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Will Missouri become a feedlot state?
Missouri Ag Director Richard Fordyce and Brownfield’s Julie Harker
Missouri is second only to the state of Texas in cow-calf production – but will it become a feedlot state, too?
Missouri’s governor has called together cattle producers and other stakeholders for the first ever Missouri Beef Summit on January 5th.
State Ag Director Richard Fordyce tells Brownfield the department has been working for months on this summit – without a set agenda…
“We are not talking about, I don’t think, and advocating or even considering a mega-large feedlot outside. You put, you know, 100-thousand head over on a hillside somewhere. We know those days are past. We know that we can be more efficient. We can be more efficient with the cattle. We can be more efficient from capturing additional value if we do it the right way.”
With Missouri’s heat, humidity and mud, he says, feeding cattle likely has to be done indoors and in an environmentally sensitive way. He says the state beef industry is poised for growth and that Missouri is known for its superior cattle genetics…
“We know that our producers here in Missouri have done a REALLY good job of improving the herd as a whole from a quality standpoint and we’ve been recognized for that.”
The Missouri Beef Summit is Monday, January 5th at the University of Missouri.
AUDIO: Interview with Richard Fordyce at Missouri Governor’s Conference on Agriculture (7:00 mp3):
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