INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Beef Cattle Association (IBCA) held elections during the recent Area Beef Meetings to choose three area directors who sit on the IBCA-IBC board of directors.  Beef producers in Area 5 re-elected J.D. Faulk, of Worthington; producers in Area 7 elected Dan Chesnut, of Bath; and producers in Area 11 elected Jacob Pettigrew, of Columbia City.

During the convention at the Sheraton Hotel on Jan. 21, IBCA membership elected officers for 2023-2024. The new officers approved by the membership were: president - Jeff Sherfield, of Spencer; president-elect - Kelley Sheiss, of Larwill; vice president - Keegan Poe, of Franklin; and treasurer - Andrew Stewart, of Greensburg. Also serving on the executive committee with the officers are Promotions Committee Chair Dr. Jennie Hodgen, Membership Chair Tim Schwab and Immediate Past President Jill Duncan.

The IBCA board of directors is made up of 10 area directors as well as representatives from dairy, veal and allied industries. These local producer leaders serve on the board for the IBCA as well as the Indiana Beef Council (IBC) to manage the collection and allocation of the Beef Checkoff.

For more information about the board or to get a complete listing of the IBCA board of directors, visit www.indianabeef.org or contact the IBCA office at 317-293-2333.

Also during the convention, the IBCA honored the state’s top cattlemen and women.

The IBCA Friend of the Industry Award was given to the Indiana Soybean Alliance and the Indiana Corn Marketing Council (ICMC). This award is given to a group, an individual or a company who has stood out in their support of the beef industry either through financial support or other promotional and marketing efforts. Both organizations support Hoosier cattle producers through research and sponsorship of their key annual events. Accepting on behalf was Dr. Paul Hodgen, ICMC president.

Honoring cattlemen and women who possess beef management skills and leadership abilities, the IBCA awarded the 2022 Outstanding Cattleman of the Year to Tim Schwab, of Batesville. He works as the farm manager of Kopp Land and Livestock. They farm about 600 acres of row crops including corn, soybeans, wheat, and about 1,200 acres of pasture. They background about 500 head of feeder steers each year and the farm maintains about 200 to 250 cows. Two club calf sales and a bred heifer and cow sale take place each year. Through these sales they have sold cattle which have won champion honors at the North American International Livestock Expo, American Royal, National Western, California State Fair, Wyoming State Fair, North Carolina State Fair, Hoosier Beef Congress, Ohio AGR and AGS shows, Kentucky Beef Expo and many local and county fairs. He is proud of breeding and raising the promotional sire Hi Ho Silver.

The most esteemed award each year is the coveted Robert C. Peterson Lifetime Achievement Award. This year the IBCA awarded the 2022 honor to two very deserving recipients: Steve Gunn, of Greensburg, and Bob Bishop, of Leesburg. For 20 years, Gunn and Bishop served as the co-chairs of Hoosier Beef Congress. Gunn was the HBC committee chair and Bishop was the junior show chair. In the beginning, there were about 600 head in the show. When they turned over the reins in 2012, there were close to 1,500 head. Both have served as president of IBCA and are active leaders in their local communities.