Florida Roots
St. Cloud’s Deseret Cattle & Citrus Wins 2021 BQA Cow-Calf Award
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“A Florida cowboy is different than a western cowboy – we all do the same job, but in a totally different environment,” says Jason Marriage with Deseret Ranch & Citrus. Raising cattle in Central Florida has the added obstacle of sub-tropical conditions. Still, for Deseret Ranch, it’s all about adaptability, willingness to go the extra mile and commitment to Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) best management practices. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association recently announced that Deseret Cattle & Citrus in St. Cloud is the recipient of its 2021 BQA Cow-Calf Award. The National BQA Award recognizes outstanding beef and dairy producers, marketers,
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and educators that best demonstrate animal care and handling principles as part of the day-to-day activities on their respective operations. Deseret Cattle & Citrus began in 1950 with a 52,141-acre purchase of land. Today, the ranch consists of approximately 300,000 acres of land
with 42,000 head of cattle. Deseret Ranch operates an integrated system, running each stage from cow-calf to stocker to feedyard. After more than 70 successful years in operation, Deseret Ranch has committed to innovation and progressive thinking. In order to adapt and capitalize on efficiency, the ranch integrated BQA practices in every aspect of their cattle handling. “We took a lot of effort to change the way to do things when working cattle and it’s amazing how slowing down has sped us up,” says Doc Platt with Deseret Ranch. “One thing BQA has done the most for us is dramatically improving our safety.”
FloridaAgNews.com
