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MCA holds annual convention and trade show"I am convinced that the only way to protect our industry is not to try to manage international supply," John said. By Doug Rich "The state of the beef industry today is exceptional," Mike John, National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) president said. Speaking at the annual meeting of the Missouri Cattlemen's Association, John said there is more opportunity for cattlemen to participate in the beef industry today than there ever has been in his lifetime. Missouri cattlemen met in Springfield, Mo., Dec. 7 to 9 for their annual convention and trade show. "Because we have a national Cattlemen's organization made up of state associations like this one we can recover from situations like BSE and protect this great industry that we love so much," John said. Mike John is a Missouri cattleman himself and former president of the Missouri Cattlemen's Association. "In 1996 this group merged with the Livestock and Meat Board," John said. "That merger caused quite a bit of the divisiveness that is out there in the industry today. But people with a lot of insight realized that with the shrinking influence that we had in this country, based on the number of producers and changes in Congressional districts, we needed to concentrate our resources around a single plan." The merger paid dividends when at the end of 2004 beef demand in this country had risen not 6 percent as called for in the Long Range Plan but 24 percent. "We did that by speaking with one voice, using one budget, and using one set of resources to promote our product," John said. John will be traveling to Washington, D.C., in the next few weeks to meet with President Bush and ask for assistance with South Korea. "I am convinced that the only way to protect our industry is not to try to manage international supply," John said. "Because every time we try to control something coming in, somebody else will control something going out. We cannot export without importing. We need to be careful when we try to manage supply." State level On the state level David Moore of Bismarck, Mo., ended his year as MCA president. Moore said the number one highlight of this past year has been the increase in membership and watching the enthusiasm of the association as it grows. "Enjoying the highs in the market has certainly been a high point," Moore said. "Even with the decrease in feeder calf prices due to the high corn prices the guys remain enthusiastic. They understand where we are in relation to where we were in 1996. We are in a much better position today." Missouri cattlemen are concerned about corn prices. Moore said there is uncertainty about how high corn prices will go and what the affect will be on other feed prices. "As other ethanol plants come on board and the by-products become available will they be at the prices they are today or will those prices increase as well," Moore said. "The ethanol industry is going to change the cattle industry, there is no two ways about it," Moore said. "Everybody has to examine their own situation and look for new opportunities." Merrel Breyer, Richland, Mo., will take over as MCA president. Serving with Breyer will be first vice president David "Blue" Geier, California, Mo.; second vice president Paul Gibbs, Booneville. Mo.; secretary-treasurer Carl Elliot, Holden, Mo.; northwest regional vice president James Sparks, LaMonte, Mo.; northeast regional vice president Jim Lollie, Macon, Mo.; southeast regional vice president Steve Willard, Willow Springs, Mo.; and southwest regional vice president Jim McCann, Miller, Mo. Merrel Breyer said he has three goals this year. To develop new talent and leadership for the association, retain membership gains made in the last few years, and make sure they deal with people in Jefferson City, Mo., and Washington, D.C., fairly and on the same level. Brent Bryant, executive vice president, said MCA currently had 5,582 members. This includes the Junior Missouri Cattlemen's Association membership. Beef research In his report at the Missouri Cattlemen's Association annual meeting John Kleiboeker, executive director of the Missouri Beef Industry Council (MBIC), outlined a new research project funded by the checkoff. The research project would use blood profiles to determine the quality grade and yield grade potential of beef animals. "We are pretty excited about it from the standpoint that it is very novel research," Kleiboeker said. "Those two things, quality grade and yield grade, are economically the most important when we talk about carcass value." "If our research can truly identify some of those finish traits at a relatively early age, maybe 500 to 600 pounds the weights at which most cattle in Missouri are sold, it should provide opportunities to market cattle at varying degrees of value," he said. The Missouri Beef Industry Council is current working on a memorandum of agreement with the University of Missouri and Dr. Duane Keisler, who teaches reproduction physiology in the Animal Science Department. MBIC hopes to begin getting some results back within the year. "From a checkoff perspective we are interested in what the consumers are after," Kleiboeker said. "Consumers are telling us that they want a good eating experience and that means they want a choice or prime product." Doug Rich can be reached by phone at 785-749-5304 or by e-mail at richhpj@aol.com. Date: 12/20/06
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