Three Will Vie for the NCBA National 2004 Vision Award

Three of the beef industry’s trendsetters have been nominated for the beef industry’s annual Vision Award, sponsored by Ford Motor Company and the National Cattlemen’s Foundation.  The national winner of the 2004 Vision Award will be named at the 2004 Cattle Industry Convention and Trade Show in Phoenix, Jan. 28-31, 2004.

 “It’s called the Vision Award because the individuals nominated have the ability to see down the road for our industry,” says Foundation Chairman Bob Josserand.  “This talent has taken these people a long way in our industry, and provide others with great examples of true innovation and creativity.”  

The 2004 Vision Award recognizes beef industry leaders who take innovative steps to make their operation more profitable and efficient. Nominees for the 2004 Award were evaluated primarily on the basis of effective use of available production technology, impact on the cost of production, ingenuity in implementation, successful and innovative marketing, benefit and impact on the beef industry, and optimum resource management.  The three winners will each name an NCBA affiliate to receive a $500 cash award, and be eligible for the national Vision Award in January.

The 2004 nominees are:

Henry Gardiner, Gardiner Angus Ranch, Ashland, Kan.  Gardiner’s vision of developing superior quality breeding stock has helped his customers reach their profit potential.  In addition, he has advanced the vision for the entire beef industry through acceptance of technology and other methods of bringing a better quality product to the consumer.  His vision for Gardiner Angus Ranch has been to improve the beef business, not just the bottom line.

Painted Hills Natural Beef, Fossil, Ore.   Painted Hills Natural Beef puts a focus on quality and takes it to the next level, meeting the desires of an increasingly large group of consumers with a natural, delicious product.  Their customers purchase on the basis of value, and include ex-vegetarians who are glad to again incorporate beef into their diets.  Painted Hills Natural Beef is paving the way for others in the beef industry to brand their own beef products and create loyal customers that look for their label.

Erick Jensen, Wolfe’s Neck Natural Beef, Freeport, Maine.  Described by the Maine Commissioner of Agriculture as the most significant new program to come to the livestock industry in several decades, Wolfe’s Neck now has more than 60 producers earning a premium of between 5 and 20 percent over commodity prices.   As a result, producers in this previously-depressed livestock area are again considering expansion, and reinvestment is taking place.   

“There are many people taking a new look at our industry, and making their ideas work for them in interesting and successful ways,” says Josserand.  “Large or small, it’s those ideas that keep our industry vibrant.” 

The National Cattlemen’s Foundation serves the beef industry as a charitable institution whose mission is to preserve the rich heritage and promote the future of the industry through research and education.