Do you raise cattle as your life’s vocation?

Are you a dedicated steward of your land, cattle, air, water, and community?

Are you a dedicated servant-leader of your fellow cattle producers (and agricultural producers generally)?

If the answer to all three of those questions is “yes,” then maybe it’s time you thought about applying to the prestigious National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s Environmental Stewardship Award Program!

Here is the NCBA-ESAP Application 2016.  The 2016 Regional winners have already been selected, but it’s never too early to start thinking about a 2017 application.  In fact, I’d recommend it!  It’s not a trivial process.  An award of ESAP’s prestige takes some doing.  The 2016 application package will give you a good idea of what to expect.

I’ve sat on the NCBA-ESAP Selection Committee for 20 years as a representative of the land-grant university system.  The quality of the applications has increased dramatically over the years…but more importantly, the degree of attention cattle producers devote to being stewards of their land, cattle, water, air, and communities seems to be growing, as well.  And that’s the point:  raising the national profile of conscientious cattle producers,

If you raise cattle in Texas, New Mexico, or Colorado, and if you’d be interested in applying to ESAP, I’d be happy to help you.  We’ll talk candidly about what it takes to be a Regional winner, and we’ll look at your operation, your track record, and your involvement in the public square on behalf of the beef industry.  And if we go forward together, I’ll have to recuse myself from Selection Committee deliberations next year in the Region in which you apply.  It’ll be hard work, but if you have what it takes to be a Regional winner, it’ll be well worth the effort!

Contact me at b-auvermann@tamu.edu or (806)670-8081, and let’s get the conversation started.