Hailing from rural northern California, Phil Bass raised livestock and cut meat at an early age. He went on to earn his bachelor’s and master’s degree in animal science at California Polytechnic State University. He earned his doctorate in meat science from Colorado State University in 2009.  For 8 years Phil served as the Senior Meat Scientist for the Certified Angus Beef brand where he led educational programs, innovative beef carcass merchandising initiatives, and analyzed data for the betterment of the brand and animal agriculture community.  Phil transitioned to a faculty position in the Animal, Veterinary and Food Sciences Department with the University of Idaho in 2017 and now leads the introductory animal science class as well as two meat science courses.  Dr. Phil focuses his research primarily on ways of improving meat animal carcass value and palatability using practical means.  Phil lives in Troy, ID with his wife, two children, a couple of horses, a few chickens and sheep and a small non-profit herd of beef cattle. 

A farm kid with Georgia cow-calf roots, Maggie’s passion lies in moving the meat industry forward by connecting people and ideas. She loves to challenge the status quo by asking, “What do our current challenges make possible?”. Before joining Midan to lead new business development in 2016, Maggie spent nearly two decades on the Certified Angus Beef® international sales team helping to grow and launch the brand at foodservice and retail in more than 20 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean. Maggie is a believer in the global interdependence of the B2B meat industry supply chain and loves supporting Midan’s domestic and global clients with their brand building efforts.  She currently serves on the Annual Meat Conference Planning Committee, and she was on the U.S. Meat Export Federation Executive Committee from 2010-2013. 

Maggie raises two energetic boys, one American water spaniel and 20 beehives with her husband on their Woodland, Alabama, farm. 

Woody Lane is a respected expert in pasture management, sheep, and beef cattle nutrition. His engaging writing transforms readers' perspectives on fields. He earned his PhD in animal nutrition from Cornell University and served as the State Sheep and Beef Cattle Extension Specialist for the University of Wisconsin in the 1980s. In 1990, he founded Lane Livestock Services in western Oregon, providing consulting to farmers and ranchers.

An engaging speaker, Woody has presented at major conferences in the U.S. and Canada and has taught numerous courses on forage management and livestock nutrition. For over 20 years, he has led innovative forage discussion groups in Oregon, driven by his commitment to applying science to practical problems in pasture management.

Woody has authored hundreds of articles and fact sheets on livestock production and grazing, alongside over 25 peer-reviewed research articles. He has also published three books based on his column in The Shepherd magazine.