The Marion County Cattlemen’s Association is preparing for its annual banquet; normally it’s just for their own members, but for the first time they are opening it up to outside guests.

The annual dinner will be on February 1st at 6:00 p.m. at Dyer Hudson Hall at the Marion County Fairgrounds.

Casey Gerhardt from the Marion County Cattlemen tells KNIA/KRLS News they want to move beyond just having members and prospective members in attendance, and involve the community at large.

“This year we would like to invite local business owners to come and participate and see what we’re all about, and see if there’s something we can do for you,” Gerhardt says.

“Perhaps you are a local restaurant, or maybe you are an implement dealer, or somebody that we could work with and we could connect with; and not only promote you, but certainly develop some of those networking ties.”

Gerhardt says if the cattle industry is making money, then local businesses are making money; so having the two work more closely would be to the benefit of each.