90 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN February 2024 Pullen has been married to his wife, Kirsten, for 11 years. The couple has two children, Abby and Kaiden, plus a golden retriever named Harley that keeps them on their toes. He looks forward to learning more about policy during his time on the NC Board. “Everyone working together on policy is what makes NC and shapes our future,” Pullen says. “Policy determines where we are headed as an industry.” Matt Blackford, Brownlee, Brand and Property Rights Committee Chair-Elect Matt Blackford serves as Brand and Property Rights Committee chair-elect. Blackford says he joined the NC Board to connect with more people in the cattle industry and help promote it. He was very interested in the Brand and Property Rights Committee leadership role because he believes that our brands and property help define us as individual producers in the beef industry. He is a third-generation rancher managing his family’s ranch established in 1987 in the Sandhills near Brownlee. His favorite part about working in the cattle industry is calving season. Seeing baby calves stand up and nurse for the first time is a highlight for him. He says that the cattle industry has provided an opportunity to make a living and raise his family doing what they love. “When I think about the cattle industry’s future, the first word I think of is sustainability,” Blackford says. “It is important to leave a thriving industry to future generations.” He met his wife, Kristina, in May 2004 at a neighbor’s branding when she was home from college, and they married August 2005. They have a daughter, Katelyn, born in 2012 and a son, William, born in 2014. “My most important job is being a parent and raising my kids,” he says. His favorite cut of beef is prime rib, especially for Thanksgiving and Christmas. He looks up to his dad, Ray Blackford, who raised his two brothers and him on the ranch, teaching them how to work for a living. Blackford has been active in the Sandhills Cattle Association, serving six years on the board of directors and as president for one of those years. He says it was easy to say “yes” to serving on the NC Board of Directors, and the one word he would use to describe NC is diverse. MEET NC’S NEWEST BOARD MEMBERS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 88 CONTINUED ON PAGE 92 SAC FORT ROBINSON 3711 SAC STRONGHOLD 3738 SAC TRUST 3702 FEBRUARY 28, 2024 1 PM AT THE RANCH • BULLS CAN BE VIEWED THE MORNING OF THE SALE CALL ANYTIME TO VIEW THE BULLS PRIOR TO SALE DAY! 50+ ANGUS YEARLING BULLS SIRED BY RESILIENT, STELLAR, VIRTUE, ROBUST, JOHN WAYNE, DOWNPOUR, SCALE HOUSE, RAINFALL, PATRIARCH WWW.SCOTTANGUSCATTLE.COM RANCHOFFICE@SCOTTANGUSCATTLE.COM | 20898 N 465 STREET, BELGRADE, NE 68623 MARLIN SCOTT (308) 550-0202 KELLY SCOTT (308) 550-1726 SAM SCOTT (308) 550-1738 ABBY ROPERS (308) 550-0850 A.J. ROPERS (308) 215-0172 CALL OR EMAIL FOR A SALE BOOK! AUCTIONEER | MATT LOWERY 308-750-6119 SALE HOSTED BY WWW.DVAUCTION.COM To find past issues of the magazine go to https://necattle. memberclicks.net/ magazine-archive.
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