February 2012
New Year Brings new NCA Executive Director
Welcome to 2012! As we ring in the New Year with family and friends, we ponder on the times of the past year, celebrate achievements and challenges won and look forward to the new adventures to come. As I welcomed 2012, I accepted the position of Executive Director of the Nevada Cattlemen’s Association and much like the traditions of a new year; I am looking forward to new adventures in the Association and celebrating the past achievements of those cattlemen and women before me.
Our Association has been well served by all of our past leaders. Leaders who have “stepped up to the plate” on issues that affect so many livelihoods, taken time out of their busy days to represent and serve the cattle industry and leaders who, to many of us, have become household names and lifelong friends. Growing up in the small town of Lund, NV, dinner table discussions circulated around many of these leaders and the great work they had done. As I look forward to the New Year and my new position, I am honored and humbled to serve with such a great group of people and leaders of the cattle industry.
By now, many of you may be wondering who I am and where I came from. Well, I am from a fifth generation ranching family in Nevada. Recently, I completed my Bachelor’s of Arts in Environmental Science at the University of Montana Western. Much of my work experience consists of seasonal work for federal agencies in range. As a ranching kid in an environmental science major, I was determined to find a position that would allow me to combine my work experience with my personal background that could truly make a difference to the industry my family grew up in, ranching. I can’t say enough how much I am looking forward to working for the Nevada Cattlemen’s Association and the ranching community of Nevada.
As much as I would like you all to get to know me, I’d like to showcase how things have been going at the NCA office. However, I invite you to stop by when you’re in town, come have a cup of coffee and visit for a bit.
I’d like to bring to your attention a new organization to the State, the Nevada Partnership of Conservation and Development. A combination of agencies, organizations and private entities working together to complete projects to solve conservation issues, this group is new to Nevada but has shown success in Utah. As this program visits your area, I encourage you to attend the meeting, ask some questions and bring suggestions. Input from the ranching community is one of the key reasons this program has had success in Utah and hopefully, will have success in Nevada as well.
An issue that hits close to home to everyone in the cattle industry, the possible listing of the greater sage grouse, took up much of the spotlight in the past month. As the clock continues to tick, NCA is working hard to represent the cattle industry and search for a solution.
NCA staff continues to represent the cattle industry in other issues such as the Wild Horse and Burro Program (WHB) and the readjusting of the UNR College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources (CABNR). President JJ Goicoechea and past President Demar Dahl have both represented our industry in news segments regarding the WHB program. JJ Goicoechea, Ron Torell and I as well as Board members Harvey Barnes and Dan Gralian attended a Stakeholders meeting to address the new structure of the CABNR.
The next month brings one of our biggest events of the year, the Fallon All Breeds Bull Sale. Last year, our Sale consigned 78 bulls and averaged $3,586 being one of the best sales of the year. This year’s Sale has 150 consigned bulls and we are looking forward to another great sale. The sale will be held February 18, 2012 at the Fallon Livestock Exchange. The evening prior to the Sale, the ladies of the Churchill County Cowbelles will be hosting a dinner and dance at the Fallon Convention Center. Social hour starts at 5:30 p.m. and dinner to follow. We hope to see you there and are looking forward to another great sale this year! To request a Bull Sale Catalogue, please contact the office.