Two Cookeville Cattle Farmers Elected As Delegates For American Angus Association Convention

Cookeville’s Richard Brown and his daughter Kristen Brown have been elected as delegates for the Annual American Angus Association Convention.

They run a cow-calf feed stock operation with about 100 head of cattle. Richard Brown said rising costs are the most prevalent issues that cattle farmers in the Upper Cumberland face today.

“It’s been kind of crippling to the farmer the last couple of years,” Brown said. “There is just not a lot of money to be made. There’s not a very big margin being made on the farm. It’s not that cattle are at a bad price. It’s just that all of our input costs have gotten so expensive.”

Brown said fertilizer and diesel prices have been the hardest on farmers. Brown said he has seen more and more farmers liquidating their herd due to falling profits.

“It’s one thing to not make money, but it is another thing when you start eating into your capital investments and having to borrow money to operate,” Brown said. “We see sell outs every week from guys that say there is no money left to be made and I am going to quit. That’s what has been going on not just in the Upper Cumberland but across the state of Tennessee.”

Brown said he has served as an delegate for the association for many years, but he will not be able to attend the conference in Salt Lake City Monday. Brown said an alternate will take the place for him and his daughter.

Brown said members of the American Angus Association nominate delegates that are eventually elected by their state members to serve at the convention. Brown said the convention includes the election of a new board, a trade show and industry discussions.