Friday, February 28, 1997

John McNeill "Man of the Year" in Southwest Agriculture

By J.T. SMITH / Farm Editor

Progressive Farmer magazine has named John W. McNeill of Texas as its "1997 Man of the Year in Southwest Agriculture."

McNeill is well known for programs he has presented throughout the Abilene region and all areas of Texas. He is a frequent speaker at area cattle seminars and field days designed to help cattle producers realize more profit from their beef operations.

The work of McNeill also has had a positive impact on the nation's cattle industry as a whole.

Jack Odle, editor of Progressive Farmer, says the Man of the Year award is given to individuals who make outstanding lifetime contributions to the farmers and ranchers in their communities.

The award program was established by the respected 111-year-old farm publication in the 1930s.

McNeill, an associate department head and extension program leader for animal science at Texas A&M, has been at the forefront of change in the cattle industry.

Progressive Farmer recognized McNeill for his ability to listen to the cattle industry, respond to its needs and lead a team to reshape the industry, Odle notes.

Organized Ranch to Rail program

For ranchers who really wanted to learn about the true performance of their cattle, McNeill organized a program to give them direct feedback.

McNeill spearheaded the development of "Ranch to Rail," one of the first - and now the biggest - set of feedlot performance and carcass evaluation tests for U.S. commercial calf producers.

Ranch to Rail is an information feedback system that sends detailed facts back to cow/calf producers, telling them how their animals fit the system.

With the report on their cattle, the beef producers can then modify their genetics, management and health care accordingly to supply healthier, better grading calves.

Has spread to private industry

Now, the private industry has adopted the Ranch to Rail system to spread its benefits over much of the nation.

Out of Texas A&M's Ranch to Rail also came the Value Added Calf program.

This management and vaccination regimen, designed to produce healthier calves, has been adopted by other states and private companies.

"Several people in the department have worked on Ranch to Rail and the VAC programs," Texas A&M animal scientist L.R. Sprott told Progressive Farmer. "But it was John who provided the leadership to see them through."

Progressive Farmer is published by Southern Progress Corp., which also publishes Southern Living, Southern Accents, Cooking Light, Weight Watchers, and Coastal Living magazines as well as Oxmoor House books.

Based in Birmingham, Ala., the Southern Progress Corp. publications are a leading source of lifestyle information.

The Southern Living Cooking School has become an extremely popular annual event here in Abilene as have the SL home tours.