One of two new awards presented this year by the Wisconsin Cattlemen’s Association (WCA) was the “Beef Quality Assurance Producer of the Year” named Friday night in Wisconsin Dells. Dave Eron, Eron Beef, LLC of Stevens Point was one of the stops on the WCA’s Summer Tour of 2018 because of the housing design he prefers. The feedlot operation is owned and operated by Dave Eron and feeds both Holstein steers and colored cattle. Recently Dave built a slatted floor facility to move his finishing cattle operation off dirt lots. Enron says the new housing is a more controlled environment for feeding cattle and helps him capture more value from the manure generated. Dave uses a variety of by-product feeds to lower his feed costs and maintain a competitive advantage. He focuses on technology, low-stress cattle handling and modern data/performance tracking to be competitive. In his conversation with Pam Jahnke, he acknowledged that he understands retailer and consumer’s preference for BQA certified beef. “I know what quality beef I’m producing,” he said. “But having that BQA certification allows consumers to know the quality they’re getting.” Enron is passionate about his animal care. Again, speaking with Pam Jahnke, Dave stresses that his animals eat first – then he’ll eat, and that he doesn’t go to bed until he’s sure his animals all comfortable and in bed too. He’s also happy to recently find a kindred spirit in a neighbor who’s also a beef producer. Paul Kirk starting working with Dave just this last fall, and is just as passionate about animal care and quality production as Eron. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s been recognizing Beef Quality Assurance operations across the country for several years.
About Pam Jahnke
Getting up at 2 in the morning might shock some of her listeners, but for Pam Jahnke, it’s part of the business. Born in Northeastern Wisconsin, Pam Jahnke grew up in agriculture. Raised on her family’s 200-acre dairy farm, she learned the “farm work ethic” first hand.
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