Cattle Industry Honors Its Champions
Leaders, young and adult, recognized at awards luncheon.
SAN ANTONIO (Feb. 5, 2005) — The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association honored its industry champions Saturday, Feb. 5, at the Cattle Industry Annual Convention and Trade Show. From outstanding students to seasoned industry veterans, cattlemen paid their respects to these individuals at a luncheon sponsored by Merial.
Top Hands. One hundred eighteen men and women met the criteria of recruiting at least three new members to become a part of the NCBA member-recruit-a-member program. The overall Top Hand award goes to the person who recruits the most members. In the closest race in the 22-year history of the event, Dale Lueck from Aitkin, Minn., was named runner-up with 85 new members.
David Fitzpatrick of Winchester, Ky., was recognized as the overall winner, recruiting 87 new members into the organization. This is the third time he has won the award. He has been runner-up twice.
For more information, visit www.beefusa.org.
National Cattlemen’s Foundation Collegiate Beef Quiz Bowl. Teams earned the privilege of participating in the national competition at the Cattle Industry Annual Convention by winning their regional competition through the American Society of Animal Science (ASAS) Academic Quadrathalon. Competing in the 2004 National Cattlemen’s Foundation Beef Quiz Bowl were North Dakota State University, Utah State University and Penn State University. Penn State was named won the competition.
For more information, go to, www.nationalcattlemensfoundation.org.
The Chicago Mercantile Exchange Scholarship Fund. Each year, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange awards 20 scholarships worth $1,500 to students committed to futures in the cattle industry. The applicants were asked to describe an issue confronting the beef industry and offer solutions to these issues. Essays were judged on the basis of clarity of expression, persuasiveness, originality and the relevance of topic to today’s beef industry.
This year’s top winner is Kari Bailes of Shepherd, Texas. Kari is a senior at Shepherd High School, and will attend Texas A&M University to major in animal science. Along with her scholarship, Kari received an all-expense paid trip to the convention and presented her essay calling for death of the death tax during the awards luncheon.
The Max Deets Award. The Max Deets Award Program was developed in honor of NCBA’s 1997 President Max Deets. The program, established through Kansas Livestock Association and NCBA, is given annually to the chairman of the Young Cattlemen’s Conference (YCC). Each year the YCC participants select an individual who demonstrates outstanding leadership to serve as their chairman. This year’s chairman and winner is Alan Kelley of Saint Cloud, Fla.
Editor’s Note: This release is adapted from a news release distributed by the NCBA. For the original release, click the “News & Resources” link at www.beefusa.org.