For Immediate Release: Tuesday, August 24, 2004
Contact: Mark Johnston or Eric Iversen at 605-773-3212
PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Sec. of Agriculture Larry Gabriel announced today that Scott Cattle Company of Letcher is the first South Dakota cattle producer to register under the SOUTH DAKOTA CERTIFIED™ Beef program.
“I am pleased that the Scott family has recognized the potential that the SD Certified Beef program can offer their operation,” said Sec. Gabriel on the announcement. “Daily, we are receiving inquiries about the program. We are planning a number of meetings around the state to further educate cattle producers about how this program will add value to our cattle, and we look forward to the day when the rest of the world is able to experience SOUTH DAKOTA CERTIFIED™ Beef.”
To be eligible for the SOUTH DAKOTA CERTIFIED™ Beef program, producers agree to adhere to animal raising standards set forth in the South Dakota Premium Beef or Premium Natural Beef Protocol Manual. Examples include:
- Cattle must be born after Jan. 1, 2004, raised and finished in South Dakota
- Cattle must be fitted with an electronic identification device (EID tag) prior to weaning or entering commerce, whichever occurs first.
- Producers must be Beef Quality Assurance certified prior to weaning their cattle entering commerce and be willing to sign an affidavit that their cattle were raised according to Beef Quality Assurance-Critical Management Plan (BQA-CMP) guidelines prior to them becoming certified.
- Cattle must be a maximum of 30 months of age at harvest
- Cattle must be fed a ration of corn and or distillers grain for 120 days prior to harvest
“SOUTH DAKOTA CERTIFIED™ Beef is a real fit for what we have been doing,” said Andy Scott. ”We think that this is the way the cattle industry is going.”
To learn more about the SOUTH DAKOTA CERTIFIED™ Beef program, visit southdakotacertifiedbeef.com.
