New Iowa livestock representative works to provide profit opportunities to farmer groups

     Joe Jarding lives on a Century Farm steeped in family history. But he's a new face to the ranks of the National Farmers staff, serving as a livestock representative at the Farley, Iowa, National Farmers Marketing Center.
     And he has a few words for producers to think about when it comes to marketing their cattle. "If you know they've got profit in them, you might as well lock them in," he emphasizes. "Take the profit and be happy with it."
     Jarding grew up around Farley and farming, and is raising 250 head of cattle, buying them preconditioned at 500-lbs., and he feeds them out. So, he understands the financial needs of producers, and takes his own risk management advice.
     "I always hedge my whole life, anyway, or contract it," Jarding says. Beef ProfitPlus and Nexus Marketing offer many options.
     He reminds producers that the best months to have something locked in price-wise, are those in the fall, winter, and early spring. "More packers want cattle," he says. "If you're marketing in the summer, you better be on the marketing wagon well ahead of that." And if producers need help or ideas with this, he encourages them to call him at 563-744-3368.
     He also points out the continuing trend toward black-hided cattle, the angus. He urges producers raising them to make sure they are fully finished. "Packers want them finished, and you'll get docked badly if they're not," Jarding says.
     Jarding's wife, Beth Jarding, is a second grade teacher in Epworth, Iowa, for the Western Dubuque school district. Joe belongs to St. Joseph's Church in Farley, and to Farley Young Men's Club, a non-profit that helps other groups, including Santa Claus is Coming to Town.
     Jarding encourages Farley, Iowa, area producers to bring their cattle in on Thursday mornings, between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. "Whether they're cull cows, or fats, we've got a place we can go with them." While working at National Farmers, Jarding wants to help all farmers and to "group smaller groups of cattle, so smaller producers have the same profit opportunities as larger producers."
     "I'm looking forward to meeting with a lot of farmers, and helping them market their cattle for more money," Jarding says.
     "And giving them more options, so they don't have to just stay with one packer that they're comfortable with."