Dr. James G. Floyd, Jr. was named the 2002 recipient of the Richard Deese
Award at the Alabama Beef Cattle Improvement Association’s Annual Meeting
and Awards Banquet Sat. March 22, 2003 at the Embassy Suites in Montgomery.
The Richard Deese Award is presented annually to an individual that upholds the principles of performance testing and genetic improvement of beef cattle in Alabama. The award was established in honor of Richard Deese, who ran the Alabama BCIA program through the 1980s.
Dr. Floyd’s belief in BCIA and his unwavering support of the organization’s principles and guidelines has played a key role in the success of the Alabama BCIA.
In his early years as an extension veterinarian, Floyd was instrumental in developing proper health protocols and establishing scrotal circumference criteria for all BCIA bull sales and evaluations, along with other key AU College of Veterinary Medicine faculty.
In addition, Floyd played a key role in convincing Alabama Extension System administration that BCIA was a vital part of its overall education program for beef producers.
Dr. Floyd also suggested the Alabama BCIA Board restructure its annual meeting format to include a cutting edge, 1-day educational program.
Floyd, a former extension veterinarian, professor and faculty chairman at the Auburn University Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, moved to North Carolina State in 2001. He currently serves as professor and head of the Department of Farm Animal Health and Resource Management (FAHRM) at NC State.
Floyd earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the U. S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y. In 1971. In 1981, Floyd received his doctor of veterinary medicine degree from Louisiana State University. Floyd also received his Master of Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Chanpaign in 1988.
Dr. Floyd put Alabama on the map through the Beef Quality Assurance Pilot Project, reaching over 8,000 Alabama producers since its initial grant in 1994. From the pilot project, he then was a co-leader in establishing the BQA Certification Program in Alabama.
In addition, he played a vital role in developing and implementing the Alabama Master Cattlemen’s Program, which rolled out in 1996.
Dr. Floyd has become a national leader in the cattle business through his work with NCBA and the American Veterinary Medical Association.
Throughout his service at Auburn and currently at NC State, Floyd holds responsibilities in research, extension and teaching. His personal mission statement as department head at NC State is to “provide leadership and representation for the faculty and staff of FAHRM so that they can best accomplish its mission while successfully pursuing their own professional development in a community of scholars and clinicians.”