NCBA recognizes industry honorees during CattleCon 2026
Cattle producers, students and advocates were recognized as the “Best of Beef” through a variety of awards and scholarship programs during CattleCon 2026, held Feb. 3-5 in Nashville, Tenn.
ESAP Awards
The Environmental Stewardship Award Program (ESAP) annually recognizes outstanding stewardship practices and conservation achievements of cattle producers.
Wine Glass Ranch of Imperial, Neb. was announced as the 2025 ESAP national winner.
Jeff and Connie Pribbeno and their son and daughter-in-law Logan and Brianna Pribbeno own and operate Wine Glass Ranch, located in western Nebraska near the Colorado border.
The Pribbenos believe long-term care for their operation’s ecology translates to profitability, which is why they have married together the values of ranching for profit and environmental stewardship to make a living.
Wine Glass Ranch was selected from a list of 2025 regional honorees including Region One’s Whispering Hills Farm of Lawrenceburg, Ky.; Region Two’s M&D Overstreet Ranch of Kathleen, Fla.; Region Three’s Smith Family Farms of Bankston, Iowa; Region Four’s McFaddin Ranch of Victoria, Texas and Region Five’s G&G Livestock and Cathey Cattle Company of Polson, Mont.
ESAP is generously sponsored by companies and federal agencies which share the cattle industry’s commitment to caring for the environment and protecting natural resources.
Sponsors including the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, Corteva Agriscience, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Cattlemen’s Foundation partner with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) to promote environmental stewardship throughout the beef supply chain.
BQA Awards
The Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Awards, sponsored by Cargill and Sam’s Club, annually recognize outstanding beef and dairy producers, marketers and educators.
Winners not only demonstrate high-quality animal care and handling principles as part of their day-to-day operations, they also express a strong desire to continually improve their operations through BQA.
The 2026 honorees include East Foundation Ranches LLC of Hebbronville, Texas as the recipient of the Cow/Calf Award; Singing Brook Farms of Imler, Pa. as the recipient of the Dairy FARM Award; Ordway Cattle Feeders of Ordway, Colo. as the recipient of the Feedyard Award and Sysco Corporation of Houston, Texas as the recipient of the Marketer Award.
Jerry Yates of West Virginia University in Wardensville, W. Va. was honored with the Educator Award and Burt Rutherford, a freelance writer who formerly worked as the senior editor of BEEF Magazine, was the winner of the Greg Henderson Excellence in Agricultural Journalism Award, which recognizes agricultural journalists who exemplify the values Greg Henderson championed throughout his career.
W.D. Farr Scholarships
The W.D. Farr Scholarship, established in 2007, recognizes superior achievement in academics and leadership and allows graduate students to further their study in fields benefiting the cattle and beef industry.
Each $15,000 scholarship recognizes outstanding students who plan to pursue careers in furthering the beef industry.
The 2025 recipients are University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) Student Shelley Curry of Kennard, Texas and Colorado State University Student Sydney Bowman-Schnug of Fort Lupton, Colo.
CME Group Beef Industry Scholarships
Ten students pursuing careers in the beef industry were awarded $1,500 scholarships by the National Cattlemen’s Foundation.
The CME Group Beef Industry Scholarship program recognizes talented and thoughtful students emerging as industry leaders.
The 2026 CME Group Beef Industry Scholarship recipients include Iowa State University Student Grant Boyd of Leon, Iowa; Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture Student Shay Burian of Manning, N.D.; Texas Tech University Student Natalie Dietrich of Lubbock, Texas; UNL Students John Garcia of Baker City, Ore. and Nathan Rippe of Indianola, Neb.; South Dakota State University Student Olivia Hadrick of Faulkton, S.D.; Iowa State University Student Luke McCrea of Maysville, Mo.; University of Missouri-Columbia Student Gavin Rhode of Stewartsville, Mo.; Kansas State University Student Emma Whitlock of Milan, Mo. and William Kemp of Bishop, Calif.
Folds of Honor Scholarship
Folds of Honor provides life-changing scholarships to the spouses and children of America’s fallen or disabled military and first responders.
One of the Folds of Honor Scholarship recipients is Erica Wells-Kleman who is pursuing a degree in animal science at Oklahoma State University’s Ferguson School of Agriculture.
Erica’s mother, U.S. Army Sergeant Joyce Wells-Kleman, served her country as a medical specialist for more than 11 years.
Beef Checkoff Visionary Award
The Beef Checkoff Visionary Award recognizes an individual in the beef industry who has demonstrated exemplary support of and commitment to the checkoff’s goals and vision.
The 2025 honoree is Anne Ilse Anderson of Austin, Texas.
Anderson and her husband Jim own a cow/calf operation in the Texas Hill Country, combining a deep passion for agriculture with a global business perspective.
Anderson began her career as a clinical dietitian and educator before fully transitioning into agricultural leadership. Since then, she has dedicated more than four decades to advancing the beef industry through innovation and mentorship.
National Golden Spur Award
The National Golden Spur Award and the Ranching Heritage Association (RHA) Working Cowboy Award are prestigious honors given by the ranching and livestock industries.
Annually, the Western community comes together to recognize the inspiring honorees of these accolades through the National Golden Spur Award.
The recipient of the 47th National Golden Spur Award is Jan Lyons of Lyons Ranch in Manhattan, Kan.
The Seventh RHA Working Cowboy Award Western Division recipient is Jeff Bilberry of Singleton Ranches in Kenna, N.M., while the Seventh RHA Working Cowboy Award Eastern Division recipient is Tom Moorhouse of Moorhouse Ranch in Benjamin, Texas.
American National CattleWomen Awards
American National CattleWomen (ANCW) honors distinguished women who demonstrate skills and devotion to reaching new audiences with creative and unique messages about beef.
Those chosen for the 2026 awards have made an impact by telling their beef story.
This year, the Outstanding Cattlewoman of the Year Award was given to Leanna Spratling of Spring Creek, Nev.; the Outstanding Educator Award was given to Laurie Munns of Hansel Valley, Utah and the Outstanding Promoter Award was given to Connie Tabor of Agra, Okla.
ANCW Collegiate Beef Advocates
Shaping and supporting young beef advocates and emerging leaders for the beef cattle industry is the priority of ANCW’s Collegiate Beef Advocacy Program.
This program provides resources and opportunities for students to use their unique strengths and passions to connect with consumers and peers as they promote beef.
Advocates honored this year include Natalie Dietrich of Texas Tech University, Kara Tifft of Tarleton State University and Rachel Wandell of the University of Idaho.
NCBA has represented America’s cattle producers since 1898, preserving the heritage and strength of the industry through education and public policy. As the largest association of cattle producers, NCBA works to create new markets and increase demand for beef. For more information, visit ncba.org.
