The National Beef Cattle Evaluation Consortium (NBCEC) is an organization of animal breeding researchers at Colorado State University, Cornell University, and the University of Georgia. The focus of these researchers is on genetic evaluation of beef cattle. These three universities have had a long history of research in this area and have provided the beef industry in the U.S. with their genetic evaluations for over two decades. The consortium was formed at the request of the beef industry to reduce duplication in research efforts and to coordinate future research in this area. The consortium officially began July 1, 2001 with funding from a Special Research Grant authorized by Congress and administered through Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service.