COLUMBUS, Ohio – The 2023 Ohio Cattlemen’s Foundation Young Cattlemen’s Conference (YCC) hosted 16 cattlemen and women for a three-day leadership development program in central Ohio, Aug. 10-12.

YCC is open to any Ohio Cattlemen’s Association member over the age of 20 who possesses great leadership potential and is active in their community. Counties are encouraged to nominate participants for YCC, but individuals may also self-nominate. Couples are also encouraged to attend.

The purpose of YCC is to offer emerging Ohio beef industry leaders and young producers the opportunity to build their own leadership skills as they network with beef industry leaders, government officials, businesses and media.

“It is about young adults that are just finishing their education, new in their career, or trying to work part-time and also have a farm and exposing them to the breath of the industry,” Ohio Beef Council/Ohio Cattlemen’s Association Executive Director Elizabeth Harsh said. “We really see it pay dividends because those folks eventually take on leadership roles as committee chairs or serve on our board. A lot of our board of directors have been past YCC folks.”

With a 30-year tradition, YCC is a product of the charity arm of the Ohio Cattleman’s Association which offers scholarships, educational programs, and leadership development. “That’s where the Young Cattlemen’s Conference fits because we really see it as our young-adult leadership development program for the association,” Harsh said. “We’ve patterned it off what the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association has done for many years.”

The conference got underway at Henmick Farm and Brewery in Delaware, Ohio. Participants had the opportunity to network over dinner with members of the Ohio Cattlemen’s Association’s Board of Directors, program sponsor representatives, and other industry professionals. Tanner Beymer, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association senior director of government affairs and live cattle marketing committee staff liaison, served as the guest speaker for the evening and shared the latest on issues at the federal level impacting the cattle industry.

On the second day, conference attendees visited the Wendy’s headquarters in Dublin, Ohio, where they sampled a new breakfast menu item and learned the history of the company and its rich connection to the beef industry.

Later in the day, participants engaged in a mini-Beef 509 session with Dr. Lyda Garcia, associate professor of meat science for The Ohio State University’s Department of Animal Sciences. During the interactive session, participants learned how meat is graded, the fabrication of wholesale and retail cuts, and other issues impacting beef quality and pricing.

“Not everybody has a chance to see the end product that they take such care in producing,” Harsh said. “So going through a meat science education program and learning about price value, relationship, quality, and yield grading are some of the things that Dr Garcia helps expose them to.” Participants also viewed the Grand and Reserve Champion beef carcasses from the 2023 Ohio State Fair.

Ohio Cattlemen’s Association (OCA) staff then discussed the value of membership, the role OCA has in the legislative and regulatory process, and the broad spectrum of association programs and benefits.

The afternoon was spent at the Ohio Statehouse where participants met with Rep. Rodney Creech (R-District 40), who serves as the chair of the House Agriculture Committee. He discussed current Ohio legislation affecting beef farmers and the agriculture industry. “The association is focused on business climate issues that impact the financial livelihood of our members,” Harsh said. “We want to expose folks to the public policy process and why it’s so important to get to know their elected officials and engage in that process.”

Rick Malir and Bonnie Coley-Malir, founders of City Barbeque, hosted participants the evening of day two and shared more about their agricultural roots and their passion for the beef industry.

Ohio Beef Council (OBC) staff opened the final day of the conference with a discussion focused on how OBC invests Beef Checkoff funds to grow beef demand while implementing promotional efforts in Ohio.

In addition, the director of grassroots advocacy and spokesperson development for NCBA, Chandler Mulvaney, led participants through a media training session that strengthened their communication skills, encouraged them to share their beef production stories, and helped them become more effective cattle industry leaders.

“This is always one event evaluated very highly by all the participants,” Harsh said. “We know today that consumers aren’t as connected to the farm. They have questions about how beef gets from pasture to plate and being able to have those participants tell their story and do that concisely and accurately is a skill.”

The conference was made possible through the support of program sponsors: Ag Credit, Farm Credit Mid-America, Ohio Beef Council, Ohio Soybean Council, and the Rick Malir & Bonnie Coley-Malir Beef Leadership Fund.