Economist keynote speaker at Western Montana Stockmen’s Association
Berl Tiskus
Western Montana livestock producers wait in line for dinner.
Berl Tiskus
Dr. Derrel Peel, Senior Economist at Oklahoma State University, spoke to livestock producers about beef markets at the WMSA banquet and business meeting.
Berl Tiskus
Past WMSA President Ken McAlpin shows the buckle he received from the membership in appreciation.
Berl Tiskus
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POLSON — In the lull before calving starts in March and to break the monotony of feeding, the Western Montana Stockmen’s Association held their winter meeting on Jan. 18. Events included an afternoon business meeting at 2 p.m., happy hour and a banquet and dance beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Special guest speaker was nationally known livestock economist Derrel Peel, Senior Economist at Oklahoma State University. A Polson native, Peel was glad to be back in the Mission Valley.
“This valley is the fertilizer of my genes,” Peel
explained.
Peel spoke about the current good cattle prices.
“The bottom line is an absolutely scary thing. (Cattle prices) are at record levels, and we’re going to go higher yet,” Peel said.
Beef production was down by 6.2 to 6.8 percent last year. This year to date it’s down 12 percent, and he said he’s fairly confident of beef demand.
“A year ago (the United States) had just under 90 million head of cattle, the smallest inventory since 1952,” Peel said.
He also said, “I don’t believe (higher cattle prices) are a flash in the pan. We’ll see sustained high prices for the next four to six years.”
Reasons for lower cattle numbers include drought and higher corn prices.
“Remember the law of Chinese markets — 1.4 billion times any number is a big number,” Peel said. “(Chinese markets) are going to be big and going to continue to grow.”
The WMSA Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Jim Wilson by Wilson’s longtime friend Chuck Jarecki.
At the afternoon business meeting, discussion turned to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribe finding medusa head, an invasive weed, on Valley Creek.
“It’s a grass, looks like a barley head on it,” rancher Glen Magera said.
He also mentioned another weed called rush skeletonweed.
“It’s like knapweed, it has a root system you can’t believe. It’s very prolific” Magera said. “... In the rosette, it looks almost like a dandelion.”
Ranchers and farmers need to be aware of these weeds and eradicate them.
The WMSA jumped to the aid of South Dakota ranchers, whose cattle were decimated by Atlas, an early storm in October.
Two heifers, donated by WMSA members Greg Gardner and Kurt
McPherson, were auctioned off “as many times as we could sell them,” WMSA member Reece Middlemist said.
That means one person would buy the heifer and then donate her back to be sold again to benefit South Dakota ranchers. The two heifers raised more than $35,000 for Ranchers Relief Fund and Heifers for South Dakota plus the animals themselves went to South Dakota. WMSA also donated $1,000 to each organization from their goodwill fund.
Middlemist plans to trailer four more heifers to South Dakota, and the stockmen voted to pay for his fuel.
Outgoing WMSA president Ken McAlpin said the heifer project was one of best he’d been involved in.
“We raised $25,000 to $35,000 quickly, thanks to the young guys who did the legwork and the two gentlemen who donated the cattle,” McAlpin said.
“I think radio spots are the greatest. You are talking to the audience you want to reach,” Montana Stockmen’s Association President Tucker Hughes said. “... I’m just blown away at how many good things you guys do,” Hughes said.
Hughes was referring to radio spots concerning calving, cattle in the road, etc., to promote public awareness of issues. The ads are a cooperative effort between Northwestern Farm Credit and WMSA.
The slate of WMSA officers are Kurt McPherson, president; Reece Middlemist, 1st vice president; Richard Jackson, 2nd vice president; directors Scott McAllister, Dusty Smith, Joey Hennes, Kyle Middlemist, Greg Gardner, Scott Buxbaum, John Marinen, Evan Melton, Paul Guenzler, Danny Krantz and Glen Magera.
