Local feedlots to host state beef tour

Local beef producers will host the 40th Annual Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association Summer Beef Tour July 13.
The event travels to different parts of the state each year, and the Rock-Nobles Cattlemen’s Association was on deck to host in 2020 when the pandemic shut it down.
“We’re excited to get this Minnesota Cattlemen’s summer tradition back on track and put some ‘normal’ back in the summer,” said Jay Bakken, Beaver Creek, president of the local association.
The 2021 state beef tour features eight cattle-producing families who will host tours of their facilities to showcase feedlot production in Rock and Nobles counties.
“The purpose is to promote the industry and show off innovative practices that are happening out here,” Bakken said.
“It’s a good learning opportunity for other cattlemen across the state to see how our producers are managing their facilities.”
 
Tour isn’t just for beef producers
The Summer Beef Tour is for anyone who wants to board a bus and view the local operations, according to Bakken.
“It’s open to anyone, from fellow farmers to the local priest and hairdresser,” Bakken said. “You don’t have to be a farmer or involved in the beef industry to attend.”
He added that the $20 registration fee includes a midday lunch stop and a grilled steak dinner. The registration fee is waived for students, college and younger.
“We’ve had good support from our business partners who get to come along and learn about what we’re doing,” Bakken said.
“It creates opportunity for some face-to-face interaction between these vendors and producers.”
He said the ag economy in the beef industry is fairly far-reaching and the Summer Beef Tour is a good time for everyone to come together.
“It’s also a social time for camaraderie in the beef business,” Bakken said. “If there were ever a time to get support from your peers, this is it.”
“We have a lot of producers doing innovative things here and we’re going to see top-notch feedlot production enterprises in this part of the state.”
Summer Beef Tour registration information is at www.mnsca.org or by contacting Bakken at jsbakken918@gmail.com.
 
Summer Beef Tour stops include:
•Binford Feedlots (Grant and Eric Binford), northeast of Luverne, features bedded barns, slatted barns and modern feed commodity facilities.
•G&A Farms (Glen and Matt Boeve), Steen, features outdoor lots and a unique wastewater handling system with dewatering and pivot irrigation.
•Brad VanDeBerg, Hills, features a slatted barn, a unique shipping and receiving barn and working facility.
•Dave Mente, Adrian, features the tour’s only cow/calf operation. It will highlight rotational grazing and local seed stock display to illustrate genetics of breeding bulls.
•R&R Thier (Ryan Thier), Rushmore, features outdoor yards and bedded and slatted barns.
•Summit Lake Livestock (Russ and Brian Penning), Wilmont, features a unique hog-finishing barn converted into cattle slat facilities.
•Brake Feedyards, Wilmont, is a multi-generational Brake family feedlot operation
•3B Farms, Adrian, is a multi-generational Bullerman family slatted barn feedlot operation.
 
Fifteen tour buses,
eight ‘innovative’ stops
Fifteen tour buses will depart at 7 a.m. from headquarters at the ice arena in Worthington to the farms, where they will spend about an hour talking to the producers and viewing the facilities.
On the way to each stop, video footage from each farm is broadcast on the tour buses.
All buses will stop at the Magnolia New Vision facility for a noon meal, and then return to the ice arena in Worthington at 5:15 p.m. for an evening steak supper.