The BEEF 50 project was an involved process that began in early 2013. The idea was — on the occasion of the start of BEEF magazine’s 50th year of publication — to formally recognize 50 industry leaders who had been instrumental in the direction and development of the U.S. beef industry.

We asked readers to submit profiles of their industry heroes and mentors. We passed those nominations to an independent panel of three judges, all longtime contributors to the U.S. beef industry and representative of all production sectors. Thank you, judges!

The final 50 make for an interesting glimpse into the history, drive and resourcefulness of those who built, and are engaged in, this vital industry. One judge commented on the difficulty of culling the list to just 50 final names, but summed it up this way: “Imagine starting a company with these 50 honorees. Failure would certainly not be an option and I’m confident that company would result in positive change for every segment of our industry, with consumers being the ultimate beneficiary.”

With that said, here are the BEEF 50!