Fresno Livestock Commission Awarded 2023 BQA Marketer Award
Father/Daughter Business Partners Put Proper Animal Handling First
NEW ORLEANS, LA (Feb. 3, 2023)--Uniquely positioned in the vibrant agricultural community of Fresno, California, with a county population of one million, Fresno Livestock Commission has the notable opportunity to educate and engage with a diverse population. Because of the growing urban sprawl, ranches are selling and becoming ranchettes, and many of these new agriculture folks want a taste of the animal production life. This year’s 2023 Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Marketer Award winner, Fresno Livestock Commission, has stepped up to ensure BQA messaging reaches this incoming group.
Owned and operated by father-daughter pair Phil and Cindy Tews since 1990, Fresno Livestock caters to the small, everyday grower selling ten or fewer calves per year. Customers often appreciate having a more docile animal in their pasture, something Fresno Livestock is known for providing.
With a passion for advocacy, Cindy takes a hands-on approach to implement BQA at Fresno Livestock. Many customers come to Cindy to learn how to purchase, care for and graze their livestock. According to Cindy, she and her staff spend untold hours visiting with buyers and sellers alike. They help facilitate relationships with veterinarians, haulers and even provide a BQA-certified crew for hire during branding, vaccinating, shipping, and other activities.
Many of Fresno Livestock’s employees are high school students who are interested in working in the livestock industry. Cindy and her team help mentor these students to ensure when they leave Fresno Livestock after graduation, they understand safe and effective cattle handling techniques that will serve them and the industry in their next role.
“By going through the BQA certification process, there is so much knowledge in those modules. I think you can take it over and over again and learn something new every time,” Cindy said.
Cindy is also involved in many facets of committee work relating to BQA promotion and implementation. She is a past president and now lifelong board member of the Fresno-Kings Counties Cattlemen's Association, a previous second vice president of the California Cattlemen's Association, 2022 chair of the California Beef Council, and a prior membership committee member of the Livestock Marketing Association. There, she was one of eight members who wrote the original Animal Handling Guidelines for all Livestock Marketing Association Member Markets in 2008.
“I believe in giving back,” Cindy said. “One of the ways I do that is through the donation of my time and of our facilities.”
The BQA Marketer Award is funded in part by the Beef Checkoff with additional support from Cargill. For more information about the Fresno Livestock Commission and other 2023 BQA Award winners, visit www.bqa.org/about/bqa-awards.
About Beef Quality Assurance
Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) is a nationally coordinated, state implemented program funded by the Beef Checkoff that provides U.S. beef producers guidelines and certification drawn from common sense husbandry techniques and accepted scientific knowledge on how to raise cattle under optimum management and environmental conditions. BQA reflects a positive public image and instills consumer confidence in the beef industry. When producers implement the best management practices of a BQA program, they ensure their cattle are the best they can be. For more information on BQA, visit www.bqa.org.