Matador Cattle Company (MCC) was presented the National Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Cow-Calf Award last week during the Cattle Industry Convention in New Orleans, LA. MCC is comprised of three ranches purchased by Fred C. Koch from 1941 to 1952, including the Spring Creek Ranch located in southeast Kansas, Beaverhead Ranch in southwest Montana and the historic Matador Ranch in West Texas.
MCC focuses on raising safe, healthy and wholesome beef that meets consumer expectations. To achieve this, they require all full-time employees to be BQA-certified and part-time staff to be BQA-trained in their area of work. MCC uses best management practices developed through the BQA program, including low-stress cattle handling, third-party animal well-being assessments and a valid veterinarian-client-patient relationship that dovetails with BQA protocol.
Five national BQA awards are given each year, including cow-calf, feedyard, dairy, marketer and educator. The awards recognize those operations and individuals that best demonstrate animal care and handling principles as part of day-to-day activities. The awards are funded in part by the beef checkoff, with additional financial support from Cargill Meat Solutions and Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica.