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, 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 counselor 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 Aug. 20, in Dodge City, Kan.

Stepping stones

Born in 1956 into a meat processing family that opened its own packing plant in Hallettsville, Texas, Dolezal was brought up in the trade. That gave him a familiarity with protein processing, and the kill floor was an early memory — one stepping stone in a lifelong path. 

His family’s farm, ranch and packing interest helped Dolezal see the big picture as it opened doors to educational opportunities. In high school FFA, he judged nearly everything in the livestock sector, including dairy cattle, poultry and meat. 

But it was the latter that really captured his imagination. 

Dolezal looked to Texas A&M University for collegiate judging. 

“My parents took me to meet with the Dean of Agriculture, Dr. Richard Potts, and he asked me, ‘Son, what do you want to do in life?’” Dolezal recalls. “And I said, ‘I want to judge meat.’” 

Potts advised him to match that interest with an education in the science and to work with legendary meat scientist Gary Smith. 

Dolezal began those undergraduate studies while on the meats team under coach Daryl Tatum. Following meats, Dolezal joined the livestock judging team, then graduated and asked, “What’s next?” 

The gateway to coaching a meats team was a master’s degree. Still at A&M, he worked with Smith and department head Zerle Leon Carpenter while coaching the meats team. A nod to his prowess, that Dolezal-coached team won the North American International Livestock Exposition contest. 

Clearly on the academia 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, where he stayed for 16 years.  

Doc

Relationships have been paramount in Dolezal’s education and professional career. Early at OSU he “locked hands” with many at the university, including animal scientists Don Gill, Keith Lusby and Fred Owens, with whom he studied anabolic implants and the effects on carcass quality, fat and ribeye area. 

Dolezal considers the boxed beef calculator his chief accomplishment in Stillwater. In those days, many were concerned with price discovery and market reports on subprimals. 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. 

Today 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 for the trade.

Outside of packing, Dolezal collaborated with Nebraska Angus rancher Bill Rishel on additional real-world use for the boxed beef calculator. 

“I met Glen over the telephone,” Rishel says. “I’d read about some work he had done at Oklahoma State, and it was very impressive to me.” 

The rancher wanted to evaluate his own sire evaluation program, but he needed Dolezal’s help. Using Rishel’s progeny information and carcass merit data, 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. 

Connecting the dots, Rishel used boxed beef calculator results as a determining factor for quality genetics and eventually, for marketing bulls. 

“[Dolezal] was intrigued by this project and more importantly, I think he was intrigued about the economic merit that it had for all of us as producers,” Rishel says. 

The scientist certainly earned his stripes in the beef community, especially with ranchers. Armed with the drive to study what matters on the ranch and the skillset to explain results with the take-home points, Dolezal became a fixture at producer events. Often speaking on trends and current research, he keeps putting those educator skills to good use. 

Though he’s years past his actual professor days, colleagues at Cargill still call him “Doc.”

Career experiences at Cargill span a wide range, but clearly Doc’s not just an educator to the cowboys. 

“One second, he can talk to a producer, the next second he can talk to the business leadership, and the next second he can go speak to a customer out in the field when they’re buying ribeyes,” says Steve Molitor, Cargill vice president of cattle procurement. 

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 the 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. And one of the main reasons is that Glen is always about proving something to be really valuable.” – Steve Molitor

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. He leans in on relevant research and plant management practices. 

It all ladders up to quality beef production. 

“I can remember when I came to Cargill in ’99, we were lucky to grade 55% Prime and Choice,” Dolezal says. “Today we’re at 83.5% Prime and Choice in the United States.”

Those levels are the highest in the span of his career, beef quality that keeps increasing incrementally. 

“I think marbling has improved dramatically over the last 20 years,” Thoni says. “And Doc’s been a big player in that.”  

Dolezal estimates more than 75% of cattle today are marketed on a carcass-merit grid rather than live weight. He knows that influences what producers make or lose, and that has caught ranchers’ attention. 

“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 he says Dolezal expects more. It’s not just pounds, but “quality pounds.” 

“He wants marbling. He wants consistency. He wants great lean color. He wants something that, from a carcass-weight standpoint, can be merchandised at retail or foodservice,” Morgan explains. “He has probably not made some friends over the years for standing up for what he believes when it comes to beef quality.”

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 — opportunities that yield people who can “stand on two feet and confidently make a decision” and pride is in those he’s mentored, educated or coached. Seeing their successes, jump-started by an extracurricular like competitive judging, is a bright spot in Dolezal’s own long list. 

“I don’t care if it’s meat, livestock, poultry, flowers — whatever the case may be — it’s an extracurricular activity that you do beyond the classroom that tells me you can chew gum and walk at the same time,” he says. “I think it broadens students and helps with their careers.” 

The positive differences in student lives are 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 that you may change for the better.”

Legacy doesn’t live in any award. It lives where you made a lasting difference for everyone.