Karina Jones, Field Director for R-Calf USA joins us each Friday from her ranch in the heart of Nebraska covering what’s new and important to the family farm and ranch.
COWS BUILD TOWNS
This week I listened to a few cattle producers that I respect talk about industry issues on a podcast. By the way, You can find that podcast on the R-CALF FB page. Anyway, that conversation fueled my fire. I felt their passion come through my computer’s speakers and it reminded me of why we are charging ahead so hard to reform this industry. They said, “COWS BUILD TOWNS.” That’s it 3 simple words. “COWS BUILD TOWNS.” Look around your area and remind yourself of the communities around you and their history. Almost every where I look on a map of America’s heartland, you can trace almost every communities existence to the cattle industry. They may have been a trading hub on the old cattle trails as herds of longhorns used to be trailed north to grass country. Or perhaps you community was built by a rail line where cattle were put on trains and shipped to regional marketing stockyards like Sioux Falls or Omaha. And now today, I witness that the strongest communities in a rural trade area are usually the ones with a sale barn in them. It is not by coincidence, it is by design that the towns where livestock are marketed in a public forum usually have the area gas station, grocery store and other amenities not to mention usually the largest school district in the area. Infact, in my local town the cattle sale day is on Thursdays so everything in town happens on Thursday including the farmer’s market on the town square.
It is already predicted that America’s cow herd is set to shrink again this year. It is presumed that many operations liquidating because of drought will not re enter the industry because of the market hardships from the past few years. Let’s face it, you can only operate at a loss for so many years before it sucks the fun out of it. How long do you think these independent feeders can stand to sell $1.20 fat cattle???Who is mad? I’m mad. I’m frustrated and this fall you will see feedwagons on farm sales instead of filling bunks! The ship is sinking everyday and those that want us to funnel us to vertical integration keep gaining ground. It is a tangled web that is weaved in rural America and we are all connected. When my neighbors hurt, I hurt. When my neighbors struggle, I’m probably struggling too.
Let’s continue this conversation and collaboration at R-CALF Convention. Find more details on the R-CALF USA website and click on the Convention tab! I will be glad to have YOU there!
Good luck next week to the 9 Hot Barns that power this program. Cows Build Towns and our auction markets are the hub of our rural communities!
See more at HOT BARN REPORT
Lemmon Livestock, INC.
Presho Livestock Auction
Mobridge Livestock
Platte Livestock Market
Stockmen’s Livestock
Lamoni Livestock Auction
Crawford Livestock Market
North Platte Stockyards
Bassett Livestock Auction
