10 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN October 2025 LAURA FIELD | NC EVP RUMINATIONS 4611 Cattle Drive, Lincoln, NE 68521 Phone (402) 475-2333 | Fax (402) 475-0822 nc@necattlemen.org | www.nebraskacattlemen.org NEBRASKA CATTLEMEN STAFF EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT | Laura Field lfield@necattlemen.org VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING | Jeff Stolle DIRECTOR OF MARKETING | John Roberts DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS | Libby Schaneman DIRECTOR OF PRODUCER EDUCATION | Bonita Lederer DIRECTOR OF STATE GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS | Matthew Melchor ACCOUNTANT/BOOKKEEPER | Kathy Abel OFFICE MANAGER | Ashley McClinton MEMBERSHIP FIELD STAFF | Hannah Pearson Nebraska Cattleman is published monthly, except for May and July, by the Nebraska Cattlemen, 4611 Cattle Drive, Lincoln, NE 68521 – (402) 475-2333. --------------------------------------------------------------------- MAGAZINE PRODUCTION: CINCHED UP LLC ncmag@necattlemen.org EDITOR | Lisa Bard MANAGING EDITOR | Jessie Topp-Becker COPY EDITOR | Larisa Willrett DESIGNER & MATERIALS COORDINATOR | Megan Field ADMINISTRATION | Leslie McKibben CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Bill Coe | Natalie Jones STATE & REGIONAL ADVERTISING Amber Coleman | (402) 340-1588 acoleman@necattlemen.org NATIONAL ADVERTISING Wendy McFarland | (334) 271-6100 mcfarlandadvantage@gmail.com Working for Nebraska Beef Producers PASTURE TO PLATE TO PLATE NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN VIEW NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN DIGITAL VERSION BY SCANNING THE QR CODE. WHAT THAT YEAR TAUGHT ME LAURA FIELD | NC EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT In the fall of 1992, I stepped onto the campus of Texas Tech University as a visiting high school senior. On that trip, I met a professor who told me he couldn’t wait for me to be a member of the 1995 Meats Judging team. I just smiled and nodded awkwardly because I had no idea what meats judging was or why in the world I would be on the team. This fall, I went back to Lubbock for the 30-year reunion of that team I never imagined being a part of to see the teammates I had never met before we started college. I was the only girl on an eight-member team, and almost all the guys had spent time high-school judging. As for me, I had never laid eyes on a meat carcass and didn’t know the difference between a quality or yield grade. Being on that team was one of the most challenging things I have done in life to date. There were days we never saw the sun while driving hundreds of 90-mile round trips to the nearest packing plant in a rickety old van. We won three contests in 1995 and battled to the end with Colorado State University. We broke records, had our hearts broken in the losses and celebrated many individual and team awards. At our reunion, three of my teammates and our coach spent an evening together sharing stories, laughing and reminiscing about the year we traveled thousands of miles across Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Pennsylvania and many parts in between. While our judging year ended with a loss, what we won proved to be much more. Having grown up on a purebred seedstock operation, I had little exposure to other parts of the livestock or meat industry. Being a part of the team helped shape my appreciation and understanding of the cattle industry from conception to consumption. The camaraderie of that team taught me what it was like to be in a van with people I started out barely knowing who became lifelong friends. Those miles taught me that it is all right to stand up for your decisions and fight hard for what you think is the right choice, while knowing that what was good for the group may not always have been what I wanted. Eight strong-willed individuals worked together even when it was a challenge. We fought, we got along and we proudly represented our university and ourselves. If you would have told my 22-year-old, post-judging self what my 50-year-old self would feel 30 years later, I would have never believed it. I flew home that weekend with a full heart, reflecting on the teamwork, assertiveness, critical thinking, standing by decisions and commitment that year taught me. I am grateful for that experience that helped shape who I am today. ~NC~ To view the most current online issue of the Nebraska Cattleman magazine, visit: https://www.nebraskacattlemen.org/ nebraska-cattleman-magazine
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