Jefferson County Cattlemen have busy summer schedule

FAIRFIELD — The COVID-19 pandemic led to a rather subdued year for the Jefferson County Cattlemen in 2020, but the organization was able to be much more active in 2021 and has a busy year planned for 2022.

The Cattlemen were able to hold their banquet in-person in January at the Fairfield Elks, where Sweet ‘n Saucy provided the taste-testing appetizers of Italian style New York strip crostini and a spicy southwest chipotle meatball.

The very next month at the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center, the Cattlemen grilled ribeyes and hamburgers for the Southeast Iowa Farm Show, where it sold out.

On March 3, the Cattlemen held their winter informational meeting at the Jefferson County ISU Extension and Outreach Office where they had a meal and listened to two guest speakers: Sara Syfert of Leading Edge Crop Solutions, who spoke about federal crop insurance options for livestock producers; and Craig Beinhart with Farmer’s Cooperative Association and Purina Livestock specialist who spoke about the nutrition of available feed stuffs and balancing an animal’s diet.

The Cattlemen grilled hamburgers again in April, this time at the Extension Office’s Business After Hours event celebrating Extension Week and Volunteer Week.

May is a big month for the Cattlemen because May is Beef Month, and that meant the Cattlemen were awarding beef bundle prizes from the Packwood Locker, including a grand prize of a $300 beef bundle. Every Sunday in the month, the Cattlemen will give away $25 beef certificates with a different contest each week.

The Cattlemen donated $200 in canned beef to The Lord’s Cupboard. Cattlemen member Zoe Moritz said the donation was much appreciated last year, so the group decided to do it again.

Other events where the Cattlemen are planning to grill this summer include a family reunion picnic for JCHC Hospital Week, a customer appreciation event for Iowa State Bank, and grilling ribeye steaks at the Fairfield Golf & Country Club for the Fairfield Area Chamber of Commerce’s Blast Off Tee Party June 9.

The Greater Jefferson County Fair is an especially busy week for the Cattlemen, and this year that is from June 20-27. The Cattlemen put on the Carcass Challenge, which will be June 18 at John Peck’s. Kids will learn what an ultrasound can tell them about beef animals, and awards will be given out based on information gained from the scan and the animal’s beginning and ending weights.

The Cattlemen will grill on Saturday night of fair week, which is the day of the beef show. It will serve free hamburger meals to all 4-H and FFA exhibitors.

The Jefferson County JackPot Show will be Sunday, June 26, an open show that starts at 4:30 p.m. It is an Iowa Junior Beef Breeds Association Show for local and state-wide exhibitors.

The fun continues in July when the Cattlemen plan to participate in the appreciation dinner for emergency responders Saturday, July 16 at Maasdam Barns.

The highlight of the year will be on July 28 at the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center where the Cattlemen will host an event celebrating food production in Jefferson County. The purpose of the event will be to understand the passion of each agricultural organization and work together for the benefit of all producers and consumers in the county. A meal will be served in the arts center’s expo hall.

Amanda Radke will be the guest speaker that evening and also will have a storytelling time for children. She is the author of several children’s books, and her talk will be about bringing food production awareness to everyone, and to educate children about where their food comes from.

The final event the Cattlemen have on their summer calendar is the Barnyard Bash at Maasdam Barns on Sept. 9. The Cattlemen and Jefferson County Pork Producers will grill at the event.

Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com