Heather Ainsley
ECB Publishing, Inc.
As the 6 p.m. sun settled into the horizon, the Great Mark Western's Bar C Ranch filled up with Cattlemen's Association members for an evening full of good spirit and country-style fellowship. In a meeting held last March, the Jefferson County Cattlemen's Association began a fundraiser with the intention of providing scholarships for students needing a little financial boost in their schooling journeys. The fundraiser was a big success, with around $1,000 raised. On Nov. 18, the Cattlemen's Association held another dinner meeting, and the recipients of the March scholarship fundraiser were announced and presented with their checks, the money divided up amongst two recipients, Jake Pridgeon and Ryan Long.
Pridgeon graduated from Aucilla Christian Academy in 2018 and attended McNeese State University in Lousiana, studying Animal Science. He currently attends North Florida College, but has plans to transfer to Southern Arkansas University to continue his studies in Animal Science and participate in their Rodeo team. After college, Pridgeon wants to work as an animal nutrition represenative for feed companies. He currently works at Publix as a meat cutter.
Long graduated from Jefferson Somerset in 2021, and is currently a freshman at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), studying Agriculture and Business. After college, Long is interested in the use of industrial hemp. He currently works for Florida Georgia Citrus.
Once everyone had been served a dinner of burgers, salad, fries and tater tots, and the fundraiser checks were presented, the meeting's program began. The program for the November meeting was titled, “Raising calves to make the most out of your herd,” and discussed a wide range of cattle-related topics, including potential price changes, tips to develop the quality of a herd, and what buyers look for when selecting calves to purchase.
The meeting welcomed two guest speakers, Dan Burkhart with Thomasville Stockyard, and Pat Durden, who served as the first Vice-President of the Florida Cattlemen's Association. The program shed light on common differences in cattle, cows and calves that all contribute to the price per pound that they will yield when they are bought or sold, and touched on the importance of quality care for a herd that directly impacts the price it will yield at a packer. It illustrated the process of what a cattle rancher can expect in the cow-calves operation, explaining how each step of the process affects the health of the cattle and how a farmer can take steps to prevent a declination in the condition of the herd by providing quality care at each step in the process, from choosing a bull that is right for their herd, to purchasing high-quality feed and providing necessary wellness like veterinary care and vaccination.
The Florida Cattlemen's Association is a statewide, non-profit organization that was established in 1934 with the intention of promoting and protecting the ability of cattlemen members to produce and market their products. Florida's cattle industry is one of the 15 largest in the United States, and is centered more around birthing and raising calves than it is about the actual beef-processing part of the system. The cattle industry supports a vast network of associated businesses, including feed companies, heavy machinery operations, and fertilizer manufacturers, providing not just beef, but countless jobs and business opportunities across Florida. In addition to farm culture, The Florida Cattlemen's Association is also a strong supporter of Florida's youth, participating and facilitating county fair displays, scholarship contests and working diligently to give back to the communities they serve. Anyone wishing to join the association can go to https://floridacattlemen.org/join/.
This meeting was sponsored by Thomasville Stockyard, with door prizes sponsored by Waukeenah Fertilizer.
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