May is Beef Month across the country and in Iowa. It is a time where we recognize the hard work that our beef producers do to put a quality product on our tables. Iowa?s producers have the state ranked 4th in the nation in the number of cattle and calves on feed.
During this month, we thought we would highlight Iowa?s cattle industry. What better way to start than by looking at the contributions cattle production makes to the state?s economy and its residents.
From the state?s perspective, Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig talks about what the cattle industry contributes to the state. Naig says it isn?t just about how much Iowa produces, but how they are doing it.
Matt Deppe is the CEO of the Iowa Cattlemen?s Association. He talks about the quality of the product Iowa is raising. It is a product that is being asked for around the world.
Cattle in Iowa are adding more value to the corn and soybeans being raised in the state, which is good news for grain producers. When there is a steady market for their products, that increases the prices they get paid at the local elevator. Deppe also says that the value-added goes beyond the grain markets and even to the management of lands that are not suitable for farming. Cow/calf pairs can manage those lands and make them valuable tracts by their contribution to food production in the livestock arena.
Secretary Naig says that if Iowa beef can get on the plate, they can compete anywhere in the world, and that is why IDALS is working hard to promote Iowa beef, not only around the state but around the world.
During the COVID pandemic, Iowa cattle producers stepped up to provide food for food-insecure citizens around the state through the Beef Up Iowa program. Secretary Naig praised the Cattlemen?s Association and the Iowa Beef Industry Council for stepping up with their producers to help in a tough time.
We will continue our look at the Iowa beef industry throughout May. You can see the full Zoom interview with Matt Deppe & Secretary Mike Naig on our YouTube channel. We will also run the interview, in its entirety, on this week?s edition of Weekend Ag Matters.
