The Cattleman's Advocate

03/12/2026

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𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽: 𝗠𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗩𝗮𝗻𝗠𝗮𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗻, 𝗟𝗠𝗔 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁
𝐴 𝐿𝑖𝑓𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝐿𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑐𝑘 𝑀𝑎𝑟𝑘𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔

For Mike VanMaanen, livestock marketing isn’t just a profession, it’s a family legacy. As owner and operator of Eastern Missouri Commission Co. in Bowling Green, Missouri, Mike has spent decades working in the livestock industry and serving the Livestock Marketing Association.

Mike has been a member of LMA for 30 years as an owner, but his family’s connection to the association stretches back more than 50 years. That long-standing involvement reflects a deep commitment not only to their operation, but also to the livestock marketing industry.

The roots of Eastern Missouri Commission Co. trace back to the 1950s, when Mike’s wife Lori’s family began operating a livestock market in Columbia, Missouri. In 2000, the family moved operations to Bowling Green, leasing the facility before purchasing it in 2002. In 2023, Mike and Lori bought out the remaining family members, continuing the legacy as the third generation of the business. Looking ahead, they hope another family member will choose to carry the tradition forward.

Mike describes his journey with LMA as both rewarding and humbling. Over the years, he has served in various roles within the organization, beginning with committee work and eventually being elected president in 2024. Mike's term will come to a close in June 2026.

“I am blessed,” Mike says. “The people I have met and the experiences I have gotten to be part of are remarkable. Getting to work on issues that affect livestock marketing and production is what it is all about.”

Through his leadership role, Mike has had the opportunity to travel across the United States and parts of Canada, meeting with fellow members and advocating for the livestock marketing sector. Those experiences, he says, have been among the most rewarding aspects of his service to the association.

Throughout his career, Mike has carried with him advice that continues to shape his leadership.

“Work on behalf of the livestock industry. Fight for issues that affect us all,” he says. “Nothing happens overnight, but when your heart is in the right place, good things get done.”

For the next generation entering the industry, Mike emphasizes the importance of learning from those who came before them while still being willing to adapt.

“Be willing to listen to experience. Don’t be afraid to modernize. Always be trustworthy and honest.”

Reflecting on his time serving LMA, Mike says the relationships he has built along the way have made a lasting impact.

“I hope I have given LMA some value in my leadership time,” he says. “LMA staff and the people I have served with have made me a better market owner-operator. Thank you.”

03/07/2026

Does this mean Spring is near?

🕐➡️Don't forget to set those clocks forward 1 hour before you go to bed tonight!

02/18/2026

Auction markets are not only an important piece of the livestock industry, but they're also important to the vitality of rural communities.

Markets provide buyers and sellers of livestock a local place to do business, and in turn, contribute value-added dollars to the community.

Time honored, trusted, and committed to livestock producers. Find your local LMA livestock member at the link in the comments.

02/18/2026

Never had met Mr. Wheeler, but he seems like an interesting fella I sure would have like to have met.

Burleigh Ray Wheeler was born on September 8, 1939, to John Wesley and Neva Lila (Burrow) Wheeler in Vista, MO. He passed away at Parkview Healthcare Facility in Bolivar, MO, after a brief illness, taking with him buyers cards, a pen, and a blank check to buy cattle. He was born and raised in the Osceola area, graduating from Osceola High School in 1957. At an early age, Burleigh was saved and baptized at Vista Baptist Church. On March 3, 1961, he was united in marriage to Doris Wisner. To this union, 5 children were born.

He grew up raising and showing Chester White hogs. He started hauling and trading cattle, and as he got older, he rented land and ran cattle across many counties before he opened a cattle buying station at his home in the early 80s. In 1989, he opened Wheeler and Sons Livestock Auction at the former Pasley Auction Company, and in 1994, he and Doris built what would become the area’s premiere livestock auction, located just off 13 Highway.

From hauling cattle to the Springfield and Kansas City Stockyards in a straight truck with his kids, friends, other farmers, or employees, Burleigh enjoyed being with people and was happy to share his work ethic and agricultural knowledge with many young people he employed throughout his life.

When his children were young, he enjoyed spending weekends taking them and their horses to horse shows and rodeos. Burleigh had an eye for a good horse and always made sure his kids had the best horses. His kids never had the most expensive horses, but they were always well mounted to not only compete but also work. The horses were never just rodeo or show horses; they were working tools. Burleigh prided himself on being able to catch cattle that no one else could catch with horses and Catahoula dogs. He also loved c**n hunting, c**n dogs, and pheasant hunting and enjoyed sharing that with his children and grandkids.

After his children were grown and the sale barn was more established, Burleigh and Doris enjoyed traveling the country buying and selling cattle, where they made many lifelong friendships. He most enjoyed visiting sale barns in Dodge City, Kansas; Harrison, Arkansas; Faith and Phillip, South Dakota; and Ogallala, Nebraska, where he met many like-minded cattlemen that he maintained close contact with until his death. Burleigh was well known for establishing and maintaining the best stock cow sale in the Midwest, a legacy he prided himself on and carried into his retirement.

In his retirement, he enjoyed spending time at the sale barn on Thursdays and Saturdays and maintaining relationships with customers and friends. He also enjoyed seeing and spending time with all of his grandkids and great-grandkids and supporting them.

Burleigh is survived by his wife, Doris, and five children: Rhonda (Larry) Shelby, Karla (Tom) Waters, Donna (Brett) Shelby, Byron (Angela) Wheeler, and Steve (Kim) Wheeler; 14 grandkids, 23 great-grandkids, and many nieces, nephews, and friends.

He is preceded in death by his parents, John Wesley and Neva Lila Wheeler; sisters Zada Brown, Artalee Harris, Betty June Wheeler (in infancy), Bonny Gardner; and brother Tom Wheeler.

In lieu of flowers the family suggests contributions be made to Land-O-Lakes Youth Fair Grounds in care of Sheldon-Goodrich Funeral Home: P.O. Box 384 Osceola, Missouri 64776.

02/13/2026

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After a year-long campaign of fundraising, MFA Cares presented a check for $30,000 on Feb. 6 to its 2025 chosen charity, the Central Missouri Foster Care and Adoption Association (CMFCAA). The organization provides essential services and support to the kinship, foster and adoptive children, youth and families in Central Missouri.

Amanda Angell, CMFCAA chief development officer, accepted the donation, which she said will help fund the organization’s unmet needs and provide stability for the families it serves as well as youth who have aged out of foster care.

MFA Cares is MFA Incorporated’s employee-led charity committee dedicated to making a meaningful impact on our local community.

02/11/2026

Yes, the national cattle inventory is short due to several reasons...

𝙄𝙛 𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙣𝙪𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙘 𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙨, 𝙬𝙝𝙮 𝙙𝙤 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 “𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙙𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩”?

—

𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐎𝐖 𝐌 𝐀𝐆 𝐑𝐄𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓
𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 | 𝐔.𝐒. 𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲

𝐋𝐄𝐓’𝐒 𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐊 𝐀𝐆 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘 — 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐎𝐍𝐄-𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐒𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐒

When people point to drought as the only explanation for herd contraction, they miss the bigger picture.

This industry doesn’t move on one variable.
Multiple pressures have been stacking for years — and several can be true at the same time.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐒
According to USDA cattle inventory data, the U.S. cattle herd remains historically tight, near the lowest January inventory levels seen in decades. The beef cow herd continues to trend lower after multiple years of contraction, reflecting long-term structural pressure rather than a single weather event.

That’s not “kinda low.”
That’s a tight system operating with very little slack.

𝐖𝐇𝐘 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐄𝐗𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐑 𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐍𝐒𝐈𝐙𝐈𝐍𝐆

𝐈𝐍𝐏𝐔𝐓 𝐂𝐎𝐒𝐓𝐒
Feed, fertilizer, fuel, veterinary care, insurance, and labor costs have all increased. Margins remain thin, and many operations can no longer cash-flow the herd sizes they once carried.

𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐒
Higher borrowing costs make it harder to finance feed, equipment, or expansion. Interest expense now consumes profit long before calves are sold.

𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐃 & 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐔𝐑𝐄
Drought plays a role — but land economics play an equal one.

USDA data shows national pasture values near $1,900 per acre, with overall farm real estate averaging over $4,000 per acre. In major cattle states like Nebraska, average agricultural land values remain near $4,000 per acre, even after recent market softening.

At those prices:
• Buying additional grass is often out of reach
• Expanding forage base rarely pencils
• Leasing land competes with development, recreation, and alternative uses

Herd size decisions become financial math, not weather emotion.

𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐅𝐄𝐑 𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 & 𝐂𝐔𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆
Producers have culled deeper and delayed retaining replacement heifers because the economics don’t support rapid rebuilding.

𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐇𝐈𝐂𝐒
Many long-time producers are retiring without successors. Once those cows are sold, they often don’t re-enter the system.

𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐊𝐄𝐓 & 𝐑𝐄𝐆𝐔𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐔𝐑𝐄
Packer concentration, compliance costs, inspection requirements, and retail margin structures continue to pressure producer profitability.

None of that is fixed by rainfall alone.

𝐘𝐄𝐓 — 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐇𝐀𝐒𝐍’𝐓 𝐅𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐍
Even with fewer cattle, the U.S. produces more beef per head than in past decades.

Because of:
• Genetic selection for efficiency and carcass quality
• Precision nutrition and herd health programs
• Improved management, handling, and performance tracking

Cattle feeding today is a science — and American producers remain among the most efficient in the world.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐎𝐓𝐓𝐎𝐌 𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄
Yes, drought mattered.
But so did land prices, interest rates, economics, demographics, policy pressure, and efficiency gains.

The herd is tight not because producers failed — but because the business of ranching has fundamentally changed.

💭 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘀

If land costs remain high…
If capital stays expensive…
If rebuilding doesn’t pencil…

𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙡𝙮 𝙙𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙗𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙?

— 𝐀𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐌 𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐂𝐨.
𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦.

𝙎𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙘𝙚𝙨
USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service — Cattle Inventory
USDA Economic Research Service — Land Values Summary
USDA ERS & NASS — Beef sector productivity data

02/11/2026

02/11/2026

Starting Friday the right way ☀️🍩🚗

Donuts delivered to our friends at the Sale Barn❗️
When you’re ready for your next vehicle, we’re ready to take care of you.

01/31/2026

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