8 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN April/May 2024 NC BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT: Jerry Kuenning*, Lemoyne, (308) 883-8382 PRESIDENT-ELECT: Dick Pierce*, Miller, (308) 440-2489 VICE PRESIDENT: Craig Uden*, (308) 325-0285 TREASURER: Laura Field, Lincoln, (402) 475-2333 SECRETARY: Melody Benjamin, Lakeside, (308) 760-6464 PAST PRESIDENT: Steve Hanson*, Elsie, (308) 289-0225 MEMBER SERVICES VICE CHAIR BY REGION 1 – Jaclyn Wilson, Lakeside, (308) 762-3196 2 – Kat Kennedy, Purdum, (308) 645-7036 3 – Allan Louthan, Stanton, (402) 841-6601 4 – John Ecklund, Atkinson, (408) 602-5905 5 – Scott Reynolds, Berwyn, (308) 870-0970 6 – Chuck Graff, Ogallala, (308) 289-5841 7 – Heath Clausen, Leigh, (402) 750-4433 8 – Allen Bruntz, Friend, (402) 525-2651 9 – Shannon Peterson, Gothenburg, (308) 529-2116 COW-CALF COUNCIL CHAIR: Travis Chrisman, Wauneta, (308) 883-6781 VICE CHAIR: Jake Johnson, Hastings, (402) 984-8824 FARMER-STOCKMAN COUNCIL CHAIR: Marc Hanson, Morrowville, Kan., (402) 729-7174 VICE CHAIR: Dwight Dam, Hooper, (402) 720-4250 FEEDLOT COUNCIL CHAIR: Ryan Danehey, Manhattan, Kan., (308) 440-8267 VICE CHAIR: Daron Huyser, Lexington, (308) 233-4368 SEEDSTOCK COUNCIL CHAIR: Reiss Bruning, Bruning, (402) 768-3332 VICE CHAIR: James Felt, Wakefield, (402) 287-2488 ALLIED INDUSTRIES COUNCIL Jake Pullen, Aurora, (308) 380-9040 ~ COMMITTEE LEADERSHIP ~ ANIMAL HEALTH AND NUTRITION CHAIR: Jared Walahoski*, Overton, (308) 746-1965 CHAIR-ELECT: Jeff Heldt, Scottsbluff, (308) 641-5781 BRAND AND PROPERTY RIGHTS CHAIR: Brock Terrell, Hay Springs, (308) 430-1213 CHAIR-ELECT: Matt Blackford, Brownlee, (402) 322-1377 EDUCATION AND RESEARCH CHAIR: Marcus Urban, Leigh, (402) 276-3830 CHAIR-ELECT: Suzanne Jagels, Davenport, (402) 469-3374 MARKETING AND COMMERCE CHAIR: Joe Eisenmenger, Humphrey, (402) 920-0665 CHAIR-ELECT: Chance McLean, Stromsburg, (402) 366-2254 NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT CHAIR: Eric Hansen*, North Platte, (308) 530-3899 CHAIR-ELECT: Sam Drinnin, Grand Island, (402) 910-0233 TAXATION CHAIR: Scott Peterson, Valentine, (402) 322-0225 CHAIR-ELECT: Steve Sunderman, Norfolk, (402) 750-0149 MEMBER SERVICES CHAIR: Jim Edwards, Ord, (308) 750-0881 NEBRASKA LIVESTOCK MARKETING ASSOCIATION REP. Bryce Dibbern, Interior, S.D., (308) 293-7766 UNL EXTENSION REPRESENATIVE Erin Laborie, Beaver City, (419) 494-3872 UNL REPRESENTATIVE Deb VanOverbeke, Lincoln, (402) 714-5879 * member of the Executive & Finance Committee INSIGHTS BEING INFORMED THROUGH CONTINUING EDUCATION CRAIG UDEN | JOHNSON LAKE NC VICE PRESIDENT Most of you probably became a Nebraska Cattlemen (NC) member or are exploring membership because of an issue you or your operation has faced. Although we don’t necessarily like change or challenges in our daily lives, we continually deal with them in our businesses. This is why I believe it is so important to become an engaged member of your local, state and national cattlemen organizations. When I first accepted the NC vice president position, I looked at it as an opportunity not only to help advance policy and address industry issues, but to help educate our producer members on a whole host of topics that our industry faces daily. After all, policy is like research – as we solve one issue, another one is created. Therefore, we must always be learning and adapting to progress our industry for future generations. To truly serve our ever-changing beef industry, we must view our education as continual. Nebraska Cattlemen’s greatest service to its members is its ability to provide further education. NC informs not only about the policies we fight for and against, but about programs such as disaster relief, market analysis, genetic enhancements and risk management tools to benefit our members’ operations. NC strives for its members to be well informed on the cause and effect of each challenge our industry faces. Each Nebraska Cattlemen member brings a different perspective of knowledge from their own experiences and has expertise in some of the issues their sector of production faces. Nebraska Cattlemen offers a look at all sectors of beef production, from seedstock and cow-calf to growing and finishing, as well as the processing and retail levels. This foundation of diverse member experiences shows the bigger picture on each issue and how it can affect all sectors of the industry. We are a true microcosm of the national organization because we get involved at all levels of the beef industry and share information on the issues our members deem important. It is with this responsibility in mind that I stress the importance of being an engaged Nebraska Cattlemen member. There will be no shortage of changes and adversity to face in the years to come, so I challenge cattlemen to be active members of their organizations and always strive to become more knowledgeable about the industry they love and the issues it faces. ~NC~
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