CALF_News_October_November_2019

42 CALF News • October | November 2019 • www.calfnews.net By Jessie Topp-Becker Contributing Editor W ith a thriving culinary scene that’s home to award-winning chefs, Denver is a food-lovers dream. The Mile High City is also home to a booming popu- lation of young professionals who are passionate about learning where their food comes from and how it is raised. Three years ago, the Colorado FFA Foundation decided to capitalize on this demographic in an effort to gain support for youth exhibitors at one of the state’s preeminent tourist destinations and nation’s premier livestock shows – the National Western Stock Show. The founda- tion of the orga- nization’s Meat and Greet event is geared toward building better connections between people who live in rural and urban areas. “It’s got a lot of layers in it, but at the surface, it’s a foodie event featuring youth in agriculture and, in the end, we just want to build relationships 12 kids and 12 animals at a time,” explains Don Thorn, executive director of the Colorado FFA Foundation. As part of the event, guests are invited to enjoy a fun evening featuring Colorado protein prepared by four of Denver’s top chefs. Each chef is assigned a protein – beef, pork, lamb or goat – and is responsible for making three different plates with their assigned protein. Beyond the food, guests have the opportunity to meet 12 youth livestock exhibitors and interact with their animals. The climax of the event is the auction, where guests once again see the exhibitors and their animals in a runway-style auction. Guests then are invited to bid on one of 12 “behind- the-scenes” experiences at the National Western Stock Show. The winning bidders have the opportunity to get to know a NWSS livestock exhibitor and his or her animal as they prepare for the NWSS and, during the NWSS, enjoy lunch at the National Western Club, drinks in the Cowboy Bar and a “ringside” experience with the exhibitor and their animal. The first two years of the event, roughly 350 people attended. Thorn hopes to eventually reach 450 attendees and have a wait list. “We still think there’s growth in our target mar- kets,” he says.“About 30-40 percent of our attendees are still agriculture supporters, and we love having that. We think there’s still growth opportunities with our urban friends.” The event’s continued growth has been grass- roots, and largely the result of leveraging partner- ships and relationships. Thorn is grateful for the relationships the organization is building with non-ag businesses and urban folks, and for the organizations who make the event a reality each year. While the event creates a fun experience for the attendees, another layer is the student side, where Thorn is trying to help student’s cultivate meaningful relationships. “Ultimately, how do we help young people create relationships with people they may never have had a chance to,” he says. Traditionally, when an animal sells in a market sale, the rela- tionship between the youth and buyer is short-lived. Because of the way Meat and Greet was designed, the youth and buyer will have interacted for a couple of months and have estab- lished a meaningful relationship prior to the NWSS. “The ultimate layer – and time will tell – is does this lead to a career or a relationship for our students, beyond the animal and beyond the food? That’s our goal.” The 2019 Meat and Greet event will take place Nov. 14 at the Stadium Arena of the NWSS Complex. Registration and more information about this exciting event can be found at www.coloradoffafoundation.org . Editor’s Note: This is the first in a three-part series about Meat and Greet that will appear in CALF News .  Meat and Greet Colorado FFA Foundation Offers Urbanites a Unique Experience Members from nearby FFA chapters volunteer to prepare and serve food, and interact with guests throughout the evening. Event sponsors like Cherry Creek Mortgage Company play a significant role in making the Meat and Greet event a success. During the auction, exhibitors walk their animals down a runway and guests bid on one of 12 "behind- the-scenes" experiences. Photos courtesy Colorado FFA Foundation