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Deering: Valley Oaks circumstances ‘slap in the face’

The owners of a western Missouri cattle and beef company have announced they’re leaving the beef processing business after a long and costly fight to expand it.

Valley Oaks Steak Company applied last year to expand from feeding 999 head of cattle to feeding 6,999 head of cattle. That permit was denied w hen neighbors and a botanical garden raised opposition. On a Facebook post Valley Oaks said that it’s the target of fearmongering and will give up beef processing. Mike Deering with th e Missouri Cattlemen’s Association tells Brownfield the circumstances surrounding Valley Oaks doesn’t bode well for Missouri agriculture.

“This is a slap in the face,” Deering told Brownfield Ag News, “not just to this family, but also to the farm and ranch families in the state that want to bring the next generation back to the farm and be able to add value and keep that value in the state instead of exporting the value out of state.”

Although Valley Oaks is leaving the beef processing business, Deering says the company will maintain its cattle seedstock business, bull sales and cattle feeding operation.

AUDIO: Mike Deering

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