WELCOME AND OTHER MUSINGS
We would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to the 2017 Fall edition of the Green Springs Beef Development
Center sale.
We have had another good summer, all be it fickle, with wet, then dry, then hot, then cool, then hot again, all in one
season. But with good grass and pretty solid cattle prices, we have all seemed to survive fairly well.
This year has also brought some interesting developments in the beef industry. Our markets to China are finally
showing signs of opening up, which should be a huge advantage to our industry. We have managed to continue strong
domestic demand for beef, and even show continued export demand to help dampen growing cattle numbers.
We also continue to struggle with several issues. Animal rights and environmental groups continue to try to fragment
and conquer the agricultural industry. While for the most part failing to use sound science and instead replace that with
fabricated and often misplaced emotion, these groups are slowly gaining ground, to dictate to those who know best,
exactly how,when, and where, we will produce the food and fiber that we all so surely rely on.
We all need to take a united (all segments of agriculture) stand to make the world understand, that even though many
of these misled goals are nice to think of, and even though in a perfect world, “organic, grass fed, non GMO, and cage
free” all are great in theory, someone will have to figure out which third of the world population will starve to death if we
are limited in the proven scientific tools of production to which we have access. I for one don’t want that job.
As we are under constant barrage of being reminded that by 2050 the world population will rise to nine billion people,
and we will be required to produce much more food in order for them to survive, I have noticed almost no effort or even
mention of the fact that perhaps the best way to mitigate this issue is to put forth an agenda to see to it that our popula-
tion doesn’t reach that level. There is a limit to what the earth’s resources can support.
Enough of my banter. We have a nice set of cattle to offer in this sale. As we continue to develop avenues to produce
better beef, it will become more and more important that we produce the right kind of cattle. Cattle that we know a lot
about, and cattle that are sound, functional, and fertile. We believe that these are that type of animal.
The bulls in this sale have been selected from a group of over 125 head. Not every bull that is
developed here is allowed to sell here. We think there are bulls in this group that will fit whatever
production system you are working in.
The bred commercial heifers in the sale speak for themselves. They are females that will go into a
commercial setting and thrive. They were developed on grass, here in Southwest Missouri. They
were all AI bred, then cleaned up with calving ease Red Angus and Angus bulls. I think they can do
a lot of people a lot of good.
As always, if there is anything any of us here can do for you, please let us know. We are here to
help. Join us Sunday evening for some fun and fellowship and try to be with us on sale day.
Thanks for your interest,
Kent, Kathy, Cole, Brady, and Travis
