Archive for July, 2009
Visits to North and South Dakota – join me!
Today I am headed to Minot, North Dakota for the State Fair.
Tomorrow (Wednesday, July 29), USCA Director Danni Beer and I will be at the Lemmon, South Dakota livestock market for their weekly cattle sale.
Thursday sends Pat Becker, Allen Lund, and I to the Mobridge, South Dakota livestock market for their weekly cattle sale.
Friday, I plan to see my good friend and livestock market manager Justin Tupper at the St. Onge Livestock Market for their weekly cattle sale.
Topping off the Dakotas tour will be a stop at the Faith Livestock Market, where I will get to see a good family of livestock market operators: Gary and Scott Vance.
Each one of these stops will provide opportunities to meet new ranchers, see old friends, and get folks up to speed on the latest happenings in Washington, D.C. If you are around any of these locations this week, please stop by!
Visit to Selfridge, North Dakota
Just finished up an excellent U.S Cattlemen’s meeting here in Selfridge, North Dakota. Special thanks to Pat and Bergetta Becker and the crew at Becker Ranch for sponsoring the steak dinner. Folks were fired up about USCA and the work being done in Washington, D.C. From a crowd of over 30 ranchers, including a few current USCA members, we signed up 11 new members. Special thanks again to these folks for the support!
I sure appreciated the opportunity to speak with these area ranchers. It is so helpful to hear insights and concerns from the people being impacted by federal policies. Defending country-of-origin labeling at the WTO, the impact of climate change legislation, and horse management problems were just some hot topics discussed in this meeting. It has been a long and busy legislative session. There are times when I question whether it’s worth it to keep fighting, but after a positive and upbeat meeting like this one in Selfridge, North Dakota, I say “bring on the stress and work in DC – it’s worth it!”
Day of the American Cowboy celebration
I had a great time this past Saturday celebrating Day of the American Cowboy with some good folks from the Independent Beef Association of North Dakota (I-BAND). These area ranchers met at McDowell Dam near Bismarck, North Dakota.
We discussed cattle prices, haying, and all the latest happenings on the ranch over burgers and cold drinks!
I think this celebration is exactly what Bill Garrels and the folks who came up with Day of the American Cowboy had in mind when they started this event!
Day of the American Cowboy
Today was a big day—-up at 4:30 am and headed to the Vassau place, south of Forsyth. Today we are pulling bulls from the cattle herd. Peterson Livestock shares a grass lease with the Mott family. A handful of riders rode 30 sections looking for 20 bulls. I could attempt to describe it with words, but I will let the pictures speak for themselves! It’s a great day under the Big Sky.
And what a fitting event given the fact that Saturday, July 25th is Day of the American Cowboy. This day celebrates the American Cowboy and what it means to have cowboys here in the USA! I will be joining the Independent Beef Association of North Dakota for a BBQ near Bismarck, North Dakota. One day in the saddle, and now I am back on the road.
Jess in the national news
Would you like to read more about Jess from someone other than Jess? We’ve compiled it all for you at the Western Skies Strategies News page. Visit the News page regularly for up-to-date national news coverage from sources including the Brian Allmer Radio Network (BARN), KBHB 5 State Live, Capital Press, Western Livestock Journal and Forbes.com.
Categories
Tags
Comments from friends
- Naomi on Burgers, burgers and a trip to NY
- Stacia Couch on And it’s day 2… USCA Fly-in
- Naomi on Shopping out west