Gene Copenhaver Begins Term as New NCBA President
President-elect, NCBA / Image courtesy of NCBA
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association has a new president, Gene Copenhaver of Virginia. As he begins his term, Copenhaver is focused on building on recent successes while continuing to address key challenges facing the cattle industry.
Copenhaver said what he’s most looking forward to in the role is momentum. “What I’m looking forward to is continued success we’ve had,” he said. “We got a lot of wins this year, but we need to continue to work diligently on what we’ve been doing.”
A major priority, according to Copenhaver, is ensuring profitability across all segments of the cattle industry. “Produce for profitability, try to make out where all sectors are profitable,” he said, emphasizing the need for balance from cow-calf through feeding and packing.
Regulatory pressure is another area he plans to focus on. “And one thing we can do that is continue to work where we have a lot of over-regulation,” Copenhaver said. He also pointed to the importance of managing rising costs. “We got to work on the input side. You know, we’ve had a great market, but we know that market might adjust any time. But we need to continue to work on that.”
Copenhaver highlighted structural changes within NCBA that he believes will strengthen the organization’s impact. “There’s a lot of things. The new pyramid, the upside-down pyramid that put us on top of the pyramid. And it’s going to help us with continuing to work on the demand,” he said.
Demand-building efforts may be among the most significant achievements of the past year. “I think it’s going to be a big factor. Might be the biggest win we’ve had this year,” Copenhaver said. He credited the Federation for its investment in research, noting, “The Federation spending the money they spent to do all the scientific research on our product and the values of it for health.”
Copenhaver said the ability to translate that research into effective advocacy is critical. “And taking that scientific research and going over to the policy side. And taking it to the right people in D.C. and the right people in the health industry,” he explained. “And showing that the Federation side and the policy side work together, side-by-side, and do great things together.”
As NCBA moves forward under new leadership, Copenhaver says collaboration, profitability, and demand growth will remain central to advancing the cattle industry’s long-term success.
Audio Reporting by Dale Sandlin for Southeast AgNet.