Todd Wilkinson, a South Dakota native, cow-calf producer and cattle feeder, became the new National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA)
president during the 2023 Cattle Industry Convention, held Jan. 31-Feb. 3 in
New Orleans. Wilkinson, along with his son, operates Wilkinson
Livestock in De Smet, South Dakota. He has also practiced law for almost
four decades. He also specializes in business transactions, estate planning
and probate, real estate matters and agricultural law.
“If you run into me across the country, one thing that I will say time
and again is, if you’re going to be in the industry, don't just talk the
talk, you need to walk the walk," Wilkinson said. "My philosophy going into this next year
is that I'm going to put on boxing gloves, and I'm going to be swinging
for the industry. I'm going to bring the same level of
passion that I bring for my own family and business to this
organization. I think it’s important to fight back and protect this
industry from the people who want to put us out of business. I also
think this is something that will unite cattle producers in the future.”
Wilkinson’s focus during his time as president will be pushing back on
issues that threaten the livelihoods of cattlemen and women across the
country, while also bringing people together to stand as a united front.
“Aside from the cost of doing business being a challenge for us right
now, I’m looking down the road at the regulatory environment that could
pose a real threat,” he said. “We have to unite on these big issues and
some common themes. If we don’t, we are going to get squished.”
Wilkinson will ensure that NCBA works to protect
its members from regulatory attacks under Waters of the U.S., the Endangered Species Act and emissions reporting, to name a few. The farm bill will be a significant focus for NCBA in the
coming year. The organization is working to secure the reauthorization of
animal health provisions and expand the accessibility and funding of
risk management and disaster relief programs – while protecting voluntary
conservation programs. Tax issues are also top of mind in the coming
year. Wilkinson’s expertise in this area was critical to backing down
harmful tax proposals from the Biden administration last year.
“Part of the reason that I'm doing this is to make sure that this
industry is here for my grandchildren and their grandchildren. I want
them to have the opportunity to come back on this piece of ground and
run cattle 100 years from now. I'm passionate about NCBA, and I won't back up an inch on my commitment to this organization. As
long as I am walking this earth, I want to make things a little bit
better, and NCBA is one of those ways that I think I can do that,” Wilkinson said.
—From an NCBA news release
