2025 Beef Quality Assurance Award winners announced

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) announced the winners of the 2025 Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Awards, sponsored by Cargill, Sam’s Club, and Certified Angus Beef. The BQA Awards annually recognize outstanding beef and dairy producers, marketers, and educators who best demonstrate animal care and handling principles as part of day-to-day activities.
“BQA Award winners not only incorporate BQA best management practices into their operations, but they also share the benefits of the program with their peers,” said Josh White, senior executive director of producer education and sustainability at NCBA. “Their commitment to quality and animal care transcends their physical locations.”
Introducing the 2025 BQA Award winners:
2025 BQA Cow-Calf Award
Parker Ranch, Hawaii
Long before the term “sustainability” became part of the daily vernacular, the Hawaiian people understood what it meant to be “pono” or in right relationship with nature. Parker Ranch has embraced the BQA stewardship principles as they represent the same commitment to the land, the animals, and the people. They demonstrate a shared responsibility to raise animals in a way that respects natural resources and ensures cattle health and well-being, beef quality and food safety.
2025 BQA Dairy FARM Award
VanBedaf Dairy, North Dakota
Employee training and established operating procedures ensure continuous management practices are maintained for the cattle at VanBedaf Dairy. The dairy has hosted Curt Pate to train employees and neighbors wanting to improve their cattle-handling skills. All staff employed by the dairy are required to sign a letter of commitment to cow care. This is a pledge to treat the animals in the most humane way to ensure cow quality of life and consumer trust.
2025 BQA Feedyard Award
Grimmius Feeder, California
Grimmius Cattle Company often retains ownership and thus responsibility for cattle throughout their entire lives. This creates an opportunity to apply comprehensive BQA guidelines and partner with others within the industry who also follow BQA principles. BQA guidelines build the framework for their practices and policies from animal welfare to employee safety. All 800 full-time employees at Grimmius are BQA certified as well as partner feedyards and all individuals that are shipping loads out of Grimmius ranches. Additionally, all haulers that Grimmius contracts with are BQA Transportation certified.
2025 BQA Marketer Award
Producers Livestock Market, Utah
Producers Livestock implements BQA principles that focus on the proper doctoring of cattle that come through the facility. The marketing cooperative is committed to traceability and transparency, ensuring that cattle meet stringent requirements for health, handling, and quality. They also have established animal handling practices based on BQA guidelines and they share information about BQA with producers beyond Utah to those in other western states.
2025 BQA Educator Award
Dr. Keith Belk, Colorado
Dr. Belk’s efforts to improve beef quality and safety are backed by his ability to help cattle producers understand beef safety and product quality and intentional dissemination of research, particularly to producers at the ranch and feedlot, which maps opportunities to improve meat quality and recapture value through the beef supply chain. His research, teaching, and outreach efforts have contributed to marked improvements in the beef supply during his decades of work in this field. One of his most valuable contributions is his visionary involvement and leadership with the National Beef Quality Audit (NBQA) research since its inception.
Award winners are selected by a committee comprised of BQA certified representatives from universities, state beef councils, sponsors, and affiliated groups, who assess nominations based on their demonstrated commitment to BQA practices, their service as leaders in the beef industry, and their dedication to promoting the BQA message to grow consumer confidence. For more information about each of the award winners, visit www.bqa.org/beef-quality-assurance-awards .

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