7/23/2008 10:38:00 AM Nebraska woman given Beef Quality Assurance award
Anne Burkholder, Will Feed Inc. from Cozad, Neb. was awarded the Beef Quality Assurance Award.
Quality. It's not only a word written in an instruction manual but a responsible action - one must live it and then teach it. Recently two producers were honored with the national Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) award, created to recognize outstanding beef and dairy producers from across the country who incorporate BQA principles as part of the day-to-day activities on their operations. The winners were selected based upon their commitment to beef quality assurance while operating sustainable cattle operations.
Anne Burkholder, Will Feed Inc. from Cozad, Neb. was awarded the honor along with Jim Docheff, Diamond D Dairy from Longmont, Colo.
Burkholder graduated from Dartmouth College in 1997 and moved back to Cozad with her husband, Matt, to run the feedyard. She is now the owner, head cowboy, feeding foreman, environmental steward and marketing manager, all of which comes from "hands on" learning. Over the years, Burkholder began to analyze what her "small" feedyard niche was going to be. At about the same time diesel fuel and trucking rates started to rise, she went to work finding producers in Nebraska who wanted someone to track their cattle from "ranch to rail". There she found her niche - producers who are interested in the data and insight Burkholder offers by tracking their calves through the feedyard and into the packing plant. She also heads the processing team and takes down weight and tag data while vaccinating so that she can follow the calves gain individually through the feedyard, then compile carcass data to compliment the feedyard performance.
In the words of nominator Drew Gaffney, Nebraska Cattlemen BQA Coordinator, "Anne has been a driving force and key spokesperson for the Nebraska Cattlemen and the state's BQA program. Anne has been very instrumental in producing and promoting BQA meetings throughout the state. She has not only been a featured speaker at BQA meetings, but has also helped to promote BQA at local Auction markets. With the help of the state coordinator, Anne developed Nebraska's first BQA cattle auction held at the North Platte Livestock Auction Market in North Platte, Neb. That sale was held in the fall of 2007 and since then three more BQA sales have been conducted. Anne has proven time and again that she is more than deserving of this award."
The National BQA award winners are selected annually by a committee of representatives from universities, state beef councils and cattle industry groups.
For more information about the beef checkoff or BQA program, visit www.bqa.org, www.beefboard.org.
