After 30 years in the cattle industry,
West Virginia University
Davis College of Agriculture and Natural Resources farm manager,
Jerry Yates, was awarded the 2026 Beef Quality Assurance Educator Award, given
by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association in recognition of the most impactful
members of the cattle industry.
“This has been the most rewarding journey I've ever been on, and to have been honored by my colleagues and peers with this award, it's just absolutely the crowning achievement of my career,” Yates said. “This is the top of the world for me. It is a very humbling experience and I’m very honored to have won.”
The NCBA’s Beef Quality Assurance program is a science-based education initiative that uses the expertise industry experts and cattlemen like Jerry Yates to improve and standardize farm practices across the United States.
The roots for the BQA program began in the early 1980s, when chemical residue was appearing in some beef products. Realizing that inconsistent beef quality could impact farmers everywhere, cattlemen instituted a beef checkoff program, where a small amount of money from every cow sold would fund the research needed to find a solution. This money would also fund industry promotion efforts, education programs, and help improve overall product quality.
“The Beef Quality Assurance program is funded by America's beef producers through the one-dollar-per-head checkoff,” Yates explained. “It's the greatest self-help program that's ever been conceived or contrived, and it has paid dividends beyond anybody's wildest expectations.”
Yates is the manager of the Reymann Memorial Farm Experiment Station, one of two central performance testing facilities for cattle in West Virginia. Born in West Virginia, he was an active 4-H and FFA member and graduated from WVU with a degree in animal science.
Using specialized equipment, Yates can measure genetic potential in bulls in a controlled environment. Studying multiple animals under identical circumstances allows Yates to gather concrete data on the best ways to breed and care for cattle – data that can then be shared with farmers across the industry.
Outside his responsibilities as farm manager, Yates puts his knowledge to use as a Beef Quality Assurance educator and helps cattle operations implement effective BQA practices. Over time, this collaboration has created a measurable and lasting impact on customer satisfaction and farm practices.
“When I got my start in this program in 1997, consumer statistics told us that 20% of steaks were unsatisfactory, whether it was tenderness, lack of taste, or any other concerns,” Yates said. “Fast forward to today, that number is almost nonexistent and we still have record-high consumer demand.”
Although convincing farmers to change their practices can sometimes be a challenge, Yates said he does his best to draw from personal mistakes and his own experience as a cattleman to relate to his students. The sheer amount of data available today compared to 25 years ago is also a valuable tool in showcasing the benefits of improving farm efficiency.
For Yates, some of the most rewarding moments are when farmers tell him they were
initially skeptical but were eventually convinced – what he likes to call “confessional
time.”
“You might have people that just sit in the back of the room with their arms crossed
and they just stare at you, but once you make that connection, everything changes,”
Yates said. “Those are the most rewarding experiences, to know that you were able
to make some personal connection with someone and have an impact on their attitude,
their knowledge, and most importantly, their behavior.”
While some parts of the cattle industry have seen big changes over the last 30 years, Yates said his goal has remained the same: delivering a high-quality product through efficient and humane business practices.
“I can tell you that even though our industry is seeing record profits, people in the cattle business aren't doing this for the money. This is a way of life. It’s one of the most humbling and rewarding things to see an animal that you raise become a product that is so satisfying and such a major part of our culture,” Yates said.
Jason Hubbart, Associate Dean for Research and Associate Director of the West Virginia Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, highlighted Yates achievement as an example of how work in the Division for Land-Grant Engagement can have a wider impact.
“I have seen Jerry Yates model what the land grant mission looks like in practice: rigorous, producer-focused, and grounded in stewardship,” Hubbart said. “His leadership at Reymann Memorial Farm Experiment Station and decades of service to cattle producers, including as a Beef Quality Assurance educator, have strengthened animal care, product quality, and trust across our industry."
The Davis College of Agriculture and Natural Resources envisions a West Virginia with healthy food, resilient natural resources, and thriving communities. To learn more about the Davis College, visit davis.wvu.edu. Keep up with the latest updates and news on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube by following @WVUDavis.
-WVU-
sg/02/25/26
CONTACT: Sam Gorski
Content Strategist
WVU Division for Land-Grant Engagement