On Tuesday, February 21, 2012, the Shelby County Cattlemen’s Association (SCCA) held its annual Prime Rib Dinner and Banquet. 125 attendees were treated to a delicious prime rib dinner, an informative program, and door prizes.

The program started with introductions of the 2012-2013 SCCA leadership, including President Andy Born horst, Vice-President Jason Gibbs, and Secretary/Treasurer Jeff Puthoff. Chris Gibbs, SCCA member, then introduced the many elected officials of the County whom were present at the event. After an invocation led by County Commissioner Larry Klinehens, a prime rib dinner, complete with potato, green beans, and salad, was served by Mary and Ken Barhorst of Al’s Place in Fort Loramie.

After dinner, several speakers were welcomed to highlight various topics surrounding the cattle production industry. Mr. John Leighty, with TruPointe, spoke to the audience about current grain prices and projected grain prices for the upcoming year. Topics discussed included the global economy’s effect on U.S. grain markets, the various weather conditions that affect crop production in the U.S. and around the world, and speculation on upcoming market trends.

Following Mr. Leighty was Scott Upton with Nexus Marketing/NFO. A resident of Southeast Ohio, Mr. Upton spoke about the current trends in cattle prices, and what to expect in 2012 with the recovering stock market and recent beef demand.

Finally, Ohio Cattlemen’s Association (OCA) President Sam Sutherly (who hails from the SCCA’s region of District 4), spoke about the possible increase in the beef check-off. This check-off, currently set at $1.00 per head, may be increased to $2.00 pending votes by the Ohio Beef Council. Currently, 50 cents of each check-off dollar remains in Ohio with the OCA, helping promote the product and educate the public on the benefits of beef. (The other 50 cents is sent to the National Cattlemen’s Association, based in Washington, DC.) Should the check-off be raised to $2.00, the extra dollar would also remain in Ohio, totaling $1.50 per check-off to remain in our state. Mr. Sutherly ended be assuring the attendees that this additional dollar would not be used to hire more OCA staff, but would instead be used to promote beef in the state of Ohio.

Following the speakers, door prizes were awarded, and a 50/50 drawing was held. The SCCA would like to sincerely thank Mr. Mark Siegel, who won the 50/50 prize and donated all of his winnings back to the SCCA. Thank you Mark!