On the surface, he’s a meat scientist. Others know him as a meats judging coach. Some call him “the father of instrument grading.” To those who’ve worked most closely with him, Dr. Glen Dolezal is much more. The hard-nosed, fierce competitor and brilliant researcher, with a knack for explaining science in layman’s terms, is a trusted counsellor and prankster.
He deflects credit to others while letting his own success speak for itself.
And it has. With notable contributions to academia and trade, Dolezal left his mark on the meat science world – its people, the science and implications for all sectors of the beef industry. He was presented the 2024 Certified Angus Beef (CAB) Industry Achievement Award at Feeding Quality Forum August 20 in Dodge City, Kansas.
Stepping Stones
Born into a family with its own packing plant in Hallettsville, Texas, Glen Dolezal was brought up in the trade. That gave him a personal familiarity with protein processing, the kill floor as an early memory.
One stepping stone in a lifelong path.
His family’s farm, ranch and packing interests helped open doors to educational opportunities. In high school FFA, Dolezal judged everything from dairy cattle to poultry, livestock and meat.
But it was the latter that really captured his imagination.
Dolezal looked to Texas A&M University for collegiate judging.
Dean of Agriculture, Dr. Richard Potts, advised Dolezal to match his judging interest with an education in science – and to work with legendary meat scientist Gary Smith. Another stepping stone.
Dolezal began undergraduate studies while on the meats team under coach Daryl Tatum, who would go on to an iconic career in the field. Following meats, Dolezal joined the livestock judging team, then graduated and asked, “What’s next?”
Still at A&M, he worked with Smith and department head Zerle Leon Carpenter on a master’s degree, while coaching the meats team.
On the academic path, he continued to Colorado State University to work with past judging coach Tatum and begin work on a doctorate. Not long into that program, Oklahoma State University (OSU) called in need of a faculty member to teach meat science and coach the judging team. An agreement was forged and after completing his doctorate, Dolezal was Stillwater-bound.
That was the stepping stone to a sixteen-year career there.
Doc
Dolezal considers the boxed beef calculator his chief accomplishment at OSU. From cutting tests on a great many cuts with known percent yield and yield grade, his team back-calculated a price. The result? A calculated carcass value different than values seen in the cash market or any other form of trade.
At Cargill Meat Solutions, Dolezal’s team still relies on the formula daily, proving the enduring value of that research and the scientist’s foresight in creating a much-needed tool.
Outside of packing, Dolezal collaborated with Nebraska Angus rancher Bill Rishel on additional real-world use for the boxed beef calculator.
The rancher wanted to evaluate his own sire evaluation program, but he needed Dolezal’s help. Using Rishel’s progeny information that included carcass merit, Dolezal ran ribeye area, yield grade, back-fat thickness, marbling and quality through the boxed beef calculator. The results were favorable, pointing to sires with the potential to sire calves that would yield more dollars in a value-based marketing system.
The scientist has certainly earned his stripes in the beef community, especially its ranchers. With the drive to study what matters on the ranch—and the skillset to explain results, Dolezal became a fixture at producer events. Often speaking on trends and current research, he keeps putting those educator skills to good use.
And though he’s years past his actual professor days, colleagues still call him “Doc.”
Quality on Top
Quality has always been at the top of Dolezal’s career interests. Research on tenderness and palatability led to a “snip and shock” process to improve the eating experience. As a result, Cargill became the first major processor to earn USDA tenderness certification, on the heels of its groundbreaking offer of “guaranteed tender” beef for retailers. Cargill launched brands with Kroger and Harris-Teeter in 2002, followed by a guaranteed and certified tender program with 13 divisions at Safeway.
Alongside Cargill, Dolezal patented new processes and worked with USDA to change quality grades, upgrading a high-quality “hard bone” carcass to the greater value it deserved.
“Glen Dolezal is an icon in the industry,” Rishel says. “And one of the main reasons is that Glen is always about proving something to be really valuable,” not just for packers but as a meat scientist to all.
In the late 1980s to early ’90s, Dolezal pioneered instrument grading at OSU, testing it in labs and figuring out how to make it work at line speeds. Once at Cargill, he pressed for instrument grading because of variation in calls between graders. He led Cargill’s move as one of the first companies to make the switch.
“I think it’s created better brands, a more consistent product within those brands, and I think Doc’s done an excellent job of pushing the industry to move toward these cameras,” says Bill Thoni, beef industry consultant and Cargill’s former vice president of cattle procurement.
Camera grading has become an industry standard, he adds, largely thanks to Dolezal’s foresight and efforts to create a more consistent system.
It doesn’t stop there. Dolezal leads as a voice for animal welfare and sustainability, advocating for Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) and BQA Transportation. It all ladders up to quality beef production.
“We’re more focused on carcass quality than ever before, and it’s a good thing,” Dolezal says.
According to Brad Morgan, vice president of research and development at iQ Foods, quality means something a bit different to Dolezal. Morgan nods to weight and efficiency as anyone in packing would but says Dolezal expects more. It’s not just pounds, but “quality pounds.”
“He wants something that, from a carcass-weight standpoint, can be merchandised at retail or foodservice,” Morgan says.
That’s his leadership style: setting the example, doing more than just punching the clock, ultimately influencing change.
Legacy Forward
Dolezal’s professional pedigree shows he’s been surrounded by industry greats, stepping stones laid by family, teachers, coaches, advisors and colleagues.
It’s come full circle.
“Doc” places a lot of weight on developing the next generation of meat scientists, drawing passion from what’s mattered to him. His pride is in those he’s mentored, educated or coached. Seeing their successes, jumpstarted by an extracurricular like competitive judging, is a bright spot in Dolezal’s own long list.
The positive difference in students’ lives is part of Dolezal’s legacy, alongside his own lasting contributions to meat science, packing and the greater beef industry.
“You contributed and you contributed in multiple ways,” he says. “It could be human resources; it doesn’t have to be science. It’s just to make a difference in someone’s life.”
Legacy doesn’t live in any award. It lives where you made a lasting difference.
