SEMO Missouri Cattlemen Outlines Year’s Activities; Stresses Membership Benefits
Betty Valle Gegg-Naeger
MID-AMERICA FARMER-GROWER
Charlie Besher, president of the Southeast Missouri Cattlemen’s Association (MCA), stressed the importance of membership in that organization at a recent dinner meeting of the group at G & J Ag LLC in Oak Ridge, Mo. He also ran down a list of annual activities of the group, which benefits all cattle producers and their families in the three areas it covers, Bollinger, Cape and Scott Counties.
“Annually, we put on a lot of promotional, educational events, some of which began early this spring,” he said, listing Greg Zerling from SM Parkerstown and Jordon O’Neill, a nutritionist, who discussed quality feed production, hay production and using cereal grains to supplement cattle feed. In early spring, activities include Farm Days (Held where) which the group has sponsored for 25 consecutive years.
“We’ve had 860 students from all local schools participate. There’s 11 stations set up for students to learn about different segments of the agriculture sector in Southeast Missouri. Butch Meyer has spearheaded that for many years. It draws a great attendance, all kids look forward to that, it’s focused on third graders In all public schools.”
SEMO Cattlemen’s Association celebrated Beef Month in May at Ken’s ACE Hardware every weekend, preparing food and handing out samples, giving out recipes and coloring books to the youth. The same event took place at Roziers in Perryville on two weekends in May, as members prepared steak, gave out samples, and interacted with the public, promoting beef products.
“We have a product that we’re taking from the green grass that’s inedible to the human, producing the most healthy, sustainable nutrition, and it’s safe,” he said. “It’s nutritious, it’s safe and it’s all over the world, however, America produces the best, safest meat.”
For Beef Month, the group purchased and provided gift cards for some of the radio stations, 100.7 and 106.1, to hand out. The stations gave those gift cards out to callers. In early spring, members cooked hamburger and hot dogs for Saxony Play Day, and also provided hot dogs for Leopold Play Day; then at the end of May they provided and cooked hamburger and hot dogs for Dream Factory, an entity started in Southeast Missouri that grants “dreams” to young children who have been ill and are unable to go places and see the world because of their illnesses.
“Recently, Leopold KC Hall held the state horseshoe tournament, and we helped provide Missouri grown beef, which is something great,” Besher said. “Missouri produces a lot of beef, we are ranked third in the nation in cow-calf production. We switch that back with Oklahoma every year or so, but we are proud of that. We want that entity to have Missouri beef, and I think they reach about 2,500 folks per event.
“We also provide halters to the youth when they come in to weigh their steers in March for the SEMO District Fair. We give all participants halters for their steers to help the youth train them. This fall the SEMO District Fair will be providing a little gratuity to help with all the participants at SEMO District Fair and Altenburg Fair. We’ll also be providing $300 for the meal for all the buyers at the steer sales.
Right now, SEMO Cattlemen is at 220 members which is the largest in Region 3 which encompasses all of SEMO, all the way to West Plains, and all the way to St. Louis.”
Besher has been very active in the cattlemen’s organizations. At present he’s the President of SEMO Cattlemens Association, serving in that capacity since February. He’s also secretary of Missouri Cattlemen’s Association since last January; previously he was Region Vice-president for six years.
“This fall, we are doing an educational series on cutting input costs, whether it be stockpiling forages, letting your forages grow, or planting cereal grains for spring harvest,” he explained. “We’re trying to provide our members some way to lower input costs with fertilizer and everything going through the roof.”
That effort starts now and will continue through January. Information on it will be distributed by a mass emailing provided by Missouri Cattlemen as well as a distribution to members through Facebook. Usually the turnout at dinner meetings is about 50-80 producers at each event.
“Tonight the event is to educate all members on what we have been doing thoughout the summer, just get together, visit and have a meal, hopefully also get other ideas of where we need to focus our educational series,” he said.
Guest Speaker at the recent event was Sydney Thummel, Executive Director of Missouri Beef Industry Council (MBIC), who just joined the Missouri Beef Industrial Council as executive director. She’s the past membership manager of Missouri Cattlemen’s Association. We were sad to lose her, but she’s going to be a true asset to the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association.”
Annually, MCA gives out 8-10 scholarships to area youth, something the group takes pride in, and is trying to increase those numbers. All money is raised at MCA’s annual banquet in February. Members solicit from area retailers and suppliers and the group also has an auction – silent and live. All funds are generated at the annual banquet.
As a final word, Besher is urging cattlemen who are not members to “look into what we’re providing, what we’re doing.”
“I’ll put it point blank: We’re doing all the work and non-members are benefiting from it as well.
“Members are important. We need them, we speak louder in numbers. In Missouri Cattlemen’s Association, we deal a lot with policy, and right now we’re fighting imminent domain, which is happening right now in Northern Missouri. As the Build Back Better, Green New Deal comes in, you’ll see more transmission lines come through the area. We need policy in Missouri to fight imminent domain, to lobby for the farmers who want to keep their farm property.” ∆
Charlie Besher, president of the Southeast Missouri Cattlemen’s Association (MCA)