Special Collections Department
403 Parks Library
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011-2140

MS 270
Beef Improvement Federation
Records, 1965-1997, undated

Descriptive summary

creator:	Beef Improvement Federation
title:	Records
dates:	1965-1997, undated
extent:	11.34 linear feet (27 document boxes)
collection number:	MS 270
repository:	Special Collections Department, Iowa State University.

Administrative information

access:	Open for research
publication rights:	Consult Head, Special Collections Department
preferred citation:	Beef Improvement Federation Records, MS 270, Special Collections Department, Iowa State University Library.

Abstract

The Beef Improvement Federation, founded in 1968, is a federation of representatives from various beef industry organizations that seeks to improve the quality of beef through research and testing on beef performance and the evaluation of beef cattle. The collection includes correspondence, meeting materials, committee and financial records as well as publicity files and awards. The collection also includes historical records from the federation's founding period.

Historical note

The Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) is a federation of representatives from state, national, and Canadian beef industry organizations concerned with the performance evaluation of beef cattle. The federation seeks to improve the quality of beef through research and testing and to standardize national guidelines on beef performance. The federation also collects and disseminates information on problems affecting the beef industry.

The Beef Improvement Federation was founded in 1968. It can trace its origins to a number of state extension beef cattle improvement (BCI) programs started between 1945 and 1950, including ones in California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Montana, all of which were run by extension specialists. In 1955, Virginia organized the first beef cattle improvement association (BCIA) run by breeders with extension help.

The Beef Improvement Foundation was incorporated in the state of Colorado on February 1, 1968. When founded, its purpose was to work for establishment of accurate and uniform procedures for measuring beef performance data, to assist member organizations in developing their programs, to develop cooperation among all segments of the beef industry in improving efficiency in the production of beef, to develop educational programs emphasizing the use of performance data in improving beef efficiency, and to develop increased confidence of the beef industry in the economic potential of performance testing.

Collection description

This collection (1965-1993, undated) contains correspondence of the executive directors and others, materials from annual meetings and mid-year board meetings, committee records, financial records, publicity files, and records on awards. In addition, the collection includes a variety of historical records from the pre-founding and founding period (1965-1968), including a loose-leaf notebook of one of the federation's founders, Frank Baker, and materials generated in writing the history of the organization in 1992-1993.

Related materials

For further information on the history of the Beef Improvement Federation, see Beef Improvement Federation, Ideas into Action: 25 Years (Box 24, Folder 5).

Organization

The collection is organized chronologically.

Container list

Box	Folder	Title	Dates
1	1	Beef Cattle Records	1965
1	3	U.S. Beef Cattle Records Committee Report, Correspondence	1965-1966
1	2	Beef Cattle Improvement Handbook	1966
1	4	Committee Activity: Ad Hoc Beef Improvement	1967
1	5	Correspondence: organizational	1967
1	6	Financial: billing records	1967
1	7	International Conference of Beef Cattle Performance Testing Associations: proceedings	1967
1	8	Meeting Minutes (Billings, Montana)	1967
1	9	Annual Meeting: proceedings	1968
1	10	Committee Activity	1968
1	11	Correspondence: organizational	1968
1	12	Financial: billing records	1968
24	3	Tax-Exempt Status Records	1968
1	13	Historical Material	1968-1969
3	5	Frank Baker Notebook: meeting minutes, reports, by-laws	1968-1973
1	14	Correspondence: legal counsel	1968-1978
2	1	Annual Meeting: proceedings	1969
2	2	Correspondence: organizational	1969
2	3	Financial: billing records	1969
2	4-6	Board Meeting Agenda and Minutes: mid-year meetings	1969-1986
2	7	Annual Meeting: proceedings	1970
2	8	Annual Meeting: programs	1970
2	9	Financial: billing records	1970
2	10	Annual Meeting: proceedings	1971
2	11	Correspondence: organizational	1971
2	12	Financial: billing records	1971
2	13	Annual Meeting: proceedings	1972
3	1	Annual Meeting: programs	1972
3	2	Correspondence: organizational	1972
3	3	Financial: billing records	1972
3	4	Annual Meeting: proceedings	1972
3	6	Correspondence: organizational	1973
3	7	Financial: budget	1973
24	4	Member Reports and Yearbook	1973
3	8	Member Yearbooks	1973-1975
3	9	Annual Meeting: proceedings	1974
4	1	Awards	1974
4	2	Correspondence: organizational	1974
4	3	Annual Meeting: proceedings	1975
4	4	Awards	1975
4	5	Committee Activity	1975
4	6	Correspondence: organizational	1975
4	7	Publicity Articles	1975
4	8	Annual Meeting: proceedings	1976
4	9	Annual Meeting: programs	1976
4	10	Committee Activity	1976
4	11	Correspondence: organizational	1976
4	12	Financial: budget	1976
4	13	Publicity: newspaper articles and photographs (21- b/w)	1976
5	1	By-laws	1976-1987
5	2	Annual Meeting: proceedings	1977
5	3	Committee Activity	1977
5	4	Correspondence: organizational	1977
5	5	Financial: billing records	1977
5	6	Financial: budget	1977
25	2	Research Symposium and Annual Meeting: proceedings	1977-1978
5	7	Annual Meeting: proceedings	1978
5	8	Awards	1978
5	9	Board Meeting Agenda and Minutes: mid-year meetings	1978
5	10	Committee Activity	1978
5	11	Correspondence: executive director	1978
5	12	Correspondence: organizational	1978
5	13	Financial: budget	1978
6	1	Annual Meeting	1979
6	2	Annual Meeting: proceedings	1979
6	3	Awards	1979
6	4	Board Meeting Agenda and Minutes: mid-year meetings	1979
6	5	Correspondence: ex-director	1979
6	6	Financial: budget	1979
6	7	Publicity: articles	1979
6	8	Annual Meeting (see also 10.25" strip negatives numbers 0105611-0105616)	1980
6	9	Annual Meeting: proceedings	1980
6	10	Awards	1980
6	11	Board Meeting Agenda and Minutes: mid-year meetings	1980
7	1	Correspondence: executive director	1980
7	2	Correspondence: organizational	1980
7	3	Financial: budget	1980
7	4	Publicity: articles	1980
7	5	Publicity: updates	1980
25	3	Research Symposium and Annual Meeting: proceedings	1980-1981
7	6	Annual Meeting	1981
7	7	Annual Meeting: proceedings	1981
7	8	Annual Meeting: programs	1981
7	9	Awards (2 b/w photographs)	1981
7	10	Board Meeting Agenda and Minutes: mid-year meetings	1981
7	11	Correspondence: executive director	1981
7	12	Correspondence: organizational	1981
7	13	Financial: budget	1981
24	8	Guidelines for Uniform Beef Improvement Programs, fourth and sixth editions	1981-1990
7	14	Annual Meeting (8 b/w photographs)	1982
7	15	Annual Meeting: proceedings	1982
8	1	Awards	1982
8	2	Board Meeting Agenda and Minutes: mid-year meetings	1982
8	3	Committee Activity	1982
8	4	Correspondence: executive director	1982
8	5	Correspondence: organizational	1982
8	6	Financial: budgets	1982
8	7	Publicity: updates	1982
25	4	Research Symposium and Annual Meeting: proceedings	1982-1983
8	8	Annual Meeting	1983
8	9	Annual Meeting: proceedings	1983
8	10	Annual Meeting: program	1983
8	11	Awards: nominations	1983
8	12	Board Meeting Agenda and Minutes: mid-year meetings	1983
9	1	Committee Activity	1983
9	2	Correspondence: executive director	1983
9	3	Correspondence: organizational	1983
9	5	Financial: budget	1983
9	6	Prediction of Genetic Values for Beef Cattle	1983
9	7	Publicity: articles	1983
9	8	Publicity: updates	1983
9	4	Membership Dues List	1983-1984
9	9	Annual Meeting	1984
9	10	Annual Meeting: proceedings	1984
9	11	Annual Meeting: program	1984
9	12	Awards: citations	1984
10	1	Awards: nominations	1984
10	2	Board Meeting Agenda and Minutes: mid-year meetings	1984
10	3	Committee Activity	1984
10	4	Correspondence: executive director	1984
10	5	Correspondence: organizational	1984
11	1	Financial: budget and membership dues	1984
11	2	Publicity photographs: 26 b/w photographs, 2 b/w contact sheets, 5 color slides (see also 10.25" strip negatives numbers 0105723-0105727)	1984
11	3	Publicity: updates	1984
11	4	Study of Beef Cattle Performance	1984
11	5	Systems Approach to Beef Improvement , Management	1984
11	8	Annual Meeting: program	1984
25	5	Research Symposium and Annual Meeting: proceedings	1984-1985
11	6	Annual Meeting	1985
11	7	Annual Meeting: proceedings	1985
12	1	Awards: citations (14 b/w photographs, 3 b/w contact sheets, see also 10.25" strip negatives numbers 0105728-0105736)	1985
12	2	Awards: nominations	1985
12	3	Board Meeting Agenda and Minutes: mid-year meetings	1985
12	4	Bull Testing Stations: Dr. Hubbard	1985
12	5	Committee Activity	1985
13	1-2	Correspondence: executive director	1985
13	3	Financial: budget	1985
13	4	National Sire Evaluation Program	1985
14	1	Correspondence: organizational	1985
14	2	Publicity: updates	1985
14	3-4	Annual Meeting: proceedings	1986
15	1	Annual Meeting: program	1986
15	2	Awards: citations	1986
15	3	Awards: nominations	1986
15	4	Awards: photographs (5 contact sheets, 49 b/w photographs) (see also 10.25" strip negatives numbers 0105745-0105754, 0105781-0105789, 0105892-0105898)	1986
15	5	Board Meeting Agenda and Minutes: mid-year meetings	1986
15	6	Committee Activity	1986
16	1-2	Correspondence: executive director	1986
16	3	Correspondence: organizational	1986
16	4	Financial: budget	1986
16	5	Manual of Health Standards-Nutritional Effects Foundation	1986
16	6	Publicity: articles	1986
17	1	Publicity: updates	1986
25	6	Research Symposium and Annual Meeting: proceedings	1986-1989
17	2	Annual Meeting: proceedings	1987
17	3	Convention Registration Cards	1987
17	4	Photographs (54 b/w): annual meeting proceedings (see also 10.25" strip negatives numbers 0105902-0105910, 0106057-0106073)	1987
18	1	Annual Meeting: program	1987
18	2	Awards: citations	1987
18	3	Awards: nominations	1987
18	4	Board Meeting Agenda and Minutes: mid-year meetings	1987
18	5	Committee Activity	1987
18	6	Correspondence: executive director	1987
19	1	Correspondence: executive director	1987
19	2	Correspondence: organizational	1987
19	3	Financial: budget	1987
19	4	Prediction of Genetic Values for Beef Cattle	1987
19	5	Publicity: updates	1987
19	6	Board Meeting Agenda and Minutes	1987-1988
19	7	Bull Testing Information	1987-1988
19	8	Annual Meeting: programs	1988
20	1	Annual Meeting: proceedings	1988
20	2	Awards: citations	1988
20	3	Awards: nominations	1988
20	4	Board Meeting Agenda and Minutes: mid-year meetings	1988
20	5	Committee Activity	1988
20	6	Correspondence: executive director	1988
21	1	Correspondence: executive director	1988
21	2	Correspondence: organizational	1988
21	3	Financial: budget	1988
21	4	Publicity: updates	1988
27	3	Membership dues paid	1988
21	5	Annual Meeting: proceedings	1989
21	6	Annual Meeting: program	1989
21	7	Board Meeting Agenda and Minutes: mid-year meetings	1989
21	8	Committee Activity	1989
21	9	Correspondence: executive director	1989
21	10	Correspondence: organizational	1989
21	11	Financial: budget	1989
21	12	Grant Proposal	1989
21	13	Genetic Prediction Workshop: proceedings	1989
24	6	Proceedings of the Third and Fourth Genetic Prediction Workshops	1989-1994
22	1	Annual Meeting: proceedings	1990
22	2	Annual Meeting: programs	1990
26	1	Research Symposium and Annual Meeting: proceedings	1990-1991
22	3	Annual Meeting: proceedings	1991
22	5-6	Beef Improvement Federation: history (30 b/w, 2 color photographs)	1992
22	4	Annual Meeting: proceedings	1992
23	1-6	Beef Improvement Federation: history (includes photographs: 32 b/w, 2 color)	1992
26	2	Research Symposium and Annual Meeting: proceedings	1992-1993
24	1	Annual Meeting: proceedings	1993
24	5	"Ideas into Action: 25 Years"	1993
26	3	Research Symposium and Annual Meeting: proceedings	1994
24	7	Proceedings of the Fifth Genetic Prediction Workshop	1995
26	4	Research Symposium and Annual Meeting: proceedings	1995
25	1	Guidelines for Uniform Beef Improvement Programs, seventh edition	1996
26	5	Research Symposium and Annual Meeting: proceedings	1996
27	1	Research Symposium and Annual Meeting: proceedings	1997
27	2	By-laws	undated
24	2	Projects and Forms, List of Former Presidents	undated