2018 SPGCA Field Day & Auction

Dear Fellow Cattleman,

It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years since we were gathering at Greg and Jan Judy’s for our very first South Poll field day! One thing for sure the cattle held up better in the 90 plus degree heat than most of the people!! We have made a lot of new friends along the way that had a common goal of just breeding good cattle that will work on grass. Every day I look around and see some people still trying to put a square peg into a round hole (fighting Mother Nature with cattle that aren’t matched to their environment) just to realize a dime more at market time for a steer. I am so proud of the maternal attributes of our South Poll breed. In a beef industry that averages only 4.6 calves per cow I believe the South Poll can average 6 plus which would be close to 20% improvement!!! A special thanks to all the people who now believe in our South Poll dream of feeding more mouths off less acreage as part of a profitable and sustainable management system . Again thanks for coming to learn, teach and exchange ideas on what we all love...the cow business!!!

Thank you,Teddy

The 2018 SPGCA Field Day
will be hosted by

Mike & Mary Wilbers

on

June 29th – 30th

at

Wilbers Farm
1994 County Road 403
Bonnots Mill, MO 65016

Ray Archuleta is a Certified Professional Soil Scientist with the Soil Science Society of America and has over 30 year’s experience as a Soil Conservationist, Water Quality Specialist, and Conservation Agronomist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). During his tenure with the NRCS Ray served in New Mexico, Missouri, Oregon, and North Carolina.

Ray received his AS degree in Livestock Science from Northern New Mexico College and a BS degree in Agricultural Biology plus 30 hours of graduate work in soil related courses from New Mexico State University. He served in the Peace Corps for two years in Guatemala as a Livestock Specialist.

After his retirement from the NRCS in 2017, Ray founded Soil Health Consultants, LLC and Soil Health Academy to teach Biomimicry strategies and Agroecology principles for improving soil function on a national scale. Ray also owns and operates a 150-acre farm near Seymour, Missouri that he operates along with his wife and family.

Doug Peterson has been an NRCS employee for 30 years. He started his career as a Soil Scientist. He has been a District Conservationist in both a grassland based county in south Missouri and a large cropland county in north Missouri. He has also been a State Grassland Conservationist and a State Soil Health Specialist. Currently he is a Regional Soil Health Specialist for Missouri and Iowa teaching NRCS staff and producers around the mid-west about soil health, how it impacts virtually all natural resource processes, and what type of management it will take to effectively improve our soils health, function and productivity.

Doug attended college at Missouri Western State University graduating in 1986 with a B.S. degree in Agriculture with an emphasis in Economics and Agronomy.

He grew up on a crop and livestock farm near Newtown in north Missouri. Today he continues to operate a cow/calf and contract grazing operation with his father, Steve. Currently they run about 250 cows. They utilize Management-intensive Grazing and Holistic High Density Grazing to improve soil health, eliminate the need for most purchased fertilizer and limit hay needs to about one bale per cow per winter.

Doug’s NRCS training coupled with his real world hands on experience make him a unique speaker that is relatable to both agency personnel and producers.