07/13/23: Area Happenings & Accomplishments

Hartley producer wins largest ribeye in ICA contest

In mid-June, Iowa Cattlemen’s Association (ICA) held its annual Carcass Challenge banquet in Ames. Local cattle producer Allan Johnson, of Hartley, bred the steer with the largest ribeye area of 17.3 sqare inches. The steer was sponsored by Sterling Cattle Company.

This annual competition, founded in 2010, allows producers to showcase and evaluate their beef cattle genetics, feedyard management and continuous operation improvement. ICA’s Carcass Challenge is Iowa’s only statewide fed-beef competition. Each participating steer is measured for maximum cattle efficiency, carcass value and net revenue.

At the banquet, all winners were announced and recognized for their achievements in front of a crowd of their peers from across the state of Iowa. The Top 10 percent of steers, eight total, were recognized for retail value per days on feed (RVDoF) awards.

The RVDoF formula is a dollar value that accounts for hot carcass weight, percent retail product, carcass price and days on feed, balancing the important factors that ultimately drive profitability. The champion steer of the RVDoF category received a cash prize of $5,000.

Johnson’s steer achieved the largest ribeye of the 79 steers participating in the challenge. Single winners were also awarded in the categories of highest marbling, highest average daily gain and chef’s choice.

Johnson and Sterling Cattle Company have participated in the contest every year since its inception. The contest supports the Iowa Cattleman’s Leadership Program, which he is a strong advocate for.

Clay County Fair seeks board candidates, association members

The Clay County Fair Association is currently seeking candidates for the board of directors, as well as interested individuals to become members of the association.

Each year, the association’s nominating committee seeks individuals to serve as candidates for election to the board of directors. The committee then reviews all interested candidates for possible inclusion on a ballot that will be submitted to the fair association membership as part of the fair association’s annual meeting in October. Eligible candidates must have been a member of the fair association for a minimum of one (1) year prior to their election.

Members of the 27-person board of directors are elected to three-year staggered terms with nine positions being filled each year. The board of directors is responsible for electing the executive committee and approving changes to the association’s by-laws.

Interested individuals may apply by downloading an application at https://claycountyfair.com/about/staff-and-board/.

“The Clay County Fair Association is also always looking for new members,” Fair Manager Jerome Hertel said in a news release. “I think it’s a myth in the community that we are a closed organization but in reality, anyone (including non-Clay County residents) can be a member of the fair association.”

Any individual or business is eligible to become a member upon payment of the $100 membership fee. The association is currently composed of 834 lifetime members – 779 individual members and 55 associate members. Individual members have the right to vote and hold office. Associate members are non-individuals (businesses, organizations, political subdivisions, etc.) that can attend meetings, but cannot vote or hold office. Originally, members were called “stockholders” because they purchased “shares” in the association that could be transferred to other individuals or businesses. Changes in Iowa law, however, caused that system to be eliminated in 2011.

The membership gathers each October for an annual meeting which includes an election for the board of directors.

For more information on becoming a member of the fair association, please contact the fair administrative offices at (712) 580-3000 or [email protected].

Drought conditions intensify after another dry month

The state of Iowa experienced another dry month, with June providing 2.90 inches of rain, only 55 percent of normal, according to the latest water summary update by the Iowa DNR.

This continues the drier-than-normal trend seen in March, April and May. The US Drought Monitor shows that nearly all Iowa faces some dryness or drought.

Iowa received 9.16 inches of precipitation from March through June, just 65 percent of the expected 14.20 inches for those four months. This continued lack of rainfall is causing stream flow and soil moisture impacts across the state. Four of Iowa’s Drought Regions are rated as “Drought Watch.” Conditions in Drought Region 2 have improved enough to move it back into the normal category.

“June is typically the wettest month of the year, so to have just a bit over half the normal rainfall for that month is troubling,” said Tim Hall, Iowa DNR coordinator of hydrology resources, in a news release. “July and August still have the potential for good rainfall, but monthly averages for moisture continue to decline throughout summer and fall, so the opportunities for getting out of drought this year become more limited as time passes.”