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