Regional Range Report

by Joseph Lolli, Region 1 Vice President

Outstanding Youth Support

The summer is warming up as farmers and ranchers are planting crops, making hay, and working cattle here in the Northeast Missouri! The local youth are getting their projects ready to exhibit at their county fairs, as well as the Missouri State Fair. Several of the kids from around the northeastern portion of Missouri attended the Missouri Cattlemen’s Youth Expo, June 9 - 11, at the Missouri State Fairgrounds, to show off their cattle before going to their county fairs.

Our region’s MCA members are looking forward to working at the Beef House at the Missouri State Fair coming up in August. The Beef House is always one of my favorite places to attend during the fair.

Here in our part of the state, the drought conditions are getting a little bit tougher, all while hay prices rise and hay availability remains low. With all of this being said, we are starting to see several people cull a little harder on their cowherds, and many farmers and ranchers are bringing their calves to town a lot sooner than in years past. The market prices are definitely as good this year as they have been in almost 10 years, which has really helped the producers make their operations work. Several people say that they have noticed a similar trend to what we saw in the 2012-2014 time period where we had higher cattle prices and higher hay prices due to the drought conditions at that time.

This past winter/spring banquet season, I was able to attend a few banquets around my region. I must say, the continued support of our youth in this industry is simply outstanding. Year after year, our banquet here in Macon County continues to grow in numbers, and the support for our young people wanting to pursue a degree in an agriculture-related field is amazing. In Macon County, there were several gun raffles that really drew a lot of interest, as well as several great auction items. The Linn County Cattlemen had their second banquet since

Region 1 VP - Joseph Lolli

Region 2 VP - Anita Vanderwert

Region 3 VP - Blake Crow

Region 4 VP - Deb Thummel they have been back in action, and that was another outstanding event where a lot of money was raised and several scholarships were given.

The Randolph/Chariton Cattlemen’s banquet was a full house again this year in Salisbury, with a large amount of support for the area youth. There were a couple of banquets in my region I did not get to attend but heard many great things about. The NEMO Cattlemen’s Association banquet was a sold out event as well, with lots of great auction items that demanded great prices. The NEMO banquet held in Kirksville is always an exciting event to attend with a very fun crowd. The Shelby/Monroe Cattlemen’s Association banquet was racing into another fun banquet with the “Race Day” theme. I heard a lot of great things about this banquet, and I hope to be in attendance next year.

In closing, I hope everyone has a great summer as we gear up for local county fairs and the Missouri State Fair. I pray each and everyday that we will receive the much needed rain throughout the dry parts of the country to quench the thirst of the crops and pasture land. As always, feel free to reach out to me with any questions or if you just want to talk cattle.

See you down the trail!

Region 5 VP - Alex Haun

Region 6 VP - Warren Love

Region 7 VP - Josh Worthington

At-Large Rep. - John Cauthorn