Drop In Prices On Minds Of Kosciusko County Cattlemen
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With declining cattle prices on the minds of many cattlemen, the Kosciusko County Cattlemen Association held its 19th annual beef twilight tour. Every year the association holds a dinner and education event at one of the farms in the county. “It’s just a way to have a meal and share information with each other,” said Jim Amsden, a member the Cattlemen board, said. This year’s event at the Boggs Angus Farm, Warsaw, featured a rib-eye steak dinner, cattle judging and door prizes. Various vendors showed their products to farmers and Maggie Daily, of the Indiana Beef Council, was there to answer questions about beef production in the state. The recent drop in cattle and corn prices was on the minds of many of the farmers who came to the event. Ron Manning, a farmer, said he gets $500 less per cow than he got last year. “They haven’t gone down in the grocery store, but they have gone down for us,” he said. Ron Lemenager, state beef specialist at Purdue Extension Service, talked to the group about proper nutrition for raising cattle and how to get the most money when farmers sell their cattle. “Prices will go down before they go up again,” he said before stressing the importance of vaccinating calves and checking cows for pregnancies. Ed and Tammy Boggs bought their current farm in 1988, originally raising dairy beef. When their oldest son, Johnathan, wanted to raise an angus cow for 4-H to show at the fair, Tammy said they found a way to accommodate the cow in the farm. One thing led to another and the farm began to transfer to an angus farm. She said the progression of her farm is “a 4-H project gone wild.” She said she’s used to up and downs in farming, and has been through the tough years. “You have to a passion for it, to keep doing it,” she said.
