Crop Insurance Industry Navigating Change

Cindy Zimmerman Leave a Comment

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 of directors was there is so much change happening both in Washington and in the marketplace,” said Torrey. “So we spent a little bit of time talking about the changes, not just in Washington, D.C. and what’s happening on policy, but also what’s happening from an economic standpoint around the country. And some of that flows from Washington, D.C. So that was the first focus of the meeting. Another part of the meeting where they really focused was on the rapidly changing in developing technology applications and what that means for our agricultural system, whether it’s on the production side and farmers being able to deliver more for less and efficiently, and at the same time what implications that has for what folks here do, and that is deliver crop insurance for America’s farmers and ranchers.”

Torrey says CIRB is very focused on the next generation of leadership, which is why they have grown what is now called their Leadership Development Program. “The program, the leadership development program is about 11 years old, and I think after this class graduates, there will have been over 100….I mean, that’s a significant number. And it’s all about helping them be better at what they do within their company, but also what they do on protecting and defending the program.”

Learn more in this interview with Torrey.
Mike Torrey, CIRB (8:27)

2026 CIRB Annual Meeting Photo Album

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RFK Jr. Gets Warm Welcome at CattleCon

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Sec. Kennedy chats with NCBA president Buck Wehrbein (NCBA photo)

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 top of the food pyramid,” Kennedy said in a fireside chat with National Cattlemen’s Beef Association President Buck Wehrbein. “Food is medicine, and meat and chicken and eggs and animal protein are now at the top of the priority list.”

Kennedy, who recently had his 72nd birthday, talked about the health benefits he personally experienced by switching to a carnivore diet. “I eat beef every day. I usually eat it twice a day,” said Kennedy. “My blood markers dropped dramatically. So I really, for me, .. it’s been incredible — it’s been transformative.”

Kennedy’s bottom line message to producers is eat real food and get production back up to where it used to be. “We had 132 million head in 1972. We have 92 million today. And a lot of producers are now, because of fluctuations in the markets and uncertainty, slaughtering the breeding cows. And I’d ask you to stop doing that. We need a lot of beef, and we want to make it here in America. We don’t want to be importing it from other countries.”

Listen to some of Sec. Kennedy’s comments:
Sec. Kennedy comments (7:43)

Official CattleCon 2026 Photography

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BQA Awards Presented at CattleCon

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Greta Halahan accepts 2026 BQA Dairy FARM Award for Singing Brook Farms (NCBA photo)

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 Dairy FARM Award – Singing Brook Farms, Imler, Pennsylvania
2026 BQA Feedyard Award – Ordway Cattle Feeders, Ordway, Colorado
2026 BQA Marketer Award – Sysco Corporation, Houston, Texas
2026 BQA Educator Award – Jerry Yates, West Virginia University, Wardensville, West Virginia

The national BQA Awards are sponsored by Cargill and Sam’s Club. Award winners are selected by a committee comprised of BQA certified representatives from universities, state beef councils, sponsors and affiliated groups, who assess nominations based on their demonstrated commitment to BQA practices, their service as leaders in the beef industry and their dedication to promoting the BQA message.

BQA may stand for Beef Quality Assurance, but it also works on the dairy farm. “BQA standards give us tools to ensure that we’re creating healthy animals that thrive, which then translates into profitability,” said Greta Halahan with Dairy FARM Award winner Singing Brook Farms. By adhering to these standards, the farm aims to achieve optimal animal welfare, higher productivity and financial sustainability. These standards emphasize continual employee training and meticulous record keeping, ensuring the well-being of the cattle and the overall success of the dairy operation.

Interview with Greta Halahan, BQA Award winner (8:58)

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CattleCon 2026 Breaks Attendance Record

Chuck Zimmerman Leave a Comment

NCBA photo of trade show floor

CattleCon 2026 has broken the all-time event attendance record this week, with more than 9,400 cattle producers and industry stakeholders converging in downtown Nashville, Tennessee.

“There’s a lot of smiles, a lot of optimism, and everybody’s having a great time, not only with the just current state of the beef industry and how good things look for us, but also we’re having a great CattleCon,” said National Cattlemen’s Beef Association CEO Colin Woodall. “A lot of good speakers. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was a hit. And of course, having the largest trade show in the beef industry doesn’t hurt either, and folks are able to get out there and see some new products, some new services to help them get even better at producing beef.”

On the agenda Thursday, cattle producers will hear from Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who Woodall says gave the industry a big win this year already.

“A year ago, we were still dealing with the proposal that we saw from the Biden administration that took meat off the center of the plate. It replaced it with beans, peas, and lentils. And we just weren’t happy with that. And we had to fight and fight hard to be able to present the science to Secretary Kennedy and his team. And you know what? Secretary Kennedy and his team took that science. They looked at beef, and as a result, we have the new dietary guidelines for America. We have that inverted pyramid that has beef at the top. And, you know, he went so far as to even talk about how beef tallow is a great fat to cook with as well. So a huge win for us as cattle producers.”

Listen to an interview with Woodall from CattleCon.
Interview with Colin Woodall (6:00)

Official CattleCon 2026 Photography

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Environmental Stewardship Awards at CattleCon 26

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ESA National winner Wine Glass Ranch in Imperial, Nebraska

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 and leaving the rest for the benefit of our soil health.”

Jeff and Connie Pribbeno and their son and daughter-in-law Logan and Brianna Pribbeno own and operate Wine Glass Ranch, located in western Nebraska near the Colorado border. The Pribbenos believe long-term care for their operation’s ecology translates to profitability, which is why they have married together the values of ranching for profit and environmental stewardship to make a living.

The Pribbenos were the Region VII winners. The other regional winners included:
Region I: Whispering Hills Farm, Lawrenceburg, Kentucky
Region II: M&D Overstreet Ranch, Kathleen, Florida
Region III: Smith Family Farms, Bankston, Iowa
Region IV: McFaddin Ranch, Victoria, Texas
Region V: G&G Livestock and Cathey Cattle Company, Polson, Montana

Listen to interviews with two of the regional ESA winners below:

Interview with Britany Cathey and Gregory Gardner, ESA Award Region V Winner (7:26)

Interview with Bob McCann, ESA Award Region IV Winner (6:18)

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Precision Ag News 2/4

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  • Nutrien Ltd. announced the appointment of Chris Reynolds as Executive Vice President, Global Sales, a role created to unify leadership across the wholesale and retail sales organizations and strengthen how the business delivers value to customers worldwide. The appointment follows a planned leadership transition as Jeff Tarsi, who has led Nutrien’s global retail business through a period of significant growth and transformation, steps into an advisory role.
  • Bailey AG, a marketing consultancy serving agricultural businesses across the Midwest and Canada, today announced the launch of Tumbleweed™, a new digital marketing tool designed to help rural businesses and ag retailers stay consistent, organized, and relevant on social media.
  • Cropin, the world’s largest deployed AI platform for food and agriculture, has launched a unique agrifood ‘ecosystem’ to reduce the risks and uncertainties associated with one of the world’s most unpredictable yet vital industries. Drawing on more than a decade of data collection and interpretation, Cropin Ecosystem connects agriculture and the digital world by combining disparate streams of data – from the field onwards – with artificial intelligence, allowing players within the food chain to mitigate agricultural and supply risks to build more predictable, resilient supply chains.
  • Two leaders in the agricultural biologicals sector have signed on as the first sponsors of a comprehensive, farmer-centric market research effort around row-crop farmers’ use of agricultural biologicals. The study, “Biologicals: Row-Crop Farmer Value, Perception and Potential,” is being launched by Stratovation Group, a firm specializing in research, marketing and communications in the agricultural sector.
  • Genvor, Inc., a pioneer in AI-accelerated peptide technology for sustainable agriculture, announced the appointment of Dr. George Stavrides as Executive Vice President, Business Development & Commercialization, effective February 2, 2026. In this role, Dr. Stavrides will lead Genvor’s commercial strategy and execution, focusing on expanding strategic partnerships, licensing agreements, and collaboration opportunities with global agricultural companies.
  • Bushel Plus Ltd., a global leader in harvest optimization and agricultural technology, announced it will transition to a new company name, BranValt, with the official change taking effect in July 2026. The rebrand reflects the company’s evolution from a pioneer in harvest loss measurement to a global provider of integrated solutions that help farmers protect yields, improve efficiency, and maximize the value of every acre at harvest.
  • The National Wheat Foundation announced the twelve winners of Top-Quality Awards in the 2025 National Wheat Yield Contest. The 28 National Yield Winners all sent in ten pounds of wheat which was analyzed for grain, milling, flour and end-use qualities. A panel of thirteen experts went over the results and determined which of the wheats earned the coveted, “top-quality” designation. Each Top-Quality Award recipient will receive a $250 cash prize at the Winners’ Reception on February 24, 2026, in San Antonio, held in conjunction with Commodity Classic.
  • Unverferth Manufacturing Company, Inc. is excited to announce its Air Command™ Section Control System, designed for Unverferth Pro-Force® dry fertilizer spreaders, has received the prestigious AE50 Award from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE).
  • Sakata Seed America announced the promotion of Justin Davis to Chief Operating Officer (COO), Vegetables, effective February 1, 2026.
  • Endangered Species Act (ESA) requirements on pesticide labels are putting applicators in a tough spot. They’re responsible for verifying compliance before spraying, but some of the information they need lives on the farm. Many applicators don’t have visibility into the practices growers are using to meet runoff mitigation point requirements. Acre Blitz is solving this with two products that work together: the ESA Field Exchange, where growers document their field-level mitigations, and the ESA Check API, which delivers that data to applicators, retailers, cooperatives, and crop consultants at the moment they need it.
    • AgWired Precision, Precision Ag Bytes, Precision Agriculture

    Cattle Producers Gather at CattleCon 2026

    Cindy Zimmerman Leave a Comment

    NCBA President-Elect Gene Copenhaver (NCBA photo)

    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 recently with dietary guidelines, you know, not only putting proteins, beef and pork and other good proteins back in the pyramid, but turning the pyramid upside down,” said Copernaver.

    Cattlemen will get to hear from the Trump administration official most responsible for that food pyramid change tomorrow at CattleCon when Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. will join National Cattlemen’s Beef Association President Buck Wehrbein for a fireside chat to talk national nutrition priorities and the recently released Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

    CattleCon 2026 has some new activities this year including “Next Generation Day” and the Emerging Leaders event on Thursday, as well as a “Career Crawl” with companies at the NCBA Trade Show to explore internships, job openings and career opportunities while engaging in meaningful conversations with agriculture professionals.

    Copenhaver says it is critical right now for the industry to look ahead ti the next generation. We have a smart, innovative technology-wise generation coming forward,” he said. “And I think we have to develop more tools as an association in the industry for them to come in. And the transition part, we got to get some tools for the older generation and make it easier for them to be able to move out the operation to them and not be so hard on them tax wise or otherwise.”

    Interview with Gene Copenhaver, NCBA President-elect (7:06)

    AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Audio, Beef, Beef Checkoff, Cattle Industry Conference, NCBA

    Former Industry Leaders Warn of Farm Crisis

    Cindy Zimmerman Leave a Comment

    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 and Senate Agriculture Committees, twenty-seven former agricultural executives and officials with decades of experience detailed how current Administration policies have harmed the farm economy and the need to take substantial action. The signatories include past presidents and CEOs of the American Soybean Association, National Corn Growers Association, National Pork Producers Council, National Barley Growers Association, National Milk Producers Federation, US Grains Council, and Renewable Fuels Association, past Directors of the Illinois and Nebraska Departments of Agriculture, and other farm leaders and senior agricultural policy experts.

    Among the letter signatories are former presidents of NCGA Harold Wolfe and Pam Johnson, past NCGA CEO Jon Doggett, former RFA chair Randy Doyal, and past RFA CEO Bob Dinneen.

    “First and foremost, what we want to do is to start a conversation,” said Dinneen. “Let’s focus on the solutions. We outline what we think some of them might be, but we don’t have all the answers. Let’s figure that out. The bottom line is we’re in a perilous state, and we say that without hyperbole or exaggeration. It is perilous. We need to figure it out.”

    Dinneen says the group offered nine actions that can be taken to help restore the farm economy. “Let’s end the tariffs on farm inputs. Let’s try to open up markets elsewhere. Let’s stop some of the chaotic trade policies that are out there. But there’s more than that. We think even on biofuels, there are things that can be done, and Congress has been irresponsible in not addressing the things that they could be doing to increase biofuel demand. Let’s get E15 year-round done once and for all.”

    Read the letter to Congress and learn more in this interview with Dinneen.
    Interview with Bob Dinneen (14:39)

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    Animal Ag News 2/3

    Carrie Muehling Leave a Comment

  • There were 86.2 million head of cattle and calves on U.S. farms as of Jan. 1, 2026, according to the Cattle report published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.
  • The National Milk Producers Federation, U.S. Dairy Export Council and Consortium for Common Food Names welcomed the United States’ signing of reciprocal trade agreements with El Salvador and Guatemala this week, underscoring the importance of reinforcing long-standing market access gains for U.S. dairy exporters and preventing the emergence of new trade barriers.
  • The International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) has unveiled a new logo that reflects the strength of its 15-year collaboration among its three partner organizations – the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY), American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) and the Meat Institute. The new brand identity reinforces IPPE’s role as the premier destination where technology and innovation converge across the global animal protein and feed value chain. The new logo features a modern feel with modern typography in updated colors and fonts, as well as updated graphic elements to emphasize the interconnected nature of the poultry, meat and animal food industries. The new IPPE logo is an evolution of the brand and honors the event’s legacy while providing a forward-looking vision for IPPE’s continued growth and relevance.
  • Bill Griffith, chief operations officer for Peco Foods, Tuscaloosa, Ala., was elected chair of the board of directors of U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY). The board meeting was held during the International Poultry Expo, part of the 2026 International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE). Griffith previously served as vice chair.
  • The 2026 International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) has been a trade show with strong crowds, busy exhibitors and great energy evident throughout the expo floor. This year, IPPE is approaching 33,000 registered attendees, more than 663,000 square feet of exhibit space and 1,385-plus exhibitors. It is the largest trade show floor square footage in IPPE’s history.
  • The 2026 International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) recognized three exhibitors with the New Product Showcase “Best of the Best” award. KENT Nutrition was recognized as “Best in the Best” in the Animal Food category for their product, ARGIS.Vencomatic Group was recognized in the Live Production category for Meggsius Connect. ACEBRI Colombia was recognized as “Best of the Best” in the Processing category for their product, The Eco-Carrier: Ergonomic Design in 100% Recovered PET.
  • Join the Livestock Publications Council for a luncheon at CattleCon in Nashville, Tennessee on Wednesday, February 4 from 11:45 a.m. – 1:15 p.m. The cost is $50 and a limited number of tickets will be available at the door. Register here.
  • Agriculture media partners are invited to attend the 2026 National Pork Industry Forum. The event offers the opportunity to gain insight from industry leaders, witness producer-led decisions related to Checkoff funding and industry priorities and learn about timely topics affecting the industry. Click here to register by 5 p.m. CT on Wednesday, Feb 4.
  • The House Natural Resources Committee advanced the Enhancing Safety for Animals Act of 2025 (H.R. 4255) with bipartisan support. The bill would remove federal ESA protections for the Mexican wolf, restoring commonsense wildlife management authority and providing much-needed relief to cattle producers and rural communities across the Southwest. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and Public Lands Council (PLC) strongly support H.R. 4255, which would reduce regulatory barriers that have prevented effective management to safeguard livestock and rural communities from this abundant apex predator.
  • The Dairy Business Association, Wisconsin’s leading dairy advocacy group, elected one corporate member and two dairy farmers to its board of directors during the group’s business meeting at DBA’s 2026 Dairy Strong conference in Green Bay.
  • This year at CattleCon, Envu will be showcasing its innovative RangeView® digital tool along with its brand new CERES TAG integration. At Envu booth #2323, ranchers will receive real-time demonstrations of RangeView’s features and benefits and discover how CERES TAG’s GPS livestock tracking integration deepens analytics for superior return on investment.
    • AgWired Animal, Animal Agriculture, Animal Bites

    NCBA Announces Policy Priorities at CattleCon 2026

    Cindy Zimmerman Leave a Comment

    NCBA’s Ethan Lane provides DC Update at CattleCon 26

    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 Lane says producers are enjoying high prices right now but that comes with challenges. “It’s time to figure out where we go from here, right?.. And this is the meeting where that policy process really kicks off so that there can be some real discussions about how to make things work better, how to close some open gates, how to make sure that we’re putting that government affairs horsepower from NCBA on the target, where it needs to be to make sure that we’re making it easier for producers to sustain that run, make sure that we’re rebuilding the herd in a responsible way and creating that stable environment, especially for young producers that are looking for that entry point into the supply chain and don’t necessarily have an operation to inherit,” said Lane.

    NCBA’s policy priorities for 2026 include:
    – Continue to press the administration to roll back harmful regulations to keep working lands working.
    – Enhance and strengthen U.S. mitigation measures against the incursion of New World Screwworm.
    – Protect the U.S. cattle herd from foreign animal diseases and pests through heightened awareness and preparedness actions.
    – Expand market access for U.S. beef exports and hold trade partners accountable to ensure equivalent animal health and food safety standards for imported beef.
    – Promote scienced-based nutrition policies and sound, fact-based information for consumers.
    – Push for further hours-of-service flexibility, increased truck weights, and continue delaying ELD requirements for livestock haulers.
    – Safeguard the U.S cattle and beef supply chain by working with the administration to ensure there is a strong workforce to limit processing disruptions for producers.

    Learn more in this interview.
    CattleCon Interview with Ethan Lane, NCBA (7:43)

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