Griffin Receives 2012 National BQA Educator of the Year Award
From a News Release by the Nebraska Cattlemen – Bonita Lederer, Contact; and an Dr. Dee Griffin online news article from www.bovinevetonline.com.
Dr. Dee Griffin received the 2012 Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Educator of the Year at the 2012 National Cattlemen's Beef Association Annual Convention in Nashville, TN. Nebraska Cattlemen recognized Dee’s dedication to the beef industry and nominated him for this prestigious award. The BQA Educator of the Year Award recognizes individuals in the beef industry who embrace the BQA philosophy and strive to spread the word on how to produce a high-quality beef product.
Dee has been a BQA Certified Trainer for the Nebraska BQA program since its inception in 1987. He started the first "Train the Trainer" sessions in Nebraska and has traveled from one end of the state to the other educating BQA Trainers. He has single-handedly trained 250 BQA Trainers in Nebraska and personally certified over 1,000 producers. He currently serves on the Nebraska and National BQA Advisory Board.
One nominator says of Dee: "In the early 1980s, the beef industry realized a need for Beef Quality Assurance. Dr. Griffin was one of the pioneers that helped that idea become a reality. Dr. Griffin volunteered his time and resources to help develop the BQA standards and program. Dr. Griffin never gave up, and to this day he continues to help educate, advise and promote Beef Quality and Assurance."
“When we decided to reformat the producer manual to make it easier to use and more condensed, if it were not for Dee, this manual would not be as productive as it has become,” Steve Reynolds, DVM stated. “This manual and his efforts are being used and recognized by many states throughout the USA.”
“He has a God given talent to not just teach, but to inspire all that will listen to him that the reason we all should follow the guidelines put forth is because it is the “right thing to do”,’ states Jo Bek, Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture Professor. “He has always worked with my students’ schedules to make sure he can be available to tour with them and give them the benefit of his knowledge. Dee makes them all feel as if they are the most important person in the room at that point in time.”
The Nebraska Beef Quality Assurance program is a voluntary educational program for beef producers statewide. The program is managed and administered by Nebraska Cattlemen and is jointly supported by the Nebraska Beef Council (NBC), the University of Nebraska (UN) and the Nebraska Veterinary Medical Association (NVMA).
