Missouri Junior Cattlemen's Association (MJCA) hosted the Show-Me Beef Tour in southeast Missouri August 24-26, 2018. MJCA members from throughout the state attended the tour to visit multiple forms of agricultural businesses in the southeast region and gain knowledge about agricultural operations. The tour is designed to give junior members exposure to different sectors of the agricultural industry in Missouri and provide them a greater understanding of the many things that go into producing agricultural commodities.
The first stop on the tour was to Tribute Farms, a dairy operation. Participants later visited Byrd Creek Farms, a purebred Berkshire hog operation. On the second day of the tour, junior members visited Flickerwood Farms and Steinbecker Livestock to tour a stocker cattle operation. Participants later toured Jackson Egg Company to learn about egg production. The day concluded at Butch's Angus, owned by Missouri Cattlemen's Association (MCA) Immediate Past President Butch Meier and his wife, Eileen.
On the final day, the tour stopped at South East Missouri University's beef farm.
The Show-Me Beef Tour was the largest it has ever been, with 33 MJCA members in attendance. Supporting and educating the next generation of cattle producers is a goal of MCA.
"The Show-Me Beef Tour is a fantastic chance to educate our junior members on the many options they have when the entering the industry," said MCA Manager of Membership Maria Washburn. "It is the hope that young people will find something that they love in agriculture and return to the industry to contribute their unique skills in the future."
