CALF_News_April_May_2018

13 CALF News • April | May 2018 • www.calfnews.net N o one takes Beef Quality Assurance more seriously than Ron Gill. His in-the-saddle seminars on stockmanship and stewardship are sought nationwide. It was no wonder that the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist received the 2018 BQA Educator award during the Cattle Industry Convention and National Cattlemen’s Beef Associa- tion (NCBA) Trade Show in Phoenix. Paul, Minn.; BQA Dairy Award, Kraft Family Dairies in Fort Morgan, Colo. The Swan Leadership Award , which honors the Swan family of Idaho and Utah, went to John and Dee Lacey of Paso Robles, Calif. John has served as both National Cattlemen’s Asso- ciation and NCBA president, while Dee has been chair of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board. Bill Swan had many local, regional and national leadership roles, including serving as NCA president in 1981. His son, George, was also very active in Idaho and national beef activi- ties, and served as NCBA president in 1999. Additional Best of Beef Award win- ners included:  Beef Trailblazer Award – Jamie Lindamood, Lindamood Ranch, Eureka, Kan.  Beef National Stocker Award – Dave Steinbecker Jr., Steinbecker Livestock, Perryville, Mo.  Zoetis AQHA Remuda Award – Silver Spur Operating Co., Encampment, Wyo., with ranches in Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska and New Mexico, including the TO Ranch and Bell Ranch in New Mexico.  American National CattleWomen Collegiate Beef Advocacy Program – Taylor Evans, Mobile, Ala., and Auburn University; Ashley Hunts- berger, Wellington, Nev., and Univer- sity of Nevada; and Will Shelby, Madill, Okla., and Connors State College.  Masters of Beef Advocacy MBA Advocate of the Year – Anne Bur- kholder, Nebraska feedyard operator and “Feed Yard Foodie” blogger.  Top Hand Club – Dave Daley, Oro- ville, Calif., 2017 champion recruiter who brought 60 new members into NCBA; Michael Weeks, Stuart, Okla., reserve champion, 37 recruits as new members; and Jerry Christie, Nashville, Ark., third-place recruiter with 31 new members.  Max Deets Leadership Award – Will Mayfield, Pulaski, Tenn.  W.D. Farr Scholarship – Dustin Aherin, Kansas State University; Arquimides Reyes, Colorado State University.  Distinguished Service Award – Ree “Pioneer Woman” Drummond, Pawhuska, Okla.  CME Group Beef Industry Scholarship – Abbey Schiefelbein, high school senior, Minnesota; Brooke Berendsen, Montana State University; Mason Bishop, Clar- endon (Texas) College; Sydney Bowman, high school senior, Colo- rado; Lucas Brock, University of Georgia; Ryan Callahan, Oklahoma State University; Bridger Gordon, high school senior, South Dakota; Cale Hinrichsen, Oklahoma State University; Ty Montgomery, Okla- homa State University; and Morgan Scilacci, Kansas State University.  Excellence in Com- munications and PR – Andy Atzenweiler, Missouri Beef Cattleman magazine.  Excellence in Agri- culture Journalism – Tony St. James, Paramount Broad- casting, All Ag, All Day, Floydada, Texas.  CATTLE INDUSTRY CONVENTION AND NCBA TRADE SHOW Best of Beef Winners Cattle Industry Convention Honors Leaders in Every Field By Larry Stalcup Contributing Editor BELOW: Dee and John Lacey, left and third from the left, received the Swan Family Leadership Award at the Best of Beef Breakfast. Texas A&M AgriLife’s Ron Gill, right, was named Beef Quality Assurance Educator of the Year at the Best of Beef Breakfast. He was presented the award by John Davidson, DVM, with Boehringer Ingelheim. Gill was among many industry leaders and supporters who were recognized at the Best of Beef Awards ceremonies. His expertise and leadership in developing beef safety and quality programs has been a driving force behind many posi- tive changes in the beef industry. The importance of BQA continues to grow as the industry strives to improve beef quality and illustrate how produc- ers and feeders use humane production practices on their ranches and feedyards. Other Best of Beef BQA winners were: BQA Cow-Calf Award , Bentley Ranch in northern Nevada; BQA Feedyard Award, BLAC-X Farms Inc., in Rock County, Minn.; BQA Marketer Award, Central Livestock headquartered in St. 13 CALF News • April | May 2018 • www.calfnews.net