Volume VIII Number 2 March/April 2000

NCBA Convention Briefs


Colorado Cattleman Wins Environmental Stewardship Award

Continuing the family tradition of incorporating environmental stewardship into the family agriculture business lead to James Anderson becoming the 1999 National Environmental Stewardship Award Program (ESAP) winner.

"Anderson Farms is a key example of how cattlemen and women can increase their bottom lines while also remaining mindful of the environment -- the cattle industry's greatest resource," said NCBA President George Hall, a livestock market operator from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. "This family farm in more ways than one has demonstrated the hard work that cattle producers do to conserve the environment so it remains productive for the future."

The Anderson Farm and Cattle Co. began as an 80 acre operation about 90 years ago. Horses provided most of the labor that heavy machinery now supplies. Al-though it began on a small parcel of land, its owners knew one thing was certain: If they took care of the land, the land would be there for them and their children, according to Anderson.

The operation now spans 1,000 acres in Longmont, Colorado. About 750 acres of the farm are irrigated cropland. The heart of the farm is a cattle feeding operation, which has a one-time capacity of 1,400 head. Anderson, a third-generation rancher and owner of Anderson Farms and Cattle Company, still adheres to the philosophy of his grandfather who founded the farm, and he continues the family tradition of making land stewardship an integral part of his cattle business.

Among Anderson Farms' top priorities are the effective management of manure generated from the feedlot. The farm conducts soil tests to monitor nutrient buildup.

Water conservation is essential to a productive business in Longmont, where the average annual rainfall is about 13 inches. Anderson Farms constructed three ponds to collect runoff and tail-water, creating a wildlife habitat for multiple species of waterfowl, including Canadian geese and pelicans. Anderson also participated in a water quality study of the St. Vrain River. Results of the study showed water quality leaving the farm had fewer salts, nitrates and other solids than water already in the river.

"For almost 90 years, Anderson Family Farms has made creating a balance between farming and conservation part of our business," Anderson said.

Anderson Farms is along the front range of the Rocky Mountains. Because of the land's topography, Anderson has taken steps such as planting hundreds of trees to prevent soil erosion during the rainy season or during times of irrigation. Planting the trees has had the added bonus of creating habitat for wildlife such as deer, rabbits, eagles, hawks, pheasants and other animals. Some of the farm, including pasture, river frontage and lakeshore areas, are out of production and are used solely to protect wildlife and wetlands.

For 20 years, the Anderson family has been developing methods and modifying equipment in an effort to reach a 100 percent conservation tillage program. This has resulted in great savings in fuel, labor and machinery costs

USPB Wins First Ever National 2000 Vision Award from NCF

U.S. Premium Beef (USPB) has been named the national winner of the 2000 Vision Award: Beef Innovator of the Year by the National Cattlemen's Foundation, Inc. The first ever award, sponsored by Bayer, was established to recognize beef industry leaders who have taken innovative steps to make their operation more profitable and efficient.

Nominees for the 2000 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 to and impact on the beef industry; and optimum resource management.

Don Butler, chairman of the NCF, said all the winners were "the cream of the crop," but that U.S. Premium Beef's ability to link the consumer and the producer earned them the award this year. "They are really looking out in front and being visionary," Butler said.

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