Mark Eisele, President-Elect of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, is expected to become the next NCBA president in early 2024.
“I am a cow-calf and yearling/stocker producer in southeast Wyoming, at about 6500 feet elevation. Good grass country and we have had a little rain this year, so it made a big difference.”
He will take on the role that is currently held by Todd Wilkinson. Eisele says his decision to run for President of NCBA goes back many years.
“Well, it actually started a long, long time ago, when I was young man and I wanted to become a cattle raiser. I grew around it, both sides of my family had done that, and I found out there was more to just raising and family and cows. I found out there were problems with government, there was over regulation, there was permitting processes, I reached out to the state associations, national associations like NCBA, and they’re what helped me get through those hurdles. I didn’t have to invent the wheel, I did have to learn how to use it.”
Eisele’s cattle operation is in a part of the country where there are public lands. He said it is important that cattle producers across the country understand the value of these territories for the beef cattle industry.
“Producers love the public lands as much as we do our private lands. For people who we share that with, they need to understand this is not just about cattle ranchers, sheep producers or whatever- this has to do with other things on public lands like recreation. So, those things are important to the public, they’re important to local economies. So, we think those are important and we need to raise awareness that this is not just about is, it’s about everybody.”
Consumer confidence, Eisele adds, is another key focus of his, as it is important that consumers have trust in the way producers are producing the beef product.
“You don’t have a multi-generational operation that isn’t sustainable by doing wrong things. They are sustainable because you do all the right things. You make the right choices, you work with nature, and you work with your families, and that is how it is sustainable. That is what people want, and that is what we have always delivered.”