KCA Board of Directors Transitions, Elects New Officers for 2019-2020
On April 17th the KCA Board of Directors met with newly elected board members Brian Stewart, John Ney, and Daryl Larson and thanked outgoing members Shawn Mills, David Murphy and Perry Owens for their terms of service to the board. The election of new officers took place with Greg Davis as President, Tony Anderson as Vice-President and Nicole Pfrang as Treasurer.
John Ney has been a member of KCA for many years, previously serving on the board of directors as President. As the third generation of a farming family, John grew up in Hanston, Kansas on his parent’s cow/calf and stocker farm. They raised dryland wheat and milo in addition to the livestock. John served on the Hanston School Board for 16 years, Economic Development for Hodgeman County, City Councilman, Farm Bureau and various church related committees. Ney believes producer involvement with industry issues is a key hurdle to overcoming the many challenges we face as independent producers. John continuously supports youth entrance into the industry via part-time jobs and mentoring. Volatility in the market, large capital investments, lack of competition, and special interests are not just barriers to entry, but are challenges to the entire industry.
Daryl Larson has been a member and supporter of the Kansas Cattlemen’s Association since its inception. He has previously served as a member of the Board of Directors and has been a regular, active member in policy development throughout the years. Larson is a life-long resident of McPherson County, and has been farming and ranching for over 46 years. He currently resides in McPherson, Kansas on his family farm founded in 1925 by his Grandpa Larson. He and his wife Velita have a grown son and have been life-long members of the New Gottland Lutheran Church outside of McPherson. He is the chairman of the Rural Water District #2 and regularly volunteers for the local VFW each month serving food for fundraisers. Daryl feels that Country of Origin Labeling, the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, and Packer Consolidation are important issues requiring attention by KCA.
Brian Stewart was born and raised on a farm/ranch north of Bronson, KS in Bourbon county. Upon graduation from high school, Brian went on to earn an Associates of Applied Science in Electrical Technology. He and his family currently operate a cow/calf operation as well as a small starter yard. He has been married to his wife, Megan, for 18 years and they have five boys ages 4 to 15. Stewart has served as a USD 235 board member for 2 years and on the Bourbon County Rural Water District #4 for 10 years. Brian feels that the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef and the Cattle Trace Identification program are issues he would like the board to focus on.
Greg Davis, elected Board President, was born and raised on a ranch in West Texas. After attending college in Texas, Greg took a position with Iowa Beef and later moved to Kansas to work for Tyson. After the plant closed part of its operations, Greg, along with his wife Carla and son Sam, decided to plant roots in Madison, Kansas. Greg now owns and operates RanchLand Feed, a successful feed and seed business and livestock operation. He holds more than 20 years of sales management experience and previously served on the Kansas State Extension Advisory Board.
Prior to his elected three-year term on the KCA Board of Directors in 2017, Davis, a six-year KCA member sponsored regional meetings in the south and southeastern region of Kansas and helped launch the concept of developing the Kansas Cattlemen’s Beef Cooperative (KCBC). He is most concerned with regulatory challenges and marketing transparency within the cattle industry. Greg and his wife Carla are passionate about youth in agriculture and helping to grow the industry with young producers. They believe in supporting education in agriculture, Cattlemen’s College and industry experiences are important for growth.
Tony Anderson, elected Board Vice-President, was born and raised in Farlington, Kansas. After graduating with dual engineering degrees from Pittsburg State University, he returned to his family farm operation to continue the legacy started by his great-grandparents in 1867. He, along with his wife, Tammy, raise their son Tyler on the family farm and instill in him the same strong set of values.
Currently, he runs a cow/calf operation, and markets and sells them on the open market, not as captive supply. Anderson previously served as Vice-President of the KCA Board of Directors from April 2013 to April 2016.
As a long-term KCA member, he believes KCA should maintain its original mission and create marketing opportunities. He is dedicated to the growth of membership and continues to work on ensuring KCA advocates for transparency and reform of the Beef Checkoff system and more accountability of Checkoff dollars.
Nicole Pfrang, elected Board Secretary and Treasurer, is a rancher in Nemaha county. Pfrang is a graduate from Kansas State University with a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science – Production Management. Pfrang grew up on her family’s ranch with her parents David and Ginny. She has been a KCA fixture, having attended nearly all KCA conventions, and often volunteers with KCA events across the state.