S.D. Cattlemen’s Foundation receives friend award

South Dakota Cattlemen's Foundation

The South Dakota Cattlemen’s Foundation was honored recently as the 2024 recipient of the South Dakota State University Friend of the Beef Industry award for its contributions to the South Dakota beef industry.

A nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and supporting the beef cattle industry in South Dakota, the foundation seeks to educate consumers, build trust, educate industry leaders and facilitate charitable giving. The foundation also has donated more than $100,000 for scholarships to South Dakota students who are enrolled at SDSU and other schools who are interested in developing their communities and the South Dakota beef industry.

In addition, the organization provides an opportunity for youth to learn about the science and economics of finishing cattle by participating in a calf-finishing program called the Fed Cattle Challenge. The foundation has raised donations totaling more than $2.7 million in the past 11 years through its “Prime Time Gala” that has enabled the organization to provide 1,543,890 pounds of beef to Feeding South Dakota for distribution to food pantries.