CONTENTS 66 Strick's Specialty Meats gets serious when it comes to custom meat processing. Strick's also caters about 400 events a year with meals ranging from chicken and brisket to seafood boils. Cover: The Diestel Family Ranch is currently under its fourth generation of family management with leadership from Jason Diestel (left), Heidi Orrock (Diestel) and Jared Orrock. Source: Diestel Family Ranch 08 COMMENTARY Granting opportunities 10 BUSINESS NOTES 12 WASHINGTON Competition intervention 14 INDUSTRY OUTLOOK Business health survey 26 COVER STORY Diestel Family Ranch 30 CONFERENCE RECAP IFAN explores automation 36 PROCESSOR PROFILE Northwest Meat Co. 42 FOOD SAFETY Foreign material detection 50 INGREDIENT ISSUES Moisture management 58 BEEF BRANDING Cerified Angus Beef shines 66 SMALL BUSINESS Strick's Specialty Meats 72 MEAT PERSPECTIVES Plastics make progress 4 MEAT+POULTRY | 11.24 | www.meatpoultry.com 78 L ABOR Election expectations 80 INDUSTRY CALENDAR 82 GIVING BACK 84 NAMES 86 SHOWCASE 89 ADVERTISERS 90 INSIDER Strick's Specialty Meatshttp://www.meatpoultry.com