Hometown Boy – Governor’s Beef Summit Talks Plan To Grow Dollars

by Duane Dailey, Professor Emeritus
University of Missouri Extension
Missouri is a beef-cow state. The Governor’s Beef Summit, Jan. 5, drew attention to that cow advantage. Gov. Jay Nixon opened a far-and-wide discussion with a challenge to bring more dollars back to Missouri’s 1.7 million-head beef cow herd.
Over 250 people from all parts of the beef industry met to discuss their future. Odds were against drawing a crowd. It was the first Monday of 2015, with polar express wind chills and short notice. Attendance was astounding.
It was the best beef meeting in years.
Missouri has regained No. 2 in cow numbers in the nation. Beef cows and their calves — and forages they eat — were the major income makers for Missourians for decades. High-priced soybeans bumped them aside. Cows and grass remain Missouri’s advantage.
For soil-savings alone, Missourians farming on hills should think cows and grass first. They keep soil under agriculture. (This is “Year of the Soil.”)
Several economists brought data to the gathering. With the number of calves born here, any small increase multiplies millions of times when fully adopted.
They pointed out it is more than numbers. Quality adds dollars as well as pounds.
Rising beef prices favor change. Calf prices are high, going higher every week. (Except for year-end holidays.) Feeder calves sold for up around $3 a pound. Adding an extra pound per calf adds millions of dollars.
At the end, I heard a consensus growing about boosting gains by 100 pounds per calf. Multiply million dollar increases by 100. A great start on Show-Me economic development.
That is actually small potatoes compared to the potential. Many herds already bring more than 100-pound advantages back to Missouri.
MU developed proven protocols to add value for every cow-calf farmer. Show-Me-Select calving-ease heifers cut death losses. More live calves make a difference. At the same time, genetic quality shoots up.
Initial talk focused on bringing feedlots and packing plants back to the state. That’s been a perennial favorite since those went away decades ago. Packing plants followed the cattle.
Feedlots moved to the High Plains for weather reasons, among others. To feed cattle in mud and cold takes buildings. That hurts the economic advantage of local feeding.
Beef businessmen pointed out risks of starting anew here. Packing plants aren’t lucrative businesses. The U.S. has too many, so plants are closing. Recent new additions ended in million-dollar losses.
However, there is need for smaller slaughter plants for local specialty niche markets. It will be hard to find places for large economic-size feedlots or packing plants. Not in my backyard, people will say.
Missouri cow herds and their grass hold the environmental advantage. And they certainly hold the quality beef genetic advantage over all other states.
Beside beef improvements, we’ve learned to grow non-toxic fescue that adds almost a pound of gain a day on calves. Getting rid of toxins boosts conception rates in cows, giving more calves from the same-size cow herd.
Biggest boosts come from improved heifer genetics. A herd can be upgraded from Select to Prime, our market of the future. Missouri already outperforms all states in making Prime beef. Packer premiums of $500 per head are a bonus.
The Missouri Recipe is available from MU Extension livestock specialists. A powerful point at the Summit urged Extension to hire more livestock specialists.
We need not finish and slaughter here. Those skills are close by for hire. We must keep control of our calves and reap the dollars on what we produce. We know how. We must become sharper business people.
When QB program steers go to Kansas the Missourians retain ownership. Those dollars come right back to Missouri. The state economy grows with those dollars in local banks.
The Governor’s Beef Summit gave a resounding wakeup call. Missouri can profit from what we know and grow. It’s economically and environmentally sound. Missouri Department of Agriculture leadership shines bright.
Your ideas to [email protected]