I have stewarded the Integrity Beef Alliance for over a decade from a fledgling start-up to a nationally recognized, award winning cattle marketing organization. During this time, I developed and launched two new marketing programs: Integrity Beef Premier Replacement Female Program, and Integrity Beef Legacy Program. Partnered with McDonalds, Tyson Meats, Golden State Foods, and Beef Marketing Group (ILS) to conduct the first recognized United States Round Table for Sustainable Beef pilot project. Under my direction, Integrity Beef became the first cow/calf organization to be recognized in the producer segment of the USRSB. I grew the organization from a small regional footprint to national level and co-authored a $30M USDA Climate Smart Commodity Grant.

For nearly 20 years here I melded technical expertise and strategic leadership to help grow Noble and its mission to help owners and managers steward land and animal resources to excellence. I advised producers one-on-one on positioning their 5 to 100K acres of pasture and thousands of head of livestock for land stewardship, resilience, efficiency, and profitability. I elevated the foundation’s visibility and industry credibility with a steady stream of articles, presentations, and thought leadership.➥ Created Noble Business Essentials and Noble Business Education Roadmap with the Noble Business Team, a suite of educational products central to the company meeting its goal of impacting and demonstrating profitability for 64K producers on 184M acres by 2040. Led a team of seasoned advisors in identifying products and topics that included Business Plans, Goals Development, Enterprise Budgets, Enterprise Analysis, Determining Best Mix of Enterprise Diversity, Cash Flow Statements, Balance Sheet, Risk Management, Marketing, Estate and Succession Planning, and Employee Management. ➥ Leveraged a deep background in nutrition and cattle genetics to help producers see and seize opportunities to stay profitable and better manage livestock resources, improving their understanding of synchronizing calving season with forage availability and the judicious use of inputs. ➥ Maintained heavy committee involvement both inside and external to Noble. Grew the organization reputation with a range of industry participation, strategic planning, hiring and mentoring, and ongoing technology enhancements.➥ Prioritizing teamwork and the cross-pollination of ideas, supervised 15 animal science interns and onboarded 12+ new hires. ➥ Presented regionally and nationally on livestock-related topics. Responded to interview requests from regional and national media.

In this role I consulted with 30+ Southern Great Plains ranchers annually on making their ranches more sustainable and profitable through regenerative practices. ➥ Supported producers in making DNA-enhanced, EPD genetic selection decisions culminating in replacement bull and female purchases of more than $250K. The 3,000+ head of calves from those ranches tallied an estimated market sale value of $5M+ for three production years. ➥ Identified areas of improvement in pasture management and stewardship that reduced dependency on input use, reduced erosion, and enhanced the water-holding capacity of soil. Made recommendations and created cover crop blends improving soil health and increasing forage availability. ➥ Served as committee chair for the Institutional IACUC committee and oversaw AAALAC compliance.➥ Served on the Foundation for Food Animal Research (F-FAR) International Consortium for Antimicrobial Stewardship in ➥ Served as the Principal Investigator validating the Vytelle (GrowSafe) weighing system. Publication title: “Accuracy of the Vytelle SenseTM In-Pen Weighing Positions.”

I joined Noble to provide consultation on meeting the nutritional needs of range cows, preconditioning calves, growing replacement heifers/bulls, stocker cattle, range goats, and sheep. I educated livestock producers on using genomic data and EPDs for replacement cattle, herd health, pasture management, soil health and marketing and ranch business practices. I conducted and documented some of the early research on internal parasite resistance in beef cattle. ➥ Facilitated the purchase of $5.7M in replacement bulls and females with an estimated $91M economic impact in subsequent calves. Worked extensively one-on-one with landowners and livestock producers to create more efficient and profitable livestock production systems incorporating the use of cattle, goats, and sheep. ➥ Delivered 210+ presentations nationally and internationally, a recognized speaker on the range of cattle nutrition, herd health, BQA, genetics, ranch business management, pasture management, advocacy, soil health, and small ruminants. ➥ Created numerous online tools and calculators to facilitate producer decision points. Published 11 research articles and abstracts. Authored, was quoted in, or interviewed for 350+ industry or popular press articles.

I managed the daily operations and staff of the 115-acre site home to the state’s fifth-largest livestock show and PRCA rodeo. I liaised with the city, county, and state officials, contracted attorneys, and large Board of Directors, overseeing 6 year-round staff, 30 part-timers, 350+ volunteers, and 30+ committees comprised of diverse personalities and motivations. ➥ Doubled the length of the livestock show to 10 days and extended the two-day unsanctioned rodeo to a five-day PRCA event. Increased overall attendance to 175K+ and grew the annual budget to $2M+.➥ Served as Construction Manager and point of contact with the U.S. Economic Development Administration for a $3.4M multi-purpose event center building project. Negotiated contracts for facility expansion and maintenance.➥ Authored grant proposals, awarded $1.5M by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration.➥ Promoted the annual livestock show and facilities, and negotiated off-season events, working closely with Cooperative Extension Service County Agents, 4-H Club Managers, and Agriculture Science Teachers and FFA Chapters.➥ Edited, published, and distributed the annual livestock show catalog and rule book.➥ Coordinated media and advertising for annual livestock show and rodeo.

In this layered role I managed logistics for three beef research sites across the state, bringing operational and digital savvy to enhance the work of the Department of Animal Science in both research and administration. During this time, I worked on my doctoral degree, taught sections of three classes, built and coached a sanctioned rodeo team for the school as well. ➥ Coordinated timely beef cattle nutrition research with professors, students, and farm managers, training and supervising eight undergraduate lab workers. Provided technical, statistical, and research assistance for 20+ studies and maintained the beef cattle section IACUC Committee and accreditation requirements. ➥ Served as principal researcher for a six-year ultrasound cattle carcass composition study. Conducted research on early-weaning management strategies of calves and feeding of steers and cull cows to optimize profits. Also executed as principal in implementing an electronic identification system.➥ Authored $175K in successful grant proposals as well as protocols and related correspondence for research trials.➥ Conducted laboratory analyses, including chromic oxide concentration, Kjeldahl analysis, Acid Detergent Fiber, Neutral Detergent Fiber, dry matter, organic matter, acid insoluble ash, proximate analysis of muscle samples, purine analysis, milk urea nitrogen, milk-other solids, bomb calorimetry, liquid dilution and particulate passage rates, volatile fatty acid composition, and glucose concentration.➥ Presented at the Illinois Beef 2000 symposiums, also sharing research findings with producers at field days, symposiums, and Midwestern and National Animal Science Association meetings.➥ Developed a computer program to catalog 250+ lots for the annual Illinois Performance Tested Bull Sale. Developed the Annual Sale Catalog. Managed the annual sale web page and helped develop the Department of Animal Sciences web site. Maintained digital records for purebred Angus and Simmental herds.