Letter from the PRESIDENT Buck Wehrbein
Letter from the PRESIDENT Buck Wehrbein
The Currency of Trust in the Cattle Business
In today’ s fast-moving world, trust isn’ t just a virtue, it’ s a competitive advantage. In the cattle business, trust is the currency that fuels everything from policy partnerships to consumer loyalty. And like any currency, it must be earned, protected and wisely invested.
History often offers us our best lessons. If you ever want a long conversation with me, ask me about the Dust Bowl. But today, I’ m thinking about the 1980s and’ 90s, a time when beef quality faced real challenges. Some of you lived through it; some of you hadn’ t even been born " yet. But it was a time that posed real problems for the beef business. We only got through it by coming together to find solutions and a new path forward. That path was one focused on the consumer and what they expected from us, particularly beef quality and beef safety. That path forward is one of the things uniting us now. That shared journey is what has created unprecedented demand and record-high prices for our product. A focus on the consumer and the high demand for our product is driven by years of commitment, innovation and the trust we’ ve earned.
Every celebration— whether it’ s a backyard barbecue, a holiday meal or a quiet dinner with family, often centers around a high-quality beef meal. That’ s no accident. It’ s the result of decades of hard work by cattle producers, industry leaders and the National Cattlemen’ s Beef Association, who have strategically invested in tools that support beef quality, safety and animal care. Through bold changes and unwavering commitment, we’ ve elevated our product to new heights. Today’ s beef is more consistent, flavorful and high-quality than ever before, and I’ m confident it will just keep getting better. But progress alone isn’ t enough, we must also take credit for it. That means telling our story proudly, proactively and with purpose.
For NCBA, trust isn’ t a passive asset— it’ s an active strategy. We build it through transparency, consistency and a relentless commitment to representing cattle producers nationwide.
Our relationship with elected officials is a prime example of trust in action. These leaders rely on NCBA not just for policy recommendations, but for integrity. They trust us to be a credible voice— grounded in science, economics and the lived experience of our members. That trust earns us a seat at the table when decisions are made, not just a reactionary role after the fact.
Whether it’ s advocating for fair trade, defending property rights or shaping tax policy, our credibility is our leverage. It’ s built one conversation at a time. You’ ll find a full review of this year’ s wins in the State of NCBA section of this issue, it’ s one of the many great articles.
There’ s something else I’ ve been considering over the past several months, I’ ve been reflecting on how the landscape of trust has shifted since the pandemic. Across many areas of public life, institutions that were once relied upon are facing new questions and scrutiny. While this scrutiny may, in many cases be warranted and perhaps long overdue, it is also changing the landscape for NCBA and the cattle business.
The tools and technologies that safeguard animal health and food safety are critical for us as cattlemen and women. These tools and technologies help support efficient, sustainable production, these are essential. And just as importantly, so is the trust behind them. When doubt arises, whether here at home or among our international trading partners, we have a responsibility to respond in a transparent manner consistent with NCBA’ s longstanding path that is rooted in a strong foundation in science and care that we’ ve built for decades.
In the cattle business, trust is the currency that fuels everything from policy partnerships to consumer loyalty. And like any currency, it must be earned, protected and wisely invested.
NCBA’ s role has always been to stand firmly behind our industry’ s commitment to rigorous standards, quality beef and responsible stewardship. That commitment doesn’ t just depend on outside validation— it’ s also rooted in our own values and the pride we take in how we raise cattle on our farms and ranches.
Trust isn’ t something earned once and kept forever; it’ s something we build every day. It’ s earned over years, and it can be revoked in an instant. For NCBA, our members and our partners throughout the beef supply chain, trust is what allows us to act with speed, confidence and clarity. As we look to the future, let’ s remember that trust is built through relationships. In the beef business, those relationships remain our greatest strength.
4 NATIONAL CATTLEMEN DIRECTIONS 2025
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