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Reynolds talks beef

Governor speaks to cattlemen’s association

-Messenger photo by Kelby Wingert
Gov. Kim Reynolds delivers a speech at the Iowa Cattlemen's Association's Carcass challenge Banquet at the Briggs Woods Conference Center on Wednesday evening.

WEBSTER CITY — Maintaining a strong livestock industry — including making sure producers can recover financially from devastating market disruptions — is important to the state of Iowa, Gov. Kim Reynolds said to a room of cattle producers on Wednesday evening.

Reynolds was the speaker for the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association’s Carcass Challenge Banquet at the Briggs Woods Conference Center in Webster City.

“Each and every day Iowans benefit from the value of our beef cattle industry as a major beef producing state and I take great pride in representing and standing up for my constituents, cattlemen and women,” the governor said.

Reynolds noted the challenges the last 18 months have had for cattle producers, including the COVID-19 pandemic; a Tyson processing plant fire in Holcomb, Kansas; and now a price disparity between what cattle producers are paid by processing plants for their cattle and what the processing plants sell the butchered meat for.

“Know that I’ve been right there beside you,” Reynolds told the cattle producers. “Last fall, I designated over $16 million in CARES Act dollars to support Iowa’s livestock producers.”

-Messenger photo by Kelby Wingert
Gov. Kim Reynolds talks with members of the Iowa Cattlemen's Association before delivering a speech at the association's Carcass Challenge Banquet at the Briggs Woods Conference Center on Wednesday evening.

Last week, Reynolds joined five other governors in requesting the United States Department of Justice continue its investigation into anti-competitive practices in the meatpacking industry.

“Producers and consumers deserve fairness and transparency now more than ever and tonight we celebrate an ongoing effort to demonstrate continuous industry-wide improvement within Iowa,” Reynolds said.

The Iowa Cattlemen’s Association’s Carcass Challenge is an annual feedyard competition for beef cattle across Iowa. Each November, steer sponsors donate 700-pound steer calves to complete 180-200 days on feed and grow to an average of 1,400 pounds and are market-ready. Cash prizes and special awards are presented to contributors of the top 10% of individual steers based on the “retail value per day on feed,” recognizing both feedyard performance and end carcass merit.

The challenge showcases beef cattle genetics, management practices and technology used by farm families across the state.

“There’s a lot to showcase because, as we all know, there’s simply no beating the beef cattle we grow right here in Iowa,” Reynolds said. “So together let’s continue advocating for Iowa’s beef business — from pasture to plate, Iowa leads the way.”

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