Ranchers roll in

For a change, Stetsons, blue jeans and boots outnumbered the typical Bermuda shorts and Hawaiian shirts that parade down the corridors and passageways at the Marco Island Marriott Resort.

And, out in the parking lots where big, big trucks with Beef: It's What's For Dinner tags dwarfed typical rental cars, the message was more than clear:

Florida's cattlemen and cattlewomen were in town.

It was the 2006 annual convention and allied trade show for the Florida Cattle Industry, attracting 1,800 ranchers and their families from all corners of Florida.

On their minds were serious issues such as water management, nutrition management and expanding their presence in the global beef market.

But to use city parlance, they also were also here to chill out and renew acquaintances.

"Sometimes it's the only time people see each other all year," said Emily Hovvy, who runs an outfit at Williston (near Gainesville) with her husband, Bo, and 24-year-old daughter, Nikki.

A 14-year veteran of the industry, Hovvy was quick to point out that despite the romantic notion of cattle ranchers rolling in bucks, it's more a labor of love that isn't automatically lucrative.

"Property ownership sometimes gives the illusion," Hovvy said, "but many ranchers are land rich and cash poor."

Long, hard hours dominate the lifestyle, but Scott McLean summed up the cattlemen and cattlewomen's attitudes by saying it's part of the soul ... a passion.

McLean divides his time as a hired hand on the RR Ranch in Madison and as a blacksmith in Marion County, where he shoes thoroughbred horses — primarily 2-year-olds — prior to the regular sales.

McLean said the Marco convention is indeed a social occasion, but that the updates on innovations in the cattle industry are equally important.

He said something well-known by beef producers, but perhaps not to the general public, is that the better you treat an animal, the better the quality of beef it will eventually yield.

"Cattle, as well as animals such as hogs, are not going to do well if stressed," McLean said. "So farmers want the best water for their animals, for example.

"They want good shade, regular vaccinations, and even when the animals are walked through the pens, they want them not to be spooked."

It all comes down to the dollar, he said, but it's all good for the animal too.

Brad Phares is chairman of the membership committee for the Florida Cattlemen's Association and attended the convention with his wife Sam, daughter Jacqueline and young son Jared, who will have the distinction of being a ninth-generation cattleman when his time comes.

Brad Phares said the basic function of the convention is to make policy decisions with the aim of benefiting the industry.

Current issues, he said, include a the shift in the market place toward a more global market.

"If you look at the United States population as a percentage of the rest of the world," he said, "you can see where the majority of our consumers are at. Thus, export is crucial. That will be a big focus in the coming years because we have the highest beef quality in the world."

He said one of the biggest benefits to the industry in recent years has been the "checkoff" program, in which, a dollar for each animal sold is deposited into a fund that is used to market and promote beef products.

"It's a self-marketing tool, and thanks to that has increased beef production significantly over the past several years," Phares said.

Emily Hovvy said the lifestyle of cattle ranchers is possibly exemplified by her daughter, Nikki.

"She was crowned Miss Williston at high school and the same year won a ribbon for a steer at the fair," Hovvy said.

"She's not afraid to get dirt under her nails and in her hair, then later wash up and be pretty as a picture."