National organizations: Wyoming-based ranchers named to serve U.S. cattle industry
Wyoming-based ranchers named to serve U.S. cattle industry
Two representatives from Wyoming have been selected to serve on two national beef organizations.
Gwen Geis of Gillette has been selected to be the Wyoming representative on the Cattlemen’s Beef Board (CBB). She will serve on a board of 101 members, representing 34 states and five units.
Mark Eisele of Cheyenne has been elected to serve as vice president on the 2022 National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) officer team. He will serve alongside newly appointed president-elect, Todd Wilkinson of South Dakota.
Wyoming cattlewoman represents Cowboy State
Geis is a fourth-generation cattle and sheep rancher in Campbell County. Geis and her husband are heavily involved with the ranching operation alongside her brother-in-law Kevin Geis and his wife, Bobbi.
In addition, the couple runs and owns a small oilfield service business and are dealers for CowBos, a liquid cow feed.
Geis takes pride in promoting the beef industry and has formerly served as the president of the American National CattleWomen Association in 2019.
Geis will be replacing Irv Petsch of Meriden who served two terms on the beef board starting in 2016. Petsch has been very involved in the beef industry throughout Wyoming for more than 25 years.
“I’m honored to be able to do this,” Geis shared. “I’m excited to be a part of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board.”
Geis was selected by the Wyoming Stock Growers Association and was recommended to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary of Agriculture who appoints a representative to represent the state on the CBB.
Appointed members will serve three-year terms beginning February 2022 and conclude in February 2025.
Wyoming officer elected to serve on NCBA board
Eisele is the owner of King Ranch in Cheyenne and raises Red and Black Angus cow/calf pairs and retained yearlings in addition to running a custom haying operation.
The ranch was recognized in 2015 for the Leopold Conservation Award and Wyoming Stock Growers Environmental Stewardship Award, shared the NCBA webpage.
Officers of NCBA are elected by fellow board members and serve as volunteers.
“It is an honor and privilege to serve both the members of Wyoming and NCBA,” shared Eisele. “The NCBA has several goals in the next year – continue to protect and promote the beef industry. We’ve got to make sure we satisfy our consumers and make sure our producers are justifiably rewarded for their hard efforts.”
“Sustainability is another thing that comes to mind,” he adds. “And, let consumers know sustainability is a practice ranchers already do. The list is long, but NCBA will do its best to cover all of them.”
Ensuring transparency and price discovery are fair to all producers will be another focus.
Eisele was required to submit an application, go through an interview process and have been nominated by the state association to be considered, he shared.
He has been greatly involved with the NCBA since 2009 and has sat on the board of directors before serving on the Animal Health and Wellbeing Committee for eight years. While with NCBA, he has served on the Nominating Committee, Public Lands Council – Legislative Session and as a Political Action Committee donor.
In addition, Eisele has been highly active in serving the beef industry and agriculture throughout the state of Wyoming. He fulfilled a variety of roles on the Wyoming Livestock Board, Wyoming Stock Growers Agricultural Land Trust and Wyoming Stock Growers Association.
New NCBA board members named
Other NCBA board members elected include Policy Division Chair Buck Wehrbein of Nebraska; Policy Division Vice Chair Gene Copenhaver of Virginia; Federation Division Chair Brad Hastings of Texas; and Federation Division Vice Chair Clark Price of North Dakota.
In addition, Don Schiefelbein, a central Minnesota seedstock breeder and cattle feeder, has been named the new NCBA president during the 2022 Cattle Industry Convention.
“I’m very fortunate to have been involved in the cattle industry through several different avenues and have seen the positive results when people come together,” said Schiefelbein in an NCBA press release. “As NCBA’s incoming president, I will continue bringing people together for the benefit of the industry.”
“To me, I just sit in awe of how many people have the opportunity to do something they love to do and would love to do every day with their family by their side,” Schiefelbein continued. “There’s just not many places in this world that gives you that opportunity.”
The NCBA team is looking forward to making sure NCBA members’ voices are heard as the organization expands, unites memberships and addresses issues facing the cattle industry, Schiefelbein concluded.
Brittany Gunn is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
