KMAQ'S LONGEST RUNNING ADVERTISER, STOPPED-IN AND INVITED ME
TO HIS SPECIAL GRAND OPENING OF A STATE-OF-THE-ART BEEF PRODUCTION FACILITY. HE SOLD THE BUILDING TO JOHNSON VALLEY BEEF
JUST SOUTH OF ANDOVER. I TOLD HIM I WOULD TRY TO MAKE IT ... AND I
DID. GOT THERE ABOUT 1:30 AND JUST IN TIME TO ENJOY A DELICIOUS BEEF DINNER, FEATURING BEEF PREPARED BY THE CLINTON COUNTY
CATTLEMEN AND ALL THE EXTRAS WITH IT, INCLUDING DESERT.
MET SEVERAL WICK REPRESENTATIVES WHO CAME TO IOWA FOR THE
EVENT. THEN, OFF TO THE BUILDING, SECOND PHOTO ABOVE, FOR THE
RIBBON-CUTTING AND LITTLE PROGRAM TO FOLLOW. THIS BUILDING
WILL HOLD OVER 700 HEAD IN SIX SECTIONS AND HAS A PIT CONTAINMENT FOR THE SLURRY WHICH GOES THROUGH RUBBER COVERED SLATS.
THE PIT UNDER SLATS IS 10 FEET DEEP AND A HUGE TANKER TRAILER PUMPS THE SLURRY OUT WHEN IT IS FULL AND IT IS SPREAD (INJECTED) INTO THE SOIL ON THE FARM, AND SERVES AS A VERY GOOD FERTILIZER. THE RUBBER IS A NEW INOVATION. IN THE PAST, THE CATTLE DID NOT LAY DOWN ON THE HARD WOOD SLATS MUCH BUT WITH THE RUBBER OVER THEM, THEY LAY DOWN OVER HALF THE DAY AND THAT MEANS MORE, FASTER GAINS.
I'M TYPING THIS FROM MEMORY.....SO HOPE I'M GETTING IT RIGHT.
IN BOTTOM PHOTO, THE OWNERS OF THE BIG CATTLE OPERATION, WHERE
THEY FEED AROUND 2,000 HEAD AT ANY GIVEN TIME. THEY HAVE OTHER BUILDINGS BESIDES THIS NEW ONE. SHOWN IS SHERRIL JOHNSON AND SON JASON AND HIS WIFE. WICK HAS BEEN IN THE BUSINESS SINCE 1954 AND HAS MORE THAN 69,000 BUILDINGS AROUND THE COUNTRY. ROSS RIVER IS MAQUOKETA'S OLDEST MAQUOKETA BUSINESSMAN, AT AGE 83. HE STILL PUTS IN A GOOD 40-HOUR WEEK AND HAS GOOD HELP FROM HIS
WIFE VIVIAN, WHO HAD TO SKIP THE RIBBON CUTTING AND THAT'S WHY DIDN'T GET HER IN THE PHOTO. IF YOU EVER WANT
TO SEE HOW CATTLEMEN TODAY RAISE THAT GOOD BEEF YOU PUT ON YOUR GRILL, GIVE ROSS A CALL AND HE'LL TAKE YOU TO SEE THE JOHNSON
PLACE OR ONE OF MANY OTHERS IN THE KMAQ AREA.
THANKS FOR THE INVITE ROSS. I WAS THERE TWO HOURS AND LEARNED A
LOT. AND THANKS FOR BUYING COMMERCIALS ON KMAQ THE FIRST WEEK
WE WENT ON THE AIR IN 1958 AND EVERY WEEK SINCE.
DENNIS VOY
