8 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN April/May 2026 NC BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT: Craig Uden*, Johnson Lake, (308) 325-0285 PRESIDENT-ELECT: Eric Hansen*, North Platte, (308) 530-3899 VICE PRESIDENT: Jaclyn Wilson*, Lakeside, (308) 762-3196 PAST PRESIDENT: Richard (Dick) Pierce, Miller, (308) 440-2489 SECRETARY/TREASURER: Laura Field, Lincoln, (402) 326-7743 MEMBER SERVICES VICE CHAIR BY REGION 1 – Bill Baldwin, Mitchell, (308) 641-5011 2 – Lydia O’Brien, Whitman, (308) 546-7349 3 – Alfredo DiCostanza, Norfolk, (612) 590-7395 4 – John Kennedy, Primrose, (308) 396-1505 5 – Weston Svoboda, Sargent, (308) 215-0244 6 – Bob Wiseman, Hershey, (308) 530-3137 7 – Todd Schlueter, Blair, (402) 533-3741 8 – Becky Funk, DVM, Lawrence, (308) 360-3179 9 – Vacant PRODUCER COUNCIL CHAIR: Dwight Dam, Hooper, (402) 720-4250 VICE CHAIR: Reiss Bruning, Bruning, (402) 768-3332 FEEDLOT COUNCIL CHAIR: Daron Huyser, Lexington, (308) 233-4368 VICE CHAIR: Joel Weber, Dorchester, (402) 946-4551 ALLIED INDUSTRIES COUNCIL CHAIR: Austin Woltemath, Lincoln, (402) 310-2294 VICE CHAIR: Kenny Stauffer, Grand Island, (402) 435-0665 ~ COMMITTEE LEADERSHIP ~ AG POLICY AND RESEARCH CHAIR: Steve Wellman, Syracuse, (402) 269-7024 VICE CHAIR: Lewis Coulter, Bridgeport, (308) 631-8240 ANIMAL HEALTH AND NUTRITION CHAIR: Jeff Heldt, Scottsbluff, (308) 641-5781 VICE CHAIR: Scott Reynolds, DVM, Broken Bow, (308) 870-0970 BRAND AND PROPERTY RIGHTS CHAIR: Matt Blackford, Thedford, (402) 322-1377 VICE CHAIR: Robert Star, Hershey, (308) 520-3488 MARKETING AND COMMERCE CHAIR: Chance McLean, Stromsburg, (402) 366-2254 VICE CHAIR: Marshall Hansen, Omaha, (402) 616-4541 NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT CHAIR: Sam Drinnin, Grand Island, (402) 910-0233 VICE CHAIR: Logan Pribbeno, Imperial, (308) 883-7770 TAXATION AND EDUCATION CHAIR: Stephen Sunderman, Norfolk, (402) 750-0149 VICE CHAIR: Kelly Terrell, Gothenburg, (308) 930-2162 MEMBER SERVICES CHAIR: Quentin Dailey, Lexington, (308) 293-1144 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 A NEW ERA OF LEADERSHIP NEBRASKA CATTLEMEN STREAMLINES FOR THE FUTURE During the final meeting of the Nebraska Cattlemen (NC) Board of Directors in 2024, President Dick Pierce announced the formation of a Governance Task Force. Dick asked if I would chair the task force, and the group was charged with reimagining modernization of the board structure and modifications to the annual convention schedule to better serve NC membership. In January 2025, the task force held its first meeting. Participants represented a diverse cross-section of veteran leadership and young producers including Pierce, Craig Uden, Sam Drinnin, Stephen Sunderman, Ken Herz, Barb Cooksley, Dwight Dam, Scott Reynolds, Krista Carter and myself. The task force met multiple times in person and via Zoom and presented updates to the NC Board of Directors throughout 2025. At the 2025 Annual Convention, a report was presented to modify the association bylaws to reflect the group’s work and recommendations. The task force recommended modifications to NC councils and committees. Many of these proposed ideas required a change to the association bylaws, and those proposed amendments were adopted at the NC Annual Meeting on Dec. 12, 2025. In accordance with the procedure outlined in the bylaws, the proposal was presented to the membership via the NC Chronicle on Jan. 8 and was approved by the NC Board of Directors at its meeting on Jan. 29. The adopted bylaws change the makeup of the board by reducing the number of councils from five (Feedlot, Cow-Calf, Farmer-Stockman, Seedstock and Allied Industries) to three (Feedlot, Producer and Allied Industries) with each council having a chair and vice chair and one vote on the NC Board of Directors. This change reflects the desire to break down sector-specific silos of the membership and unify with a more collaborative voice to express the needs of the cattle industry. Changes were also made to the policy committees. While six committees were maintained, titles and focuses have been updated to include Ag Policy and Research, Animal Health and Nutrition, Brand and Property Rights, Marketing and Commerce, Natural Resources and Environment, and Taxation and Education. The task force recommended these changes to better consider and review areas of policy important to the membership. Each committee will have a chair and vice chair and only one vote on the board. NC staff and leadership are reviewing all current NC policies and are making recommendations to realign existing resolutions and policy statements with the new committees. While all current policies will be maintained, some may find a home in a new committee where they more logically fit. The new NC Board of Directors will now consist of 23 voting members, including the executive officers, the membership chair and nine regional directors, along with three ex-officio members from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) Department of Animal Science, UNL Extension and the Livestock Marketing Association. Meeting six times a year, this streamlined board is designed to be more efficient, ERIC HANSEN | NC PRESIDENT-ELECT CONTINUED ON PAGE 28
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