The Carroll County Cattlemen’s Association’s annual banquet was hosted Saturday evening with an estimated 800+ people in attendance for the festivities at the Arcadia Legion Hall. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Naig, was the keynote speaker at the event. He said Carroll County’s status as a state leader in agriculture is common knowledge and the sizable crowd cemented that fact.
During his address, he said 2019 was tough year for producers as the trade dispute with China limited markets and weighed on commodities and large areas were impacted by flooding. According to Naig, there were also bright spots, including the signing of the United States-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA), phase one of a trade agreement with China and deals with Korea and Japan. Part of Naig’s role as Secretary of Agriculture is to represent Iowa during visits to our trade partners, and he said the state’s reputation as a source of consistently high-quality products is something he hears of regularly. Naig believes they are on the right path for trade, but the global spread of coronavirus and African swine fever has brought about a new round of uncertainty.
Naig also highlighted the efforts made by producers, counties and the state to improve water quality and the push in Washington, D.C. for a nationwide standard for labeling on meat. Following Naig’s address, Association President, Cody Erickson, presented the 2020 Holy Cow Award.
The most recent recipients include Al’s Corner Oil Company, United Bank of Iowa and Gary Rupiper. Erickson then announced Carroll Broadcasting’s own Von Ketelsen was this year’s winner. Ketelsen, who has been a farm broadcaster for more than three decades, was there covering the banquet and said he had no idea he had been nominated.
He thanked the Cattlemen for the recognition and thanked the region’s producers for allowing him to a part of their lives. The banquet finished the night raising thousands of dollars for scholarships, local initiatives and programs with a live auction, followed by entertainment from the Peterson Farm Brothers.
