TOP HAND CLUB PARTICIPATION INCREASES

DENVER, Nov. 18, 1997 -- The National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) Top Hand Club program grew by 30 percent in 1997, as 103 producers nationwide recruited more than 1,000 new NCBA members. The Top Hand Club is a successful "member-get-a- member" recruitment program sponsored by Merial, makers of IVOMEC®. This year's theme was "It's Your Move," which instilled responsibility in grassroots NCBA members for strengthening their national organization.

   "Because NCBA is the lifeline for our industry in Washington, D.C., we owe it to ourselves to recruit new members into the association," says Steve Foglesong, a beef producer from Vermont, Ill., and NCBA Membership and Revenue Development Committee Chair. "The Top Hand Club is invaluable because it motivates NCBA members to recruit new members, thereby strengthening our voice in Washington, D.C."

   By using established members through the Top Hand Club, NCBA saves approximately $22.50 per person in recruitment expenses. Rewarding individuals for their membership efforts has been key to the success of the program.

   Richard Jenkins of Abingdon, Va., has been named the national 1997 Top Hand Club champion for recruiting 95 new members between Oct. 1, 1996 and Sept. 30, 1997. As the top recruiter, Jenkins will be awarded a $2,000 dream vacation during the 1998 Cattle Industry Centennial Convention and Trade Show. Top Hand Club runner-up, Jim Pennington, McFarland, Calif., recruited 91 new members. Pennington receives an all expense-paid trip for two to the Centennial Convention.

   The NCBA Top Hand Club program was created in 1982 to recognize those members who continually gave their time and efforts to increasing membership. Top Hands recruit at least three new members and earn various prizes as more new members are recruited. For more information or recruitment tools, contact the NCBA Center for Association Services, 303-694-0305.

   Initiated in 1898, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association is the marketing organization and trade association for America's one million cattle farmers and ranchers. With offices in Denver, Chicago and Washington, D.C., NCBA is a consumer-focused, producer- directed organization representing the largest segment of the nation's food and fiber industry.