Two years earlier, there were only two B's, and grades were as low as D. Overall, consumer thought leaders gave the beef business a rating of 67 on a scale of zero to 100. This is higher than the ratings for many other industries, including seafood, poultry, chemicals, banking and automobiles. Eighty-two per cent of survey respondents say they are confident that beef is safe. Seventy-eight per cent have generally favorable attitudes toward cattlemen and their families. NCA has trained more than 1,500 such spokespersons, and they have reached an estimated 90 million persons since 1991.
Cattle have a long tradition in America.
Christopher Columbus brought the first cattle to the Americas in 1494, on his second voyage to the New World. Colonists imported cattle to Jamestown, Va., in 1611 and to Plymouth Colony in 1624. Atkin's address is St. George, Utah, but his cattle ranch is on the Arizona Strip, an area in northwest Arizona that is isolated by the Colorado River. Four generations of the Atkin family have ranched in the area. Under Clayton's leadership, the Atkin ranch continues to use new and innovative management ideas.