Director’s Report — Enthused, by Bryan K. Blinson

Director’s report

By BRYAN K. BLINSON Executive Director, NCCA

Enthused

The last couple of years have been challenging for everyone, a global pandemic, supply chain issues, extreme inflation, and social distancing, just to name a few. Personally, I have tried to look for every bright spot possible instead of focusing on the negative junk that weighs us down. In June, I had the opportunity to be right in the middle of one of the brightest spots that I can remember, our inaugural Young Beef Leaders Tour. We were very fortunate to be able to partner with our allies at Farm Bureau as well as generous sponsors to conduct this trip that, in my mind, will pay dividends for years and, quite possibly, for generations.

The idea was spawned as a product of our Young Beef Producers group and the Young Farmers and Ranchers program. Our objective was to help our young leaders to get a glimpse of the industry beyond the feeder calf, which most of their farms produce. The trip began with the group all meeting in Oklahoma City on a Sunday afternoon and having dinner at the famed Cattlemen’s, an iconic steakhouse in the Stockyard District. We were joined by several of the leaders of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau who, like most on the trip, were also very involved with the cattlemen’s association and beef council in Oklahoma. Following dinner, we visited the Oklahoma City National Memorial and were guided through the solemn memorial by the president of Oklahoma Farm Bureau. On Monday morning, we had the opportunity to visit and tour the Oklahoma National Stockyards and were greeted by the president of the stockyards, Kelli Payne, who gave us a history of the famed stockyards and an explanation of how the operation works. For a bit more history, the group toured the Cowboy Hall of Fame in the afternoon. That evening, we were hosted for dinner by the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association and Express Ranch at the Express Ranch Sale facility. We were treated to a tour of the embryo center as well as the Clydesdale facility. OCA and Farm Bureau staff discussed some of the legislative issues they face in Oklahoma, and it was obvious that many of their issues are very similar to ours.

On Tuesday, we heard from a leader of Lopez/Dorado foods, the firm that supplies much of the hamburger for McDonald’s across many of the states in the center of the country, as well as several other food products. We learned that they have a facility in North Carolina as well that produces primarily poultry products. This was very interesting to many of the participants since on a number of their diversified farms, they not only raise cattle but also swine and / or poultry. We then traveled to Buffalo Feeders to visit a commercial feedlot and heard from their president, Tom Fanning, about their operation, as well as a very informative presentation on marketing and risk management. Tom, as a past president of OCA, was also helpful in encouraging involvement. We then traveled north into Kansas to visit Midwest Feeders. This was a glimpse at a large and growing feedlot. We were fortunate to get to see several pens of cattle from North Carolina to help put the pieces together for the attendees. On Tuesday evening, we were joined by leaders of the Kansas Livestock Association for dinner and very informative comments concerning their policy issues. At this meal, we had the chance to let everyone stand up and introduce themselves and give a bit of background on their farms. We were pleased that the Kansans stayed with us and were able to hear from these dynamic young farmers about just how diversified their farms are. These “testimonials” were one of my favorite sessions of the entire trip.

On Wednesday, part of the group toured the Tyson Plant in Holcomb, while the remainder of the group toured Beef Belt Feeders. There were a number of very positive comments about both of these visits. Most of the group were very familiar with the smaller, more local processors in North Carolina but were fascinated by the scope and technology of a major processor. At Beef Belt, our attendees had the chance to ask detailed questions of the manager about feed, pharmaceuticals, and other management scenarios. The final stop of the day was at H.J. Stephens and Sons in Northwest Kansas. This stop was designed to allow the young leaders to tour a farmer-feeder. The Stephens raise much of their corn and forages to feed the cattle in their custom yard. The participants were able to get a first hand look at the processing area and medical storage unit to see just how diligent the feeders must be when it comes to health and pharmaceutical stewardship. Many of the tour participants are also involved in row crops, so the cropping system of wheat and corn, along with forage crops, was interesting to them.

I am sure that each of the participants in the tour will have brought home valuable ideas that will help them on their own farms and in the leadership roles they hold or will hold in our respective organizations. I am most enthusiastic about the network created among these dynamic young people. There is no question that friendships were made, and I would bet that there will be business alliances created. Most importantly, these young leaders will lean on each other for many years to come and make the North Carolina cattle industry stronger than ever.