John Peck receives Jefferson County Cattleman of Year Award

FAIRFIELD – The Jefferson County Cattlemen have bestowed the honor of Cattleman of the Year on John Peck.

The award came as a surprise to Peck, who was enjoying a barbecue in his shop one day in December when several members of the cattlemen’s association showed up. They were there to present him with the award for his 40 years in the Jefferson County Cattlemen’s Association and his commitment to the beef industry, which has spanned nearly his whole life from the time he began milking cows by hand as a 6-year-old boy.

EARLY LIFE

Peck was born and raised on a farm outside the small town of Momence, Illinois, 50 miles south of Chicago.

“Dad had a cow-calf operation,” Peck said. “I was very much involved in chores. I drove a lot of tractors, fed cattle and got into row crops when I was in high school.”

When Peck was 14, Peck’s father purchased a farm south of Fairfield.

“We didn’t have any family in the area. He was just looking for land,” Peck recalled.

Peck said there was never any doubt in his mind what he would do for a career.

“I decided to be in agriculture when I was 5 years old,” he said. “I expected to become a farmer.”

Peck started renting ground in high school, and afterwards he worked for his dad doing row crops and cattle on the side.

Peck and his wife Charlotte are celebrating 51 years of marriage this year. They have three children: Shawn, Lisa and Christina, all of whom live in the community, and all of Peck’s 10 grandchildren live nearby, too. Peck said he enjoys getting to see his grandkids on a regular basis, and they range in ages from 4-25. His daughter Christina is married to Dan Delaney, and they are members of Jefferson County Cattlemen.

CHANGES IN CATTLE INDUSTRY

In his decades of experience in the beef industry, Peck has seen quite a few changes. He said a lot of research has gone into cattle feed, so it’s more complex today than when he started. Back then it was a simple mixture of corn, protein and hay, but today’s it consists of six to eight products blended together.

“Right now, all the feed is tested for its value. It’s put into a computer, and it tells us the percent of each product we need to feed,” he said.

While automatic steering is taking over in the fields, Peck said caring for cattle is actually more labor-intensive than it used to be.

“We used to put corn or a big round bale in a self-feeder and it was good for a week,” he said. “Now everything is measured so we know how much each animal eats per day. You’ve got to look at those bunks to see if they’re cleaned up, and to adjust their feed the next day. We keep track of how much every animal gains from the day of purchase to the day of sale. When I started, we didn’t keep track of the rate of gain.”

STAYING ACTIVE

Peck is gradually handing over the operation of his farm to his son-in-law Dan. He’s got a cow-calf operation that he raises from birth to finish, and the family also purchases cattle that are fed out. Peck said he travels out of town for cattle sales two or three times a week, visiting sale barns in Bloomfield, Keosauqua and Kirksville, Missouri.

At 71 years of age, Peck said he has no plans of retiring.

“I feed cattle every day,” he said. “I like getting up and getting going. It’s not work if you enjoy what you’re doing.”

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

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