Congratulations Ethan McNeill for being named Region I Vice President of the Missouri Cattlemen's Association

"It is great to have a strong advocate for Missouri cattleman right here in Paris," shares TPNB Bank.

Ethan McNeill has been a resident of Monroe County since June 2018. Ethan shares, "I am originally from O'Fallon, Missouri and grew up on a small farm where we raised purebred Hereford cattle and sold locker beef around the St. Louis area. I graduated from Missouri State University in May of 2018 majoring in Ag Business and minoring in Animal Science. I then started working at TPNB Bank as a credit analyst in June of 2018. I am now the Vice President of Commercial Lending there. In May of 2020, I purchased a 110-acre farm 3 miles west of Madison. I first started out with 20 cow/calf pairs and have grown to 45 with an additional 60 acres of pasture rented in Holliday. Since coming to Paris, I have regularly attended Missouri Cattlemen's Association meetings in the Monroe/Shelby County area.

I officially became a member in 2020 after I purchased my farm and after a discussion with Monroe-Shelby County affiliate president Tony Francis on the importance of producers being active members in their respective trade groups. This resonated with me as like most agriculturalists I am unable to be in Jefferson City or Washington D.C. every day advocating for the cattle industry or the rural Missouri lifestyle. Being a part of these trade groups; Missouri Cattlemen's, Farm Bureau, Missouri Soybean Association, and Missouri Corn Growers Association gives farmers that voice in the capital. Early on in December, I was approached by a couple of MCA members who encouraged me to run for the position of Region 1 Vice President of the Missouri Cattlemen's Association. When I first joined in 2020, I did not see this in my future however I think it is extremely important for the next generation of farmers and ranchers to step into these leadership roles.

As the average age of the farmer in the state and in the country gets older the younger generation needs to be prepared to take over the reigns to keep carrying the torch. MCA has started a program that does a great job of preparing members for this sort of thing. This program is called the Missouri Cattlemen's Leadership College or MCLC. Through this program leadership at MCA tries to develop leaders for this exact purpose. I was lucky to be a part of the 2022 class and can already see the benefits it has created. With this position, I am designated to be the voice of Region 1, the northeast corner of the state, on the executive board of MCA as MCA is a grassroots organization and in order to serve its members those members' voices need to be heard. I look forward to this 2-year term and hope that I serve my fellow cattlemen and women well."

Tony Francis said, "I'm certainly pleased to have one of our Monroe-Shelby County MCA affiliate members serving our state organization in this role. Ethan has been a great asset to our local organization while serving on our board. I'm anxious to see what good things are to come from the northeast region as he works with area producers to promote beef production and strengthen partnerships in the industry."

If you are not a current member of MCA, I highly encourage you to join. Our local Monroe-Shelby County Cattlemens has a fundraiser coming up in Monroe City at the KC Hall on March 23rd.