The 62nd annual meeting of the Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau (CIRB) wrapped up last week in Indian Wells, California and concluded Lindsay Rinkenberger’s term as chair of the organization. Rinkenberger, who is director of Commercial Agribusiness Underwriting at Country Financial, says they did make some changes in the program this year. “So we did change up the speakers, the …
CattleFax Outlook from CattleCon
The CattleFax Outlook Seminar is always a popular event at CattleCon and it was packed as usual last week in Nashville. CEO Randy Blach told cattle producers they should be proud of the current state of the beef industry. “This is my 45th year at CattleFax, so I’ve seen some of those ugly, ugly days back in the 80s and …
Meet CIRB’s Newest Leadership Development Class
The Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau (CIRB) has 14 industry professionals in its 2025-2026 Leadership Development Program (LDP), formerly called the Emerging Leaders Program (ELP). The program is designed to build the next generation of crop insurance and reinsurance leaders and provide new leadership opportunities for seasoned crop insurance professionals. The LDP is open to employees of CIRB member companies …
2026 NCBA Officer Team Approved at CattleCon
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 …