80 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN January 2024 SPECIAL TO THIS ISSUE Nebraska Cattlemen Selects Ibach for 2023 Industry Service Award During its Annual Awards Banquet, the Nebraska Cattlemen Nominations Committee announced Under Secretary Greg Ibach as the winner of the 2023 Industry Service Award. The Nebraska Cattlemen Industry Service Award recognizes the contributions of individuals who work outside the cattle industry and go above and beyond to support agriculture. A farmer and rancher from Sumner, Ibach has devoted his life to championing and supporting agriculture in Nebraska and beyond. “From serving in our nation’s capital to making countless international trade missions to tell the world about high-quality Nebraska beef, Under Secretary Greg Ibach continuously works to ensure cattlemen have a seat at the table where decisions are being made about the future of our industry,” says Nebraska Cattlemen Executive Vice President Laura Field. Beyond his work on the family operation, Ibach has served in the Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and, most recently, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. From 2005 to 2017, Ibach served as NDA director, making him the longest serving state agriculture director in Nebraska history. He was a visionary leader for Nebraska agriculture, effectively supervising staff and programs with the ability to analyze issues, develop strategies and create solutions for domestic and global initiatives. On Oct. 30, 2017, Ibach was confirmed by the U.S. Senate and sworn in by USDA Secretary Sonny Purdue to serve as USDA under secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs (MRP), where he remained until January 2021. In that role, Ibach carried out the MRP mission area’s broad task of facilitating domestic and international marketing of U.S. agricultural products and ensuring the health and care of animals and plants. Ibach currently serves as the inaugural Under Secretary in Residence for the UNL Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. In this role, which he started in February 2021, Ibach helps advance the institute in areas including agricultural biotechnology policy, agricultural-biosecurity, workforce training and the partnership between the National Institute of Antimicrobial Resistance Research Education and APHIS, among other areas. “Greg Ibach is the real deal because he has a foot firmly planted in the political world and the ranch and farm in Nebraska, which makes him believable and easy to reach out to because he knows what’s happening,” says Ann Bruntz, friend of the Ibach family. “He has his thumb on the pulse of the industry, which is important.” Ibach is a graduate of UNL, where he majored in animal science and agricultural economics. He and his wife, Teresa, have three children – Alec, Emily and Evan. It is Nebraska Cattlemen’s honor to award Greg Ibach with the 2023 Industry Service Award in recognition of his efforts to support Nebraska agriculture. Thank you for your service to our industry. ~NC~ Greg Ibach with his family after receiving the 2023 Nebraska Cattleman Industry Service Award. Pictured, left to right are Ashley and Evan Ibach, Greg and Teresa Ibach, Alec and Meredith Ibach with daughter Isla, and Emily and Walker Thomas. Photo courtesy of Lana Hebda.
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