AMARILLO, Texas – The Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) presented Stacy Sanders, of Kansas City, Missouri, with a BIF Continuing Service Award June 11 during the group’s annual research symposium in Amarillo, Texas.

Continuing Service Award winners have made major contributions to the BIF organization. This includes serving on the board of directors, speaking at BIF conventions, working on BIF guidelines and participating in other behind-the-scenes activities. As BIF is a volunteer organization, it is this contribution of time and passion for the beef cattle industry that moves BIF forward.

Sanders is the Director of Records for the American Hereford Association and has been a key leader in advancing genetic evaluation and research programs for the Hereford breed for more than 27 years. He played an integral role in developing the Whole Herd Total Performance Records program and was instrumental in merging the American Hereford Association and Polled Hereford Association databases following their 1995 consolidation. His efforts contributed to the success of the Pan American Cattle Evaluation project, which facilitated intercontinental genetic evaluation with Hereford associations in Canada, Uruguay and Argentina.

He also helped pioneer the incorporation of genomic data into Hereford evaluations, led the transition to the MyHerd virtual registry system, and supported development of important economic selection indexes including the Certified Hereford Beef® Index. Additionally, Sanders has contributed to ultrasound guidelines and serves as the breed’s unofficial historian.

Sanders is a past Chair of the Ultrasound Guidelines Council and has been a long-time participant in BIF Research Symposiums and genetic evaluation research workshops, which demonstrates his ongoing commitment to advancing the industry through BIF.

More than 400 beef producers, academia and industry representatives attended the organization’s 57th Annual Research Symposium and Convention in Amarillo, Texas. BIF’s mission is to help improve the industry by promoting greater acceptance of beef cattle performance evaluation.

For more information about this year’s symposium, including additional award winners and coverage of meetings and tours, visit BIFSymposium.com.

Written by: Katie Wagner, Beef Improvement Federation Communication Coordinator

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The Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) is an organization dedicated to coordinating all segments of the beef industry — from researchers and producers to retailers — in an effort to improve the efficiency, profitability and sustainability of beef production. The organization was initiated more than 50 years ago to encourage the use of objective measurements to evaluate beef cattle. Continuing the tradition, BIF is now the clearinghouse for developing standardized programs and methodologies for recording of performance data for all traits, from birth weights to carcass traits. Its three-sided logo symbolizes the link between industry, extension and research.