During Beefmaster Breeders United’s (BBU) recent convention in Galveston, Texas, national campaign co-chairs Mackie Bounds and Bob Siddons, announced the public launch of the “Foundation for the Future” endowment campaign, an initiative to secure a permanent financial base which will enable theBeefmaster Educational Endowment Foundation (B.E.E.F.) to aggressively accomplish research and education, which will help to both enhance the breed and provide credible scientific research and information for BBU members and the public on the benefits of the Beefmaster breed.

The phase one goal of the campaign was to secure $1 million in pledges, which may be paid over five years, at the time of the public launching of the campaign.

“We have now already made history with over $1 million having been committed at the launch of the campaign today and that the committee is now moving forward to the phase two goal of $2 million in 2018,” said co-chair Bob Siddons.

Co-chair Mackie Bounds informed the attendees that with a permanent endowment in place — the Foundation will fund educational and breed specific scientific research from the earnings from the endowments corpus leaving donated monies in perpetuity. He also announced that anyone donating to the campaign in 2017 will be recognized as a Foundation “Founding Member”.

All new foundation campaign donors and those who may have increased their respective pledges will be formally recognized each year at BBU’s convention and throughout the year. Furthermore, it should be noted that all donations to B.E.E.F. are fully tax-deductible as provided by law.

The following individuals were publicly recognized for their generous support of the “Foundation for the Future” and, in addition, were recognized as a “Founding Member” of the endowment campaign:

The Breeder’s Legacy Society

Foundation Governor – $100,000+

Mackie & Norma Jean Bounds

Bill & Dusty Carr

Tim & Debbie Chapman

Mike & Rhonda Collier

Dr. Jim & Pam Colvin

Clark Jones

Bob & Bonnie Siddons

Foundation Regent – $50,000+

Larry Meacham

Dalton & Kathy Skinner

Foundation Fellow – $25,000+

Anonymous

Farm & Ranch [Kito & Leti Saenz]

Dan & Karen Gattis

Heritage Cattle Company

Dr. Roger & Cindy Holden

ISA Beefmaster [Lorenzo Lasater & Family]

Sheldon & Margaret McManus

Tony & Karen Psencik

Rick Stonecipher

J.C. & Teri Thompson

Ray & Kathy Walther

Foundation Patron – $15,000+

Foundation Beefmasters – Dale & Alex Lasater

Foundation Guarantor – $10,000+

Andy & Kim Boudreau

Roger & Kaye Fuller

Gerald Galbraith

John & Sue Pierson

Foundation Benefactor – $5,000+

Steve & Lana Carpenter

Melaine Hardwick

Tom & Deidra Hood

Larry Lairmore

Dave Loftin

Anthony & Harriet Mihalski

John Rediger

Bruce & Annette Robbins

San Gabriel Beefmasters [Barry Parker]

Ray Walker

Robert & Carol Williams

3G Sales & Service

Foundation Sponsor – $1,000+

John & Barbara Evangelo

Gary Frenzel

Lawrence & Cynthia Lyssy

John & Heather Long

Kendall & Vivian McKenzie

Ronnie Teague

BOERNE, Texas – Tom and Deidra Hood, Hidden Hollow Beefmasters of Tahlequah, Okla., were announced as the 2017 Beefmaster Breeders United (BBU) Breeder of the Year during the 57^th Annual BBU Convention “Beefmasters on the Bay” in Galveston, Texas.

Tom and Deidra have been BBU members since 1984 and are active members of the Central States Beefmaster Breeders Association (CSBBA), Arkansas Beefmaster Breeders Association, Central Texas Beefmaster Breeders Association, Louisiana Beefmaster Breeders Association and the Ozark and Heart of America Beefmaster Marketing Group (OHOA). The Hoods played an important role in the success of both OHOA and CSBBA for more than a decade, serving as sale manager for their annual sales and serving in multiple leadership roles, including on the board of directors. Tom also served on the BBU board of directors from 2014 to 2016 and this dynamic duo has worked for over three decades marketing Beefmaster cattle throughout the United States.

The Hoods take pride in being whole herd reporting members and recording one-hundred percent of their calf crop with BBU for the past 20 years. They understand the importance of BBU classification and ranch visits, through both of these programs they have been able to improve their cattle herd and gain Typesetter status on several animals. The Hoods have implemented artificial insemination and embryo transfer into their breeding program. About eighty percent of their heifers are artificially inseminated for their first calf, while forty percent of their breeding females are inseminated with top performance bulls. They have collected ultrasound data on their entire calf crop since 2012 and have used this data for heifer and bull selection. All herd sires are selected for minimum intramuscular fat (IMF) and ribeye area (REA) values, ratios and expected progeny differences (EPDs). EPDs are front and center for their program, as well as DNA verification. All of these practices have ultimately led to extremely quick genetic progress for Hidden Hollow Beefmasters.

“Their main goal is to produce functional, quality bulls for the commercial cattleman,” said Wesley Hood, the son of Tom and Deidra. “They have used their position as sale managers to market thousands of Beefmasters to a vast array of commercial producers, advancing the breed in various areas. But more importantly, they have utmost integrity.”

The Hood Beefmaster operation is a complete family enterprise. Their son and daughter-in-law are active partners in the cattle and sales management business, while also operating their own veterinary clinic and Beefmaster herd. Tom and Deidra also have two granddaughters that are active in showing cattle through the Junior Beefmaster Breeders Association. Overall, the goal of the Hood family is to continue Beefmaster genetic advancement and family ownership for many more years to come.

The BBU Breeder of the Year award was created to recognize the efforts and contributions made by members to promote BBU and Beefmaster cattle, while also evaluating the type, size and management practices of the member’s breeding program. The award requires that the breeder is an active BBU member in good standing, and has not received this award in the previous seven years.

BOERNE, Texas – Clark Jones, Jones Beefmasters of Savannah, Tenn., was announced as the 2017 Beefmaster Breeders United (BBU) Performance Breeder of the Year during the 57^th Annual BBU Convention “Beefmasters on the Bay” in Galveston, Texas. The award was presented to ranch owner Clark Jones and ranch manager Justin Williams during the awards luncheon.

Performance, phenotype and functionality are the main goals of Jones’ breeding program. Jones has submitted over 4,000 records to BBU since 1992 and evaluates his cattle for birth weight, weaning weight, yearling weight, carcass merit, scrotal and cow productivity. Over the past 30 years Jones has striven to produce the best Beefmaster cattle he can, by utilizing new technology and proven methods. Jones and Williams record performance data on all heifers and use that information to select replacements from the group. Females with poor performance in growth, as well as carcass data, will be culled from the herd.

“Quality is a powerful thing. For a female to achieve embryo donor status she must be in the top of the breed for EPD traits, have good actual data and have a phenotype that is as close to perfect as possible,” said Jones.

Jones is also very strict on his evaluation of herd sires, AI sires and commercial bulls. Jones culls the bulls that do not meet certain criteria, without question. All bulls must have at least one inch ribeye per hundred pounds of body weight and a minimum of 2.0 IMF, as well as pass a breeding soundness exam by 14 months of age.

Jones actively and progressively collects DNA on every calf born on the ranch and submits the DNA to BBU, this helps increase the accuracy of their EPDs and is beneficial to the BBU database. In the future, Jones plans to implement more DNA technology into the operation and continue to use ultrasound technology to measure carcass quality in their cattle.

Jones is an active member of the Southeastern Beefmaster Breeders Association (SEBBA) and consigns to the SEBBA, Live Oak Beefmaster Breeders Association and Texoma performance bull tests. He has also served in multiple capacities within BBU leadership, including president and serving on the board of directors.

The BBU Performance Breeder of the Year award was created to recognize members who are whole herd reporting breeders, collect performance and ultrasound data, as well as have superb management practices within their breeding program.

BOERNE, Texas – Trey and Mona Scherer of Brenham, Texas, were announced as the 2017 Beefmaster Breeders United (BBU) Member of the Year during the 57^thAnnual BBU Convention “Beefmasters on the Bay” in Galveston, Texas.

Trey has been a member of BBU since 1986 and has produced Beefmaster cattle for over 30 years. Trey and Mona work as a team to manage Collier Farms Beefmasters and they both serve on multiple BBU committees. Trey currently serves on the BBU Board of Directors and the Live Oak Beefmaster Breeders Association (LOBBA) Board of Directors. Trey is a member of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, Texas Cattle Feeders Association, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and Matagorda County Cattleman’s Association. Scherer has also served on the board of the Washington County Cattleman’s group, which operates through Texas AgriLife to produce an annual Cow/Calf Clinic open to all of Central Texas.

Scherer has been extremely dedicated to the promotion and success of the Beefmaster breed. He has been instrumental in the creation and hosting of domestic tours, international tours and field days, as well as assisting the Texas Department of Agriculture and Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo with the production of educational events focused on Beefmaster cattle.

“Most Beefmaster breeders, whom Trey has encountered, will tell you that he goes out of his way to help consult issues, evaluate cattle and aide in the marketing of their cattle with no expectation of financial reward,” said LOBBA President, Melvin Scherer Jr. “He truly desires for other breeders to be successful with their operations because he believes that the long-term success of the breed as a whole, will lead to ample opportunity for his program to profit.”

Overall, Trey and Mona take pride in the legacy of honest dealings and strong character they have inherited from their family’s history in the Beefmaster breed. They plan to continue that heritage throughout their career and through their three sons: Raleigh, Caeden and Colt, who are members of the Junior Beefmaster Breeders Association (JBBA).

The BBU Member of the Year award was created to recognize the efforts and contributions made by members to promote BBU and Beefmaster cattle. This award differs from the Breeder of the Year award in that it recognizes service to the breed and to the association, without regard to the type, size and management practice of the member’s breeding program.

Whitwell Ranches of Cotulla, Texas, was announced as the 2017 Beefmaster Breeders United (BBU) Environmental Award winner during the 57^th Annual BBU Convention “Beefmasters on the Bay” in Galveston, Texas.

The ranch consists of 3,174 acres, which is made up of 17 pastures. Mike Whitwell and his family run 100 Beefmaster cows, which is one cow to every 31.74 acres. Being located in an area where it often forgets to rain, the Whitwells are stewards of the land and manage their wildlife and pastures in order to conserve the moisture they do receive. This award reminds Beefmaster breeders that they are not only cattle producers, but also conservationists.

“My family has always been stewards of the land. We have raised cattle for a living all my life, but we are really in the grass growing business,” said Whitwell. “That means you never eat it all the way to the ground, that you always leave a cover or turf for when the rain does come. It means constantly working on the removal of mesquite sprouts. It means cultivating the better brush.”

The Whitwell family moved to the ranch in 1965. The summer they got there, the owners had just root plowed and raked the land next to the Nueces River. Mike Whitwell is currently in the process of going back and restoring that river bottom country to the condition it was in1965. Whitwell sees the importance of leaving the land as it was when he first found it. He is currently root plowing, racking and reseeding the land and also spot treating the regrowth brush, as it is coming back in it.

The Whitwell ranch has managed their wildlife since 1985. John Ellisor works on the ranch and plays a crucial role in wildlife management. Before coming to the Whitwell Ranch in 1977, John was the head biologist at the Chaparral Wildlife Management Area. The Whitwell Ranch has conducted their own research on spike bucks’ influence on the genetics of their herd, as well as buck/doe ratios and land carrying capacities. They have a winter food plot that is used for deer and also do some summer disking to enhance some winter weed growth. The ranch also has a great quail population, which benefits their grazing program and stocking rates.

The 57th Annual Beefmaster Breeders United (BBU) Convention “Beefmasters on the Bay” was hosted in Galveston, Texas at the Moody Gardens Hotel, Spa and Convention Center from October 26 – 28, 2017. This year’s convention was very special because two legendary men were inducted into the BBU Hall of Fame. The BBU Hall of Fame has been established to honor the exceptional, visionary men and women who have made outstanding contributions to the Beefmaster breed.

The 2017 Hall of Fame inductees are the late Dale Lasater of Matheson, Colo., and Laurence “Laurie” Lasater of San Angelo, Texas. Both of these men are sons of Tom Lasater, the founder of the Beefmaster breed.

Dale Lasater’s son Alex and fiancé Sarah Cannady, left, accept the award from presenter Gary Frenzel.

Dale Lasater

Dale Lasater was a well-known Colorado cattle rancher, conservationist and humanitarian. Dale Lasater’s life touched many people in the ranching and land stewardship community, worldwide. He was a beloved and visionary figure in his field, carrying on four generations of cattle breeding and ranch management. In 1986, he took over the management of the Lasater Ranch in Eastern Colorado, which was founded in 1948 by his father and mother, Tom and Mary Lasater. He continued the “Genetic Experiment” begun in 1937 by Tom, through successfully maintaining the oldest closed herd in the world, the Foundation herd of the Beefmaster breed – still closed in 2017. He broadened and deepened his parents’ commitment to working holistically with nature and the environment, producing organic grass fed beef. Dale, along with his brother Laurie, made presentations about the family philosophy of cattle breeding and range management across the United States, Europe and Latin America. He worked throughout his career to implement conservation of irreplaceable Colorado short-grass prairie and other range environments.

Dale Lasater was raised on The Lasater Ranch in Falfurrias, Texas, and Matheson, Colo. After graduating from Princeton University Magna Cum Laude in 1965, he spent a year studying Fulbright scholar at the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and spent two years working with a cattle improvement program with the Peace Corps in Colombia. Prior to taking over the family ranch, Lasater worked as a general manager of International Cattle Systems, a diversified livestock company headquartered in Kansas.

He is a past president of the Pikes Peak Cattlemen’s Association and served on the board of directors of the Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust, Texas Cattle Feeders Association, National Cattlemen’s Association (predecessor of NCBA), and Beefmaster Breeders United. He was a founding board member of the Holistic Management Colorado Branch. In 2002, Dale Lasater was awarded the Slow Food Award for Biodiversity in Turin, Italy. In 2012, he was awarded the Stuart P. Dodge award for lifetime achievement from the Palmer Land Trust. Lasater is the author of Falfurrias (College Station, Texas A&M University Press, 1985) and the editor of Flatrock (Colorado Springs, Master Publications, 2001). Dale Lasater is survived by his beloved wife Janine; sons Alex (fiancé Sarah Cannady) and Tom (spouse Peiching Lasater); two grandchildren, Thomas and Elizabeth. The BBU Hall of Fame is honored to welcome the late Dale Lasater to this prestigious group of Beefmaster breeders.

Laurie Lasater and family accepting award from presenter Mark Blau

Laurence Matthews “Laurie” Lasater, the oldest son of the late Tom and Mary Lasater, was born on October 21, 1941 in San Antonio, Texas. He has been a Beefmaster breeder since 1964 and was present at the first meetings forming the Beefmaster Breeders Universal association. Laurie and his uncle, Watt M. “Palo” Casey, are the longest members of the three Beefmaster associations. Laurie has served on multiple committees and served as President of the Foundation Beefmaster Association. He also has been a director of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, as well as an elder of the First Presbyterian Church in San Angelo, Texas. Laurie was honored as Breeder of the Year by Beefmaster Breeders United in 2000.

In 1964, after Laurie had graduated from Princeton University and finished active duty in the National Guard, he and his wife Annette moved to Mexico and introduced the Beefmaster breed into that country. They lived and ranched on Rancho Santa Cruz near Muzuiz, Coahuila, Mexico. The Lasaters returned to the U.S., in 1972 and at that time their Santa Cruz Beefmaster herd was sold in Mexico to Guillermo Osuna and Isidro Lopez. They have lived in San Angelo, Texas since 1972 and established the L Bar Beefmaster herd during this time. Their company Isa Cattle Co., has marketed Beefmaster females via private treaty, developed their annual bull sales and an international frozen genetics business.

Laurie authored the book The Lasater Philosophy of Cattle Raising. It was first published in 1972 and is now in its seventeenth edition in English and its second edition in Spanish. He later authored Tail Winds Both Ways, a memoir.

Laurie and Annette have two married children. Isabel, and her husband J.C. Hernandez, have three children and live in Katy, Texas. Their son Lorenzo Lasater, and his wife Leslie Lasater, have two sons and live in San Angelo, Texas. Laurie and Annette retired in December 2014 and at that time their children formed their own cattle business, Isa Beefmasters, LLC. The L Bar Beefmaster herd is continuing with annual bull sales, as well as female and frozen genetics sales. The BBU Hall of Fame is honored to welcome Laurence “Laurie” Lasater to this prestigious group of Beefmaster breeders.