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Editor's Desk by Bob Strong Know your cattle and what they will do. Know your cattle, what you need to do with the genetics, proper health care, and what kind of a program to use in marketing them. This was pretty much the message coming out of the NCBA meeting in San Antonio. Seems like a good idea in dealing with just about anything. Know what you're doing and what the outcome will be. Or what the outcome was last time. If experience is the good teacher -- it is supposed to be -- then the outcome shouldn't be too frightening, but sometimes it is. Like the young couple I talked to who sold their cattle through a marketing alliance, but the alliance set the price of the cattle, not the market, and they were paid on a percentage of their investment. The outcome was more than a little frightening to them. The meetings in San Antonio were very informative and the attitude was great with the market, as it has been. The Cattlemen's College sponsored by Pfizer was, as usual, very good; the problem is in wanting to attend all of the sessions but having to choose three of the 15. I put a great deal of faith in the new president of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, Lynn Cornwell, from Glasgow, Mont. I'm sure he knows his cattle and what the industry needs to do. He has hands on experience and is from a part of the country that is beautiful, but tough on cattlemen. He certainly fits the axiom "to know a man is to like him". Lynn is the right person and has the right personality to help expand the membership of the NCBA. The potentials for expanding the membership is great, there are many thousands of cattlemen who don't belong but should. The more that belong the more who will understand what needs to be done and why. This is particularly true with the check-off, individual animal identification and many other issues. Good luck Lynn, have a great year, and we will all appreciate your gift of time and effort. Other NCBA officers elected at the convention include: *Wythe Willey, a cattleman and farmer from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was elected as president-elect. Willey was vice president of NCBA last year, and has also served as vice chairman of the NCBA Blue Ribbon Commission. He was president of the Iowa Cattlemen's Association in 1995 and 1996, and has served in several leadership positions in NCBA. Eric Davis, a cow/calf producer and feeder from Bruneau, Idaho, was elected NCBA vice president. Previously, Davis served as the chairman of the NCBA Policy Division, and has had leadership roles and served on committees at the county, state and national levels. NCBA also elected producers to its Executive Committee for both the Federation of State Beef Councils and Policy Divisions. Elected were: Federation Division: Chairman, Steve Smola, Watonga, Oklahoma; Vice Chairman, Van Amundson, Jamestown, North Dakota; Rob Rolston (3 year term), Denver, Colorado; Dennis Snyder (1 year term), Westfield, Penn.; Dale Spencer (3 year term), Brewster, Neb.; and Jamie Willrett (3 year term), Malta, Ill. Policy Division: Chairman, Phil Hardee, Beatrice, Ala.; Vice Chairman, Don Anderson, Greeley, Colo.; and Region VI, George "Keoki" Wood (3 year term), Paauilo, Hawaii. |
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