Missouri Governor Jay Nixon convened a summit on Monday to discuss opportunities to maximize the potential of Missouri’s beef cattle industry.

“It’s really about us as a country, making sure we are living up to our responsibility to feed, fuel and clothe the world,” said Nixon at the Missouri Beef Industry Summit, held at the University of Missouri in Columbia.

Nixon says while Missouri has regained its position as second largest cow calf state in the country, the state only ranks ninth in cattle value. “Missouri generates 1.9 billion dollars annually in cash receipts for cattle, which sounds like a lot and it is, but our neighboring states generate far more through their operations,” he said, noting for example that Iowa has half the number of beef cattle compared but generates double the value compared to Missouri. The reason is of course that Missouri ships its cattle out to neighboring states for finishing and harvest.

Nixon drew an analogy to row crops. “Basically, if you had a corn plant, as soon as it tassels, you dig it up, put it on a flat bed truck and drive it to another state,” he said. “We need to figure out a way that we can finish more here.”

Topics at the Summit included the feasibility of building and operating a large-scale packing plant in Missouri and expanding the number of in-state feeding facilities which could allow Missouri to gain about $1.7 billion a year in revenue.