Montana Beef Performance Association records, 1956-1988

Montana Beef Performance Association (MBPA) was organized on March 12, 1956 in Bozeman, Montana. This organization's main purpose was to give progressive cattlemen a way to select premium cattle to raise while eliminating negative genetic factors. With the aid of the Montana Extension Service, the Miles City Experiment Station, and office space at Montana State University, the organization was able to flourish as a non-profit. Under the leadership of E. Paul Orcutt, the first Executive Secretary and Extension Service livestock specialist, the MBPA's mission evolved from providing ranchers with a simple records keeping center to being a pioneer in herd selection methods. By introducing mathematical formulas to an animal's progeny records, certification scores were given with only the highest scoring ones selected. MBPA's continued success led to the adoption of their practices by all major cattle breed associations, but also eventually led to their demise in 1988.