Page 9 - MWC 9-14-2023s

FIRE DESTROYS sale barn restaurant, Cattle- The Midwest Cattleman · September 14, 2023 · P9
continued from page 3 man’s Steak House, on a reg- REGISTRATION NOW OPEN FOR U.S.
ular basis, Harris notes.
Harris, Cleburne County “It’s just a blow to our CATTLETRACE SYMPOSIUM
Farm Bureau president and economy here in this area,” Those interested in at- tary contact-tracing tool can
local producer, received calls Harris explains. “Businesses tending the 2023 U.S. Cattle- enhance potential responses
from his father who had are hard these days. It was Trace Symposium, which will in the future.
seen smoke rolling out of the really nice to see that going be held November 14-15 at There is no cost to attend
building, two thoughts came on.” the American Royal Center the symposium, but it is im-
to mind. Wilf told a local news in Kansas City, now can reg- portant to register in order
“Our first thought was, ‘I source that they are hoping ister for the event. With an to provide adequate meeting
hope everybody got out okay,’ to build back, as long as peo- emphasis on collaboration, materials and to have accu-
which they did, which was ple are willing to work with education and execution, the rate meal counts.
great,” says Harris. “The sec- them. In the meantime, a symposium allows attend- For questions about the
ond thought was, ‘where are temporary sale location may ees the opportunity to learn symposium, contact the U.S.
we going to go from here?’ be an option, Wilf adds. more about current animal CattleTrace team at (785)
because that’s our local barn disease traceability response 821-1082 or info@UScattle-
we’ve utilized in this area for Drovers tools within the U.S. and help trace.org.
four generations.” provide input on how a volun-
For many local producers,
the sale barn was both conve-
nient and cost effective.
“That barn was a little
smaller, so you didn’t have
the shrink, and those cattle
didn’t sit there as long as
some at the barns that are a
little bit bigger,” notes Scott
Wingert of Wingert Cattle
from Rose Bud, Ark.
Wingert adds, at the end
of the day, shrink is simply
money out of your pocket.
As a result of the fire, pro-
ducers are now forced to look
at other cattle marketing op-
tions. For most producers in
the area, this means more
miles of travel and more
shrink.
“Shrink can be significant,”
explains Harris. “I mean, it
can be as much as 30 to 40 to
50 pounds on some of those
calves. Especially this time
of year in the heat, the more
you stress cattle, the more
shrink they’re going to have.”
Longer distances to the
nearest barn also may mean
the cattle are delivered a day
or two prior to the day of the
sale, with extra transporta-
tion costs also a factor.
Harris notes, with cattle
bringing premium prices, the
losses are even more sub-
stantial. Figuring 50 pounds
lost in shrink, hundreds of
dollars are left on the table.
Not only a hit to local pro-
ducers, the local economy
may also experience chal-
lenges in the months ahead.
“That barn had just
changed owners here recent-
ly, and they’d done such a
wonderful job with the tran-
sition,” Harris adds.
While increasing buyers
to the sales, the new owners
had recently reopened the