The People Behind the Plate With Mark Malecek

For my first feature, I visited with Mark Malecek, a cattle producer from Redwood Falls, MN and a past president of the Minnesota Beef Council Board. Mark and his wife run a feedlot of about 500 head of commercial (meaning any breed or a mix of a few breeds) cattle.  

Mark grew up on a farm and always thought he would raise cattle one day. While he was in college, he started working for a polled Hereford breeder. Mark credits this experience as to what got him started with his feedlot that he runs now as well as raising crops. The feedlot consists of four separate lots which are all filled with calves in the fall, and those calves are then finished out in the spring.  

When talking about the future of his operation, Mark sees himself continuing on with his feedlot for several years to come but eventually would like to sell it for a young farmer to own. Mark says they are leaving decisions open until the day of selling comes and he enjoys what he does.  

Beyond raising commercial cattle, Mark has also been an active member of the beef board, being a past chairman of the board for eight years. His favorite beef meal to enjoy would be Prime Rib. For a tasty Prime Rib recipe, click here! 

I asked Mark to share if he had any information that he hopes readers take away and he explained that he feels everyone should understand that the Minnesota Beef Council is working to do the best job they can. Farmers may not always see the return that the beef council is bringing in, but it is certainly there. Mark explained further that every two years, there is study done to see the profitability of checkoff programs, and for as far back as Mark can remember, the return has been about $11 for every dollar spent. That is a large return, which shows that the checkoff program pays off.  

Well, there you have it! A few words from Mark Malecek, a beef producer and former board chairman. Thanks for raising excellent beef, Mark!