Minnie Lou Bradley Receives BIF’s Pioneer Award

Minnie Lou Ottinger Bradley of Memphis, Texas was selected to receive the Beef Improvement Federation’s Pioneer Award. Bradley was raised on a wheat and stock farm in west-central Oklahoma. She attended Oklahoma State University where she majored in Animal Science and minored in Agriculture Journalism. She was a member of the livestock judging team and was high individual beef cattle judge at the American Royal and high overall judge at the International in Chicago.

Upon graduation, she became assistant executive secretary of the Texas Angus Association and remained in that position until her marriage to Bill Bradley in 1955. They moved to Childress County, Texas where she still manages approximately 300 registered Angus cows. The Bradleys started performance testing before the Angus Herd Improvement Records (AHIR) program was introduced and were charter members of Performance Registry International. The ranch has been on AHIR since its inception.

Bradley has been general manager of the cattle operation for the past 13 years and is active on committees with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA); Board member of the American Angus Association; is a member of the Texas Cattle Feeders Association (TCFA), the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA), and the Beef Improvement Federation (BIF).

Bradley is a pioneer in the branded beef business and value-based marketing. In 1986 she and her family built and opened a USDA processing plant which merchandises beef across the nation. The plant exclusively processes cattle for Bradley’s All Natural Premium Beef. The Bradley’s B3R Beef was the featured menu item at the Texan Black Tie and Boots Ball prior to President Bush’s inauguration. The beef for the program is provided by retained owners and fed in one approved Texas feedlot. The Bradleys have worked with producers to provide feedlot and carcass performance information necessary to make selection and management decisions to improve returns.

Ultrasound studies and training of technicians has been occurring at the Bradley Ranch since 1986. The ranch hosted a training session for technicians in the early years of ultrasound, and Texas Tech University had two students use the Bradley 3 Ranch for work on their graduate studies. Since 1995 the ranch has been using DNA to determine the sires of their calves.

Minnie Lou Bradley has promoted beef improvement through example and through many speaking engagements. It is a rare opportunity to honor one of the cattle industry’s current front runners with the BIF Pioneer Award, but Ms. Bradley certainly fits that scenario.