Winners of the 2026 Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Awards were announced this week at CattleCon 2026 in Nashville. The BQA Awards annually recognize outstanding beef and dairy producers, marketers, and educators that best demonstrate animal care and handling principles as part of day-to-day activities. And the winners are: 2026 BQA Cow-Calf Award – East Foundation Ranches, Hebbronville, TX 2026 BQA …
Cattle Producers Gather at CattleCon 2026
Almost 9,000 cattle producers, industry partners and stakeholders from around the country are in downtown Nashville this week for CattleCon 2026, the largest cattle industry event of the year. NCBA President-Elect Gene Copenhaver of Virginia says there is a lot of excitement in the industry right now after some big wins. “I think maybe the biggest one that happened was …
Beef Quality Assurance Update and Awards at CattleCon
Translation of Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) materials into Spanish is underway. Veterinarians, producers, and anyone involved with worker training recognize the value of material provided in a language that the employee understands and multiple ways of providing that information, such as written, oral communication, or video. This is a major goal of the BQA program as educational resources expand. I …
The NCBA 2024 Advocate of the Year – Emma Coffman
Back in the early days of social media we used the term, agvocate. But it really is advocating and there is a new 2024 Advocate of the Year. She’s Emma Coffman, from Temple, TX. She was selected by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff. The award recognizes Coffman for her creative use of storytelling across …
San Antonio Welcomes CattleCon 2025
The biggest cattle industry event in the country kicked off today in San Antonio with thousands of cattle producers, industry partners and stakeholders attending CattleCon 2025. The day started with a issues update from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association team of policy experts. The opening general session featured the return of Buzz Brainard, host of Music Row Happy Hour, as …
BQA Honors Best in Beef Quality Awards
Each year, the National Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Awards, funded in part by the Beef Checkoff program and sponsored by Cargill, recognize outstanding beef and dairy producers, marketers and educators who demonstrate high-quality animal care and handling principles, as well as express a strong desire to continually improve their operations through BQA. The 2024 honorees include Cow-Calf Award winner VanWinkle …
Beef Advocates Recognized During CattleCon24
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) selected Alli Fender, owner of Flying F Ranch in San Diego, California, as this year’s top beef advocate. Fender was honored as the Advocate of the Year for the positive example she sets for other beef advocates by sharing her journey in ways that connect with people outside of her immediate beef community. Through …
Beef Advocate and Trailblazers Recognized at #CattleCon23
Training and encouraging advocates for the beef industry are what the Masters of Beef Advocacy and Trailblazers programs are all about and their excellence was honored at the Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show last week in New Orleans. Tucker Brown of Throckmorton, Texas, was honored as the 2022 Advocate of the Year for his creative use of storytelling …
Good Times are Rolling at #CattleCon23
Nearly 7,000 cattle producers, industry partners and stakeholders have gathered in New Orleans this week for the 2023 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show with the first general session on stage Wednesday afternoon. This year’s event kicked off with Franki Moscato, winner of the 10th Annual NCBA National Anthem Contest, singing the “Star-Spangled Banner.” Buzz Brainard, host of Music …
Time to Get Jazzed for #CattleCon23
The streets of New Orleans will be filled with cowboy boots this week as thousands of cattle producers from around the country visit to attend the 2023 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show. “This is the 125th anniversary of NCBA and the Cattle Industry Convention, so we’re excited to be celebrating that,” said NCBA Executive Director of Meetings and …