Nebraska cattleman becomes NCBA president
Buck Wehrbein, a Nebraska cattleman, ascended to the role of National Cattlemen's Beef Association president during CattleCon 2025. With a 45-year career in the cattle feeding sector, Wehrbein brings decades of dedication to the industry and leadership experience to NCBA’s top leadership post.
The 2025 NCBA officer team, approved by the NCBA board of directors, took office at the end of this year’s convention. Gene Copenhaver of Virginia was named president-elect, and Kim Brackett of Idaho was elected vice president. Skye Krebs of Oregon was elected chair of the NCBA Policy Division, and Kenny Rogers of Colorado was elected policy vice chair. Nancy Jackson of Mississippi and Travis Maddock of North Dakota were elected as chair and vice chair of the NCBA Federation Division, respectively. Brad Hastings of Texas will continue to serve in the role of NCBA treasurer.
As president, Wehrbein sees both challenges and opportunities ahead, but he’s confident that NCBA’s unifying presence will remain critical to addressing key issues facing farmers and ranchers. He is particularly passionate about fostering opportunity for the next generation of cattle producers, recognizing their ability to drive innovation and industry progress. “They’re ahead of where we were in my time,” Wehrbein said. “They understand the issues, and they’re ready to make a difference.”
Wehrbein’s focus during his time as president is to advocate for profit opportunities while also strengthening the freedom to operate. Securing tax relief provisions and pushing back on regulatory overreach is also crucial to Wehrbein during the year ahead.
“The tax issue is critically important for agriculture,” Wehrbein said. “A few years ago, there was talk of doing away with the deduction of expenses, and that would have been devastating. We also have to keep pushing on the Death Tax. With what land values have done, if families are forced to sell or split up land to pay taxes, it would put a lot of people out of business.”
“The overarching principle and aim of NCBA is to make things better for our members and create an environment where each of us focus on our farms and ranches,” Wehrbein said. “That’s a big strength of NCBA—we’re not just big feedlots or big ranches. We’re everybody,” Wehrbein said.
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