From the President
Gene Copenhaver
It’ s an extraordinary honor to step into the role of president of the National Cattlemen’ s Beef Association. Not as a title, but as a responsibility, a calling and a covenant with each of you across this great country. My journey, rooted in nearly six generations of cattlemen and cattlewomen in southwest Virginia, has taught me early and often that the true strength of our industry comes from the grassroots, from producers who wake up each day committed to caring for cattle and stewarding the land.
This year, as I take the helm alongside an incredible team of officers, I carry a simple but steadfast philosophy: stay grounded in grassroots input, remain open-minded and focus relentlessly on profitability for our members. Our success as an industry depends on practical policy solutions that reduce costs, open doors to new opportunities, and keep demand for beef strong.
Over the past year, NCBA made meaningful strides on that front. Thanks to the hard work of our grassroots members and policy teams, we secured major wins that directly impact producers— from expanded estate tax exemptions to revised Waters of the U. S. rules to the rescission of the BLM Public Lands Rule. Each of these developments provides something producers desperately need more of: certainty. Certainty to plan, invest, grow and pass on operations to the next generation.
Empower the Next Generation and Strengthen the Industry’ s Future
This point is incredibly meaningful to me and a key focus of my term as president. I’ m very proud of my three kids, and I’ m fortunate to work alongside my son, Will, on our operation. Ensuring he and his family are set up for success and able to carry forward the legacy built by generations before me has been at the forefront of my mind for a long time. Last summer, I had the opportunity to travel with participants in NCBA’ s Young Cattlemen’ s Conference, and that experience renewed my determination to strengthen our national position and create a clearer, more accessible path for the next generation.
I met first generation producers, multi-generation operators, people in corporate agriculture hoping to return to the family farm, and producers representing every segment of our industry and nearly every state. One thing was unmistakably consistent: they are innovators. They are finding ways to make this life work
STRENGTHENING OUR FOUNDATION, ADVANCING
OUR FUTURE
and are deeply committed to preserving our way of life while pushing the industry forward. We must remove barriers standing in their way and invest in them as the leaders of tomorrow. Grow Strong Demand and Protect Profitability Beef producers have experienced strong market momentum, but volatility and margin pressures persist. We will continue advocating for tools and policies to enhance and protect your bottom line. As many of you know firsthand, risk management isn’ t optional, it’ s essential. You also can’ t talk demand and profitability without trade. Export markets matter. The recent expansion of duty-free beef access into Taiwan and a trade deal with Indonesia are major wins for producers, opening new opportunities for growth and helping to maximize carcass value. NCBA will continue pushing for strong, sciencebased trade agreements that enhance access, dismantle barriers, and provide longterm certainty for U. S. cattle producers. We’ ll also push to hold trade partners accountable to the same animal health and food safety standards we have in the U. S. Advance Policy that Supports NCBA Members A clear, forward-looking policy agenda is critical to the work we do as an association. This year, that includes reducing unnecessary federal regulations, bolstering animal health protections against emerging threats, expanding global market access for U. S. beef, defending science based nutrition policy that keeps beef central in consumers’ diets, and securing a resilient supply chain through improved transportation flexibility and a strong, stable workforce— all rooted in the policy direction you’ ve developed through grassroots engagement. Listen to You— Always If my family’ s history in this industry has taught me anything, it’ s that leadership doesn’ t come from a title, it comes from service. My priority this year is to meet members across the country, listen to your challenges and success stories, and make sure your voice is heard where it matters most. Your grassroots input drives everything we do.
We’ re not here simply to react to change, we’ re here to shape it. Plant strong roots, keep costs manageable, advocate for workable policy, and build a future where every producer has the tools to prosper. Together, we will continue to not only sustain our industry’ s momentum, we will grow it. Thank you for your trust in me and I hope to meet you down the road.
Each of these developments provides something producers desperately need more of: certainty. Certainty to plan, invest, grow and pass on operations to the next generation. www. NCBA. org NATIONAL CATTLEMEN 5