102 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN February 2024 NEBRASKA WINS NATIONAL BQA AWARDS PEERS JESSE FULTON, M.S. | NEBRASKA BEEF EXTENSION EDUCATOR DIRECTOR OF NEBRASKA BEEF QUALITY ASSURANCE For the last three years, Nebraska Cattleman readers have had their attention turned to the National Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) awards. If this is your first time hearing about them, here is a reminder of what those awards are. Since 2009, the National BQA program has utilized the National BQA awards to recognize cattle producers across the nation for their BQA achievements. The program recognizes producers and operations from the following sectors: cow-calf, feedyard, marketer and dairy. Additionally, the educator awards recognize an individual who has been dedicated to the BQA program throughout their career. Prior to 2024, Nebraska had won eight National BQA awards with two recent wins in 2022 and a near sweep of the awards in 2023 (winning four of the five awards). This year, Nebraska continues its successful run with two industry leaders taking home the National Feedyard of the Year and Marketer of the Year awards for 2024. These two recent wins make Nebraska the home of the most BQA awards in the nation. This is the third year in a row Nebraska has been represented at the National BQA awards ceremony, and I hope this winning streak continues for many years to come. We have set an astounding record by winning 10 awards in three years, and I believe Nebraska has plenty more BQA-committed producers deserving of this prestigious award. 2024 BQA FEEDYARD OF THE YEAR: Adams Land & Cattle Company Adams Land & Cattle Company (ADAMS) began in 1950 when Russ and Angenette Adams purchased 320 acres east of Broken Bow for a family farm. An additional 1,063 acres of land was purchased in 1971, which eventually became the ADAMS South Lot and the family farm became the ADAMS East Lot. At this time, both lots combined had a one-time capacity of about 8,000 calves, and the farm had nine employees. ADAMS was incorporated in 1973, and they began finishing cattle along with the already-established backgrounding CONTINUED ON PAGE 104
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