CALF_News_August_September_2019

18 CALF News • August | September 2019 • www.calfnews.net Braveheart ® Beef and Beaver's Bend Brewery A s a meat scientist with Gary Smith, Ph.D., as his mentor at Colorado State University (CSU), Brad Morgan crafted his skills at managing beef quality, packaging and shelf life. He fined-tuned those skills at Oklahoma State University (OSU) before joining a major food distribution company that relies heavily on beef for its bread and butter. But Morgan’s love for his hometown region of southeastern Oklahoma has him tapping into a new craft – craft beer – and eventually beef sales at Beaver’s Bend State Park. More specifically, it’s Hochatown, Okla., a beautiful lake area in the woods just outside Broken Bow. “I grew up in nearby Rattan, Okla., and my wife, Missy, was raised in Ant- lers,” Morgan says, as he greets custom- ers at his Beaver’s Bend Brewery.“We were high school sweethearts. We’ve always loved this part of Oklahoma, where forests and milling provide much of the economic base, along with cattle. “But Beaver’s Bend is the area’s biggest attraction for people from all over the state and many from Dallas-Fort Worth and other parts of Texas and Arkansas. We wanted to find a way to slowly move back home.” Interest in the brewery grew when they discussed it with McCurtain County friends Brad Reesing and Michelle Walker. Reesing had started the small craft brewery about five years ago and was ready to add new partners.“We saw it as a great opportunity to have a local business near our hometowns,” Morgan says. His company, Performance Food Group (PFG), services most restaurants and grocery stores in the region. He was acquainted with what the area residents and tourist crowd liked about the area. It was a win-win. Beef in his blood Morgan was raised on a cow-calf and hog operation. His father also operated a small custom-harvest plant in Antlers. He worked in all phases of the cattle and hogs’ production and processing. After graduating from high school, Morgan attended OSU where he earned a bachelor’s degree in animal science. He then attended the University of Nebraska where he earned his master’s degree. His training for his doctorate degree was at Texas A&M University. “Dr. Gary Smith was one of my professors at Texas A&M,” Morgan remembers.“When he received the Montfort Chair in animal science at CSU, I followed him there and served as an assistant professor of meat science.” He was at CSU from 1991 to 1995, when he took a professor position at OSU. During his years at CSU and OSU, he took part in the initial National Beef Quality Audit. Morgan became an authority on projecting and judging beef quality, quantity, safety and the usefulness of meat and meat products, according to an article from the American Meat Sci- ence Association, for which he served as president in 2014. His research was often in conjunction with major entities like Walmart, National Beef and the U.S. Meat Export Federation. Morgan left OSU in 2012 to work for Zoetis as a senior food safety and enhancement specialist.“We were doing work with Performance Food Group, and I took an interest in that end of the By Larry Stalcup Contributing Editor Continued on page 23  THE OF THE ART DEAL How ‘bout a pint or two? Beaver’s Bend Brewery – a hot spot in Hochatown.