A winner among you?

Five years ago, breeder Dave Nichols even tagged along on the story stop Steve and I did with his customer Blake Crawford near Adair, Iowa. Blake relied on Dave not only to provide good genetics and sound advice, but also to help him source additional cattle into his on-farm feedlot.
Dave told us that day: “I think the Crawfords are truly the model, and they aren’t doing anything exotic that 90% of the other people couldn’t do if they took the same kind of commitment or approach.”
We know there are people all over this country committed to raising the best cows they can, while making calves that hit the CAB target. There are Angus breeders who aim to do more than provide good, well-rounded genetics. They want their customers to be profitable and build beef demand.
And we like to give those people a shout out, a high five, some well-deserved recognition each year.
We’re now accepting nominations our Commitment to Excellence Producer Awards, which we present at the brand’s annual conference. (This year it’ll be in Desert, California, in September.)
We’d like your help in identifying Angus producers who are dedicated to producing cattle for the Certified Angus Beef ® brand.
The commercial and seedstock awards recognize producers for raising Angus cattle designed and proven to target the CAB® brand as they develop positive working relationships within the cattle industry.
What’s it take to win?
Commercial ranchers will have a good chance if they have a close working relationship with a feedlot, use carcass and feedlot data to make continuous and significant improvement, and market cattle to capture their true added value.
Angus breeders should have strong working relationships with their customers, in terms of communication, education and helping to facilitate their ability to hit the CAB target far beyond the national average of 25%.
If that sounds like one of your neighbors, your supplier or your customer, contact Wendy Nichols in our Kansas office via e-mail at WNichols@certifiedangusbeef.com, or at 785-539-0123. She’ll get you set up with a one-page, simple form.
Thanks for your help!
May your bottom line be filled with black ink,
Miranda
PS–To read about last year’s producer winners, head on over to the 2012 Annual Conference page on our consumer website.
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