The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) board approved the 2026 NCBE officer team at CattleCon in Nashville last week, with Gene Copenhaver of Virginia taking the helm as president. Kim Brackett of Idaho is now president-elect, and Skye Krebs of Oregon is vice president. Kenny Rogers of Colorado was elected chair of the NCBA Policy Division and Scott Anderson of …
Crop Insurance Industry Navigating Change
The 2026 Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau (CIRB) Annual Meeting is being held this week in Indian Wells, California, bringing together industry leaders, experts, and stakeholders across the crop insurance industry. CIRB Executive Director Mike Torrey says the industry is dealing with lots of changes right now. “I think coming into the conference, the one guiding principle for the board …
RFK Jr. Gets Warm Welcome at CattleCon
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. received a warm welcome from some 9,000 attendees at CattleCon in Nashville on Thursday, in light of his agency’s new dietary guidelines that turned the food pyramid on its head. “We now have a food pyramid, which we flipped upside down, because it made more sense. That puts protein at the …
BQA Awards Presented at CattleCon
Winners of the 2026 Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Awards were announced this week at CattleCon 2026 in Nashville. The BQA Awards annually recognize outstanding beef and dairy producers, marketers, and educators that best demonstrate animal care and handling principles as part of day-to-day activities. And the winners are: 2026 BQA Cow-Calf Award – East Foundation Ranches, Hebbronville, TX 2026 BQA …
Environmental Stewardship Awards at CattleCon 26
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) presented Wine Glass Ranch in Imperial, Nebraska, with the 2025 Environmental Stewardship Award Program (ESAP) National winner during CattleCon 2026 in Nashville this week. “This ranch has been in my family for 140 years, and we are the stewards of the ground,” said Logan Pribbeno with Wine Glass Ranch. “We are grazing the best …
Cattle Producers Gather at CattleCon 2026
Almost 9,000 cattle producers, industry partners and stakeholders from around the country are in downtown Nashville this week for CattleCon 2026, the largest cattle industry event of the year. NCBA President-Elect Gene Copenhaver of Virginia says there is a lot of excitement in the industry right now after some big wins. “I think maybe the biggest one that happened was …
Former Industry Leaders Warn of Farm Crisis
A bipartisan group of former leaders of America’s major agricultural commodity associations and biofuels organizations, farmer leaders, and former senior USDA officials, sent a letter to Congress this week sounding the alarm about the current state of the farm economy and the potential for “widespread collapse of American agriculture.” In a letter released today to the leadership of the House …
NCBA Announces Policy Priorities at CattleCon 2026
As CattleCon 2026 kicked off this week in Nashville, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) announced its 2026 policy priorities following approval by the organization’s Executive Committee. NCBA’s focus centers on policies that directly impact producer profitability, including reducing regulatory costs, defending free markets, expanding trade opportunities, and maintaining strong beef demand. NCBA Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan …
Saski Receives Cotton Genetics Research Award
At the recent Beltwide Cotton Conferences, Dr. Christopher Saski, Professor in the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences at Clemson University, was presented with the 2025 Cotton Genetics Research Award. Saski also serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Georgia, the University of Arkansas, and Colorado State University, and has also directed the Clemson University Genomics Institute and …
U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol Appoints Co-Directors
The U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol has announced the appointment of Marjory Walker and Liz Hershfield as co-directors to accelerate the program’s growth by advancing market adoption, developing new market-driven offerings, and fostering greater collaboration across the entire cotton value chain. Walker and Hershfield will oversee distinct but complementary pillars of the program. Walker will lead the operational and programmatic framework, …