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Johnny Smith, Region III Director
North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska

Johnny Smith of Fort Pierre, S.D., is best known for Fort Pierre Livestock Auction, along with his partners of 22 years, Dennis Hanson and Willy Cowan.  Smith was born in Presho and raised south of Fort Pierre, calling this area of South Dakota home.

Smith has been in the cattle business for over 40 years with two of his three brothers and also raises registered quarter horses.  Smith is past president of the South Dakota Livestock Auction Market Association and now serves on the Beef Industry Council.  He was active in supporting the cattle industry and fighting packer concentration long before R-CALF USA took up the fight, trying to keep producers on the land.  Back in 1994, when big business was eliminating his sale barn customers, he started talking on his market report radio program about the unfair practices in the livestock industry.  He was joined in exposing the bad players with Herman Schumacher, Leo McDonnell, Kathleen Kelley, and Mike Callicrate.  Smith was a main plaintiff in the Tyson v. Pickett case and exceeds most others in fundraising and adding members to R-CALF USA’s ranks.

Smith believes the most important thing for R-CALF USA to do now would be to keep the border closed to imports and use our beef to take care of our meat demands.

As a director, Smith would listen to members and help them to the best of his ability to promote the greatest industry in the world – the U.S. cattle industry.  Smith would work very hard for a fair playing field and promoting price discovery at its finest, and keep a fair and competitive market.

 

                            This page was last updated on Monday, October 27, 2008.