'Best of Beef' Awards Presented
Annual breakfast honors individuals for outstanding accomplishments within the beef industry.
SAN DIEGO, Calif. (Jan. 29, 2016) — More than a dozen awards were presented honoring beef industry members for their involvement and accomplishments during an awards breakfast Friday, Jan. 29, at the 2016 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show in San Diego, Calif. The “Best of Beef” event was emceed by farm broadcaster Russell Nemetz with the Northern Ag Network. The awards presented included:
Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Award winners. In the cow-calf division, Frank Stoltzfus of Masonic Village Farm in Pennsylvania was recognized. The farm has 180 cow-calf pairs and farms about 600 acres, while also providing retirement living, personal care and nursing services to more than 1,500 residents. Nodaway Valley Feeders, owned by Todd and Kristi Drake of southwest Iowa, was presented the BQA award for the feedyard division, and Brook-Corner LLC, a registered Holstein operation owned by Reid, Diane and Brad Hoover of Pennsylvania was presented the Dairy BQA award.
Nebraskan Scott Mueller, owner of Samson Inc., was recognized with the BQA Marketer Award, and North Dakota State University BQA Specialist Lisa Pederson received the BQA Educator of the Year award.
The BQA awards are sponsored by Cargill, Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Inc., NCBA and the beef checkoff.
Receiving awards for Excellence in Communications & Public Relations were Carson Horn, director of communications with the Arkansas Cattlemen’s Association, and KayDee Gilkey, an ag radio reporter with the Ag Information Network in Washington State.
BEEF Magazine’s Trailblazer Award was presented to A.E. “Bud” Sloan, Sloan Ranch, Ventura County, Calif. He founded the Ventura County CoLAB, which stands for Coalition of Labor, Agriculture and Business. Sloan says agriculture is 15-20 years behind the environmental and no-growth groups in land use and regulatory effects that determine how ag functions on a daily basis.
“We’ve got to turn that around,” he said.
BEEF Magazine’s National Stocker Award was presented to Homer and Larry Buell, Shovel Dot Ranch, Bassett, Neb. The Buells have been dedicated to recordkeeping and cost analysis and have a focused commitment to the land and the grass it grows.
Farm Journal Media’s 40 Under 40 Awards. Beef industry winners included Jaclyn Wilson, Flying Diamond Genetics; Patrick Bray, Arizona Cattle Growers’ Association; Tracy Woods, 44 Farms; Larry Keenen, Red Angus Association of America; Joe Kovanda, Bartlett Cattle Co. and Ryan Meyer, Creekstone Farms.
Max Deets Leadership Award. Cody Norton, Johnsontown, Colo., was recognized for his role as the Young Cattlemen’s Conference Chairman. Norton is currently a senior beef pricing analyst for JBS Swift.
CME Group Beef Industry Scholarships. Ten $1,500 scholarships were awarded to outstanding students pursuing beef industry careers. Recipients were: Case Hendrix, Texas; Denton Diggs, Missouri; Sierra Jepsen, Ohio; Kacey Koester, North Dakota; Abby Marion, Florida; Garrett Nichols, Iowa; Michael Olson, Kansas; Lena Sanchez, New Mexico; Will Schaffer, Missouri; and Alexis Strickland, Florida.
W.D. Farr Scholarships. Each $12,000 scholarship is awarded to graduate students to further their study in fields that benefit the cattle and beef industry. Recipients were Whitney Crossland, Texas A&M University, who is studying the feeding application of ethanol byproducts and the effects of commercial feed additives on the ruminant microbiome, and Greta Krafsur, Colorado State University, who is working to identify the biomarkers associated to predict brisket disease.
Recognition was also given to the Collegiate Beef Quiz Bowl Teams, the Environmental Stewardship Award regional winners, and the Top Hand Membership Recruiters and State Affiliates.
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