Lucy Rechel wins BEEF Magazine’s Trailblazer Award

“Lucy Rechel of Yerington, Nevada, exemplifies the Trailblazer spirit through the bold and innovative biosecurity measures she has installed in her feedyard and breeding cattle development center,” said Clint Peck, senior editor for BEEF magazine, which sponsors the award.

Peck announced Rechel of Snyder Livestock as the winner during the joint board meetings of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and the Cattlemen’s Beef Board (CBB) Jan. 31 at the 2004 Cattle Industry Annual Convention and Trade Show.

Rechel embarked on an aggressive program to eliminate bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) from her facility, Peck said. She required her customers and consignors to screen all incoming cattle for persistent infection (PI), using the latest diagnostic technologies.

In addition to protecting her customer’s cattle, Peck said, “she is also sending a message to the U.S. cattle industry that this disease can be beaten back with a cost-effective program available to everyone in the cattle industry.”