Henry County Cattlemen’s Association annual banquet

The Henry County Cattleman’s Association held their annual banquet on Feb. 3 in Mt. Pleasant at the St. Alphonsus Catholic Church’s Manning Hall, the event was attended by more the 260 of the county’s cattlemen and their families.

The event was an opportunity to recognize those who support the cattle industry in Henry County.

“Tonight we will hand out two $1,000 scholarships to seniors from Henry County,” said Henry County Cattleman’s Association President Adam Smith. “These awards go to Molly Miller and Mitchell Moothart.”

“We are also recognizing those that raised steers and heifers that won at the Henry County Fair,” said Smith. “These are awarded to cattle that are from local stock.” The award for the county raised heifer went to Zenlyan Lee, and the award for the steer went to Kiley Lloyd.

Part of the awards that were issued for the evening was recognition to Ethan Graber for the Governor’s Charity Steer Show. Graber was able to raise $31,000 for Ronald McDonald House by showing his prized steer throughout the state.

Due to the fact that the banquet was not held in 2020, there were two Cattlemen of the Year Awards handed out at the event. The recipient of the award for 2021 was Larry Van Syoc, and Duane Graber also took home an award for 2021.

“We recognize producers that have been in the cattle industry in Henry County for quite a long time,” said Smith. “We recognize them as having done a lot for the industry in the county.”

The Cattleman’s Association does grilling events throughout the year to obtain the funds for the scholarships. The association also does spots on the local radio station, KILJ, once a month which feature discussion on topics that are relevant to the cattle industry.

“We also help promote the beef industry within the state of Iowa,” said Smith. “We are part of the group that helps to fund the Iowa Cattleman’s Association. That group helps to promote legislation at the state level for the local cattlemen. It’s a grass roots organization that helps to write policy and help lobby for the Iowa cattlemen.”

“Right now we are discussing price discovery legislation,” said Smith. “That has been a hot topic for the Iowa cattlemen. There are quite a few issues that have been taking place. The packers have been making quite a bit of money with inflated prices, and that has not been the case for the cattlemen in the process. That margin of profit is not being passed down to the cattlemen. That is a point for concern on our part.”

Contact Michelle Hillestad at michelle.hillestad@southeastiowaunion.com