President’s Perspective with David Dick

Thank You!

First and foremost, I want to say THANK YOU! It takes a lot of folks to make events like this happen, and happen successfully. Thanks to the staff for getting things organized and keeping things flowing until the end. Thanks to the Beef House Committe and their crew for feeding us, setting up and cleaning up. Congrats on a job well done!

Heifer buyers, I certainly appreciate you fiscally rewarding these young entrepreneurs, as well as being part of the future of the beef business. The Junior Show is over, the Replacement Heifer Show & Sale is complete, interviews and elections for Junior Officers and the Junior Board are in the books, and the Past President’s Steak Fry was a success! Your association was busy and on display!

Several facets of the industry were highlighted and open for participation on a variety of levels. While the Missouri Cattlemen’s Youth Expo is limited to Junior members, the rest was there to attend! I hope you got to watch the future of MCA walk through the showring displaying Missouri’s excellent genetics for evaluation by exceptional judges. Their explanation of ranking reasons taught not only the exhibitor, but friends, family and onlookers alike.

To Steak Fry attendees and those who participated in the silent and live auctions, I say THANK YOU for investing in MCA and being a part of its future political endeavors. This also takes time and dedication similar to the show, but of a different sort, to achieve our goals and put forth the membership in a different light. We were able to reward a group of individuals for being standup, common-sense people in the face of an onslaught of misinformation and downright lies about the MrNA issue. Remember my discussion of being doxed? These folks got death threats but remained focused and true.

We, as an association, owe them a tremendous debt of gratitude!

Does it seem like a lot going on in the span of just three days? It was. And guess what... It RAINED! Sunday was a damp, cool, showery day that was endured by those showing but still enjoyed by all. We were thankful, nonetheless, but a drought breaker it was not.

As far as rain goes, I wish it would! We are certainly in a drought, some areas worse than others, but serious just the same. I remember the 1980 drought; here in Pettis County, it was devastating. Then it was dry, got hot early and stayed that way. This is certainly different — dry but not scorched to death yet! Pasture is deteriorating and hay is in short supply or non-existent. In the 1980 drought, we would cut down trees to feed cattle. My great uncle and grandfather helped get me through that, as they had lived through “the bad years,” as he called them, of 1934 and 1936. He also recounted the drought and heat in 1954, as did my father and grandfather. While not pleasant and certainly financially encouraging, we have to survive and learn to seek opportunity, even though it seems not to be there.

The weather isn’t holding us back in some ways as we are in full preparation for the Missouri State Fair! The Beef House crew is planning and preparing to have a funfilled run! So on Pat and Patty’s behalf, please consider volunteering and helping out. We need the help, and what better way to promote our product, talk about what we do, and interact with those of a political nature for our common good? We’ll see you there!

THANKS again, and keep praying for rain!