Cattle producers forging new partnerships for future success

By SANDRA HANSEN

Ag Editor

BRIDGEPORT – Nebraska cattlemen, no matter what their operations are, must work together to protect their industry from outside forces that are determined to take red protein off the American dinner plate.

Jim Ramm, president of the Nebraska Cattlemen organization, told Morrill County members that they must remain alert and at the same time reach out to other organizations to form partnerships and develop a sound base for future generations.

Ramm also praised the legislature for funding a new diagnostic lab at the University of Nebraska. He said the facility will lead to more opportunities for research, teaching and providing diagnosis for livestock producers.

He also explained a new partnership being formed between the Cattlemen and the state’s FFA program. Ramm said it is important to get youth involved for several reasons, among them is education. He said today’s youth need to be informed so they can make sound decisions when dealing with organizations that want to take beef off our plates.

Also attending the dinner meeting was Jaclyn Wilson-Demel of Lakeside, vice chairman of the cow/calf council. She said the evening was part of the Nebraska Cattlemen’s effort to get more board members out into the country where they can form more personal ties with their affiliates.

“We think it’s important to visit as many counties as possible,” Wilson-Demel said following the meeting. “The issues are so different around the state that our staff, as good as they are, cannot know them all. This way, we meet with our members, and share the information with the staff, and that makes everyone happy.”

The Bridgeport evening concluded with an opportunity to become Beef Quality Assurance certified. This program, presented by Drew Gaffney, focuses on the best production practices for producers, to insure safety and health issues are taken into consideration in order to get the best beef product to the consumer.

About 50 people attended Tuesday’s meeting, with many of them becoming certified or re-certified.

For more information on Nebraska Cattlemen, visit necattlemen.org