Animal Sciences and Industry professor and a meat industry visionary, along with his wife, Joyce, will be presented with the 2024 Don L. Good Impact Award.
The Allens are pictured above in the courtesy photo.
The award, presented by the Livestock and Meat Industry Council Inc., is named in honor of Good, who is a former department head of the Kansas State University Department of Animal Sciences and Industry, and it recognizes those who have had a positive impact on the livestock and meat industry or agriculture. The Allens will be recognized during the K-State ASI Family and Friends Reunion on Oct. 5 at the Stanley Stout Center in Manhattan, Kansas.
“Dr. Dell Allen has had a distinguished career in the livestock and meat industry. He has been a renowned researcher and meat scientist, a judging team coach, a teacher, an advocate, a mentor and a friend to many people,” said Doug Deets, LMIC board member and one of Good’s former students. “His impact has been wide and deep. One of Dr. Good’s strongest attributes was his ability to hire top-notch people to come to the Animal Science Department at K-State. He knocked it out of the park when he hired Dr. Allen in 1966. The impact of that hire has been huge not only for K-State, but for the livestock and meat industry as a whole.”
Small town success story
Allen grew up on his family’s farm in Liberty, Kansas. He earned his bachelor’s degree from K-State in 1961. While attending K-State, he worked at the beef, sheep and poultry units and was a member of the wool, meat and livestock judging teams. He then earned his master’s in animal breeding from the University of Idaho and his doctorate from Michigan State University in animal husbandry.
In 1966, Allen joined the K-State ASI faculty, where he worked for 22 years. He received numerous K-State and national teaching awards. He coached the meat judging team for 13 years, winning multiple contests.
Mentor to many
He served as major adviser for 17 masters’ students, three doctorate students and was also an adviser for Block & Bridle Club and Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity. During this tenure at K-State, Allen’s research focused primarily on beef composition and beef quality. Allen left for two sabbaticals during his time at K-State—one in Brazil and the other with the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.
In 1988, Allen left his academic position and was hired by Excel Corporation, which later became Cargill Meat Solutions. His first role was the implementation of a company-wide quality improvement program. In 1990, he was named vice president of quality assurance and with the outbreak of E.coli 0157:H7, he was responsible for assuring the safety of Excel’s meat products.
He was named vice president of food safety and technology and served in that role until he retired in 2004. For the next 12 years, he consulted in various capacities in the meat industry.
Important figure
During his career he served as president of the American Meat Science Association and received many awards, including the R.C. Pollack Award, the highest award bestowed by AMSA. He was presented the K-State ASI Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2009 and was named the 2013 Stockman of the Year. Allen is past president of LMIC. He also received awards from the National Meat Association, USDA-FSIS, American Meat Institute and was inducted into the inaugural class of the Meat Industry Hall of Fame.
Allen said his success would not be possible without Joyce, his wife of 58 years. The couple, parents of three—Melanie, Damon and Gary—currently reside in Derby, Kansas. They appreciate living near their two granddaughters, Katrina and Danielle, and twin grandsons, Asher and Nathan.
More information, along with registration, will be available online for the Oct. 5 K-State ASI Family & Friends Reunion at asi.ksu.edu/familyandfriends, and the reunion’s social media channels.
