Nancy Montrose, president of the South Dakota Beef Industry Council, receives a framed print from Captain Bob DeJong, commander of the 727th Transportation Company of the South Dakota National Guard. The Guard honored beef producers during a special ceremony December 4 in Brookings.

Guard Troops Honor Beef Producers

PIERRE (December 6, 2004)—In a show of appreciation for beef jerky delivered to them while serving in Iraq, the 727^th Transportation Company of the South Dakota National Guard honored South Dakota beef producers Saturday with its Center of Influence Award.
            Presenting a framed mosaic National Guard print to Nancy Montross, president of the South Dakota Beef Producers Council (SDBIC), the guard troops expressed their gratitude for the thousands of packages of South Dakota-made beef jerky and sticks that arrived in Iraq while the 123-member unit was serving a one-year tour of duty as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
            “The beef jerky was a great thing for our men and women to receive from home,” says Bob DeJong, commander of the 727^th with troops out of the Brookings,  Watertown , Elk Point and Flandreau areas. “Each person in a unit has their personal center of influence, someone like a spouse or close friend that keeps them focused,” says DeJong. “The unit as a whole also selects a  Center of  Influence , and this company was practically unanimous that it should be the  South Dakota beef producers.”
            “The beef jerky was one of the best things we received while in  Iraq ,” explains Scott Rosenkranz, a Guard member out of Rosholt. “The timing was perfect and it tasted great. It meant a lot to all of us.”
            At its 2003 annual meeting, the SDBIC voted to allocate $20,000 in beef checkoff dollars to send  South Dakota beef jerky to every South Dakota Guard member serving in  Iraq . More than 2,700 pounds of jerky was produced by Howard Cold Storage in  Howard , S.D. last winter and then shipped via the  U.S. postal service to troops last February. In total, approximately 750 South Dakota Guard troops received the packages.
            “Every  South Dakota beef producer should be proud of how their $1-beef-checkoff monies were used for this project,” says Montross, a DeSmet beef producer. “It was an excellent way to show our support for these men and women. It ended up being checkoff dollars very well spent.”
            The presentation of the award was one part of a Freedom Salute Ceremony for the 727^th Transportation Company held at the Performing Arts Center at  South Dakota State University . South Dakota Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth addressed the troops and their families, congratulating them on their service and the state’s beef producers for their support. During the ceremony, individual Guard members and their families were recognized for their service and sacrifice during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
            The SDBIC collects the $1-per-head beef checkoff on cattle sold in  South Dakota . The state council, comprised of representatives from eight agriculture organizations, can retain up to 50 cents for state checkoff programs, while the remaining amount is forwarded to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board. All checkoff dollars, state or national, must be used for promotion, research or educational projects.
            Organizations represented on the SDBIC are the SD Beef Breeds Council, SD Cattlemen’s Association, SD Cattlemen’s Auxiliary, SD CattleWomen, SD Farm Bureau Federation, SD Farmers Union, SD Livestock Market Association, and SD Stockgrowers Association.