Kent Bacus
Director of International Trade and Access - National Cattlemen's Beef Association, Washington, D.C. Kent is NCBA’s lead advocate on trade issues including NAFTA, restoring access to China, expanding access to Japan and other Pacific-Rim markets. In this position Kent works with Congress, the White House, and foreign governments to advance the U.S. beef industry’s trade priorities. Bacus previously served as the Associate Director of Legislative Affairs where he represented NCBA on tax, trade, and transportation issues. Kent joined NCBA in September 2010 after serving on several political campaigns in Texas and working for several years as the agriculture and appropriations legislative assistant to U.S. Senator Elizabeth Dole from North Carolina. Kent is originally from Wichita Falls, Texas, and holds a degree in history and political science from Texas Tech University. |
Heather Donley Director of Quality Assurance; Beef Marketing Group Heather is a farm girl from Minnesota who transplanted to Kansas after graduating from Kansas State with her Master’s Degree in Ruminant Nutrition. For the past 18 years, Heather has worked for the Beef Marketing Group (BMG), a cooperative of 16 feed yards in KS and NE, where she was instrumental in creating the Progressive Beef Quality Management System. Her passion for Progressive Beef includes not only working with the certified feed yards but also engaging with packers, end-users, retail, food service, and industry experts to strengthen Progressive Beef through verification and transparency. She also has experience managing many consumer driven programs such as Natural, GAP, Source & Age verification, and NHTC at the feed yards. Additionally, Heather oversees BMG’s social media efforts in order to share the story of the people who spend their days caring for Progressive Beef verified cattle. Heather and her husband Clint live on a cow-calf ranch with their four children; Michala, Will, Jodi and Kit. She enjoys spending her free time with her family and their activities such as 4H, wrestling, football, tumbling, volleyball, and ranch rodeos. |
Dr. Wayne Morgan
Corporate VP and President of Protein Products; Golden State Foods, Irvine, CA. Dr. Wayne Morgan currently serves as Corporate Vice President and the President of Protein Products for Golden State Foods (GSF), a diverse, $6.5 billion supplier to more than 125,000 restaurant chains and retail stores with food products and services. He is responsible for all protein related business activities for the company including transitioning the operations to a new facility in Opelika, Alabama. He serves on the Board of Directors for AgriFoods Global, McDonald’s North American Beef Council, Texas A&M Animal Science Advisory Council and is active with the Southwest Meat Association. Within Golden State Foods, Dr. Morgan has been a part of the company’s sustainability efforts for many years, helping to set standards and drive continuous improvements. In addition, he represents GSF on the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef and is on the Board of Directors for the US Roundtable for Sustainable Beef. Dr. Morgan also serves as a Director for the Golden State Foods Foundation whose mission is to help children and families in need. Dr. Morgan has a B.S. in Animal Science, M.S. in Animal Science (emphasis on Beef Cattle Production), and a Ph.D. in Animal Science (emphasis on Meat Science), all from Texas A&M University. |
Dr. Tom Noffsinger, DVM
Production Animal Consultation (PAC); Benkelman, NE Dr. Noffsinger is a practicing veterinarian from Benkelman, NE. He received his B.S. and DVM degrees from Colorado State University. Tom maintained a private practice until 2005, after which he began independently consulting with feedlots on health, facility design, and stockmanship programs. He is also a partner member with Cattle Performance Enhancement Co (CPEC), Pierson Precision Auscultation, and Production Animal Consultation. Dr. Noffsinger consultations focus on animal handling and staff development/training. Dr. Noffsinger grew up on a ranch in eastern Colorado, and married his wife Diane in 1970. They have two sons, Heath and Drew, who have families of their own. He enjoys ranching and traveling to Australia. |
Katelyn McCullock
Senior Economist; Livestock Marketing Information Center Katelyn has expertise in the cattle, hog, dairy, hay and grain sectors covering market analysis and outlook. Katelyn has published through a variety of channels market analysis, research, and new articles. She is has been a frequent presenter on the national and regional levels, as well as through rural media outlets. Prior to joining LMIC, Katelyn has worked in the Farm Credit System as well as in Washington, DC for American Farm Bureau Federation on livestock related agricultural policy topics. She has a masters in Agricultural Economics from Colorado State University and a bachelor of Science from the University of Maine. |