The Cattle Business Weekly named 2022 SDSU Friend of the Beef Industry

Sep 26, 2022

The Cattle Business Weekly has been named the 2022 South Dakota State University Friend of the Beef Industry. For nearly two decades, the publication’s commitment to promoting the beef industry has remained solid. Their slogan, "For Cattlemen by Cattlemen," reflects the company's dedication to cattle producers across a nine-state region.

"The Cattle Business Weekly is truly a friend of the beef industry as they devote their business to supporting the cattle industry," said Joseph Cassady, South Dakota Corn Endowed Dean of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences. "They work to better support the beef cattle industry in South Dakota as a whole."

"The Cattle Business Weekly's involvement in the beef industry began in the mailboxes of cattle producers," said the publication’s owner Donnie Leddy.

They recognize the need to support the beef industry by providing producers with current market news and policy updates and by sharing human-interest stories. Additionally, they assist with promotion for some of the state’s most influential cattle organizations such as the South Dakota Angus Association, the South Dakota Charolais Breeders Association, the South Dakota Grassland Coalition and the Black Hills Stock Show and Rodeo.

"Supporting SDSU has been a family affair," said Leddy.

In addition to their children benefitting from an SDSU education, Donnie’s wife alumna Krecia Leddy’s parents supported the construction of the SDSU Cow-Calf Education and Research Facility. The Cattle Business Weekly also provides advertisement space to promote the annual SDSU bull sale each spring.

"We are truly humbled to be the 2022 recipient of the Friend of the Beef Industry award from South Dakota State University," said Leddy. "I applaud the commitment the CBW team puts forth each week to report on and promote the cattle business. I am blessed to live here in South Dakota and look forward to our continued commitment to the cattle business as our family's next generation takes on a more active role."

The Cattle Business Weekly was honored on the field during the SDSU Beef Bowl football game on Sept. 17. The company was represented by owner Donnie Leddy, his wife Krecia and their three children Korbin, Kadon and Kiera.

Source : sdstate.edu

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.