Tuesday December 23 Ag News - 2026 Feedlot Roundtable in WP - Uden becomes President of NE Cattlemen - NC Recognizes Wehrbein, Benes - BQA/BQAT in Beemer - EQIP Deadline Jan 15 - and more!

2026 Beef Feedlot Roundtable Series

The 2026 Beef Feedlot Roundtable Series is an event that you won’t want to miss! We encourage feedlot owners, managers, employees, and allied industry to join Nebraska Extension February 17-19 as we dive into a series of timely topics covering feedlot management. 

The program will include: 
    Maximizing calf gain in the backgrounding phase with Dr. Jim MacDonald, Professor of Ruminant Nutrition, UNL 
    Managing cattle health from feedlot arrival to finish with Dr. Dan Thomson and Dr. Jacob Hagenmaier, Production Animal Consultation 
    University of Nebraska-Lincoln research highlights with Dr. Galen Erickson, Professor of Ruminant Nutrition, UNL
    New World Screwworm: What feedlots need to know with Dr. Matt Hille, Diagnostic pathologist at Nebraska Veterinary Diagnostic Center, UNL
    Beef Cattle Market Outlook with Dave Weaber, Terrain (Farm Credit)

Join us from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. The cost is $20 paid at the door via cash or check. Lunch will be provided. Please pre-register to help with meal count. 
    February 17th in Bridgeport, NE, at the Prairie Winds Community Center (428 N Main St, Bridgeport) 
    February 18th in Gothenburg, NE, at the Bayer Water Utilization Learning Center (76268 NE-47, Gothenburg)
    February 19th in West Point, NE, at the Nielsen Community Center (200 Anna Stalp Ave, West Point)

Pre-registration is requested by Friday, February 13th, and can be completed online at: https://go.unl.edu/2026roundtable.  

For more information, contact Dr. Galen Erickson. Email: gerickson4@nebraska.edu 



Craig Uden Starts Term as President of Nebraska Cattlemen

During their Annual Business Meeting, the Nebraska Cattlemen (NC) membership elected Craig Uden to serve as president.

Craig stated, "When it comes to the beef cattle industry, there will always be issues to solve. The true meaning of sustainability is learning and adapting to the challenges we face.We must come together to solve the important issues and educate producers in order for our business to thrive. I look forward to tackling industry issues with like-minded people over the next year."

A fourth-generation cattleman from Johnson Lake, Nebraska, Craig Uden has always been active in helping shape the ever-challenging and changing beef industry. Craig is a partner in Darr Feedlot Inc., a commercial cattle feeding operation in central Nebraska. Craig and his wife, Terri, also own and manage three commercial cow-calf operations. He believes in giving back to an industry that has been good to him, and while he has stepped aside from the day-to-day management, he still enjoys buying and selling cattle and his customer relations title, because it is the relationships that are built in the cattle industry that make this business so rewarding. People work toward a common goal to improve and learn so that their industry is sustainable for future generations.

Craig and Terri have a daughter, Blair, who is involved in agribusiness and her and husband own a registered Red Angus operation and help oversee the family cow-calf operation. His son, Andrew, and his wife reside in Seward, Nebraska, and Andrew works with his own high tech animal information company. Craig graduated from the University of Nebraska. He has been involved with the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) since the mid-1980s and has served on several committees throughout the organization. Craig served as NCBA President in 2017; he had previously served as the President-elect, Policy Division Chairman and Federation Division Chairman. He has been involved in a number of functions on a local and state basis, including past chairman and elder of Trinity Lutheran Church in Lexington, Nebraska, member and past chair of the Dawson County Cattlemen, and a 4-H leader. Along with serving on the Nebraska Beef Council, the Nebraska Cattlemen Research & Education Foundation, and the Nebraska Feedlot Council, Craig has served on the Nebraska Cattlemen Board of Directors as a committee chairman and vice chairman, vice president, and president-elect. Craig is also a member of Nebraska Ag Builders and sits on the Foundation Board of Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity.

Craig Uden began his one-year term as Nebraska Cattlemen President on Friday, December 12, 2025.



Wehrbein Receives Highest Honor Awarded by Nebraska Cattlemen

Nebraska Cattlemen is proud to announce Buck Wehrbein as the 2025 Nebraska Cattlemen Hall of Fame Award recipient for his exemplary leadership and service to the beef cattle industry.

The Hall of Fame Award is the highest honor Nebraska Cattlemen can give one of its members. The Nominations Committee selects members based on their contribution to the beef industry, contribution to the Nebraska Cattlemen organization, community and civic contributions, and their cattle business accomplishments.

Executive vice president Laura Field stated, “From Nebraska to NCBA, Buck Wehrbein has been a champion for the beef cattle industry wherever he goes. He has served his fellow producers with the highest character and his leading by example spirit makes him most deserving of inclusion in the Nebraska Cattlemen Hall of Fame.”

Buck Wehrbein said, "I am profoundly humbled by this honor. While I feel unworthy, to be granted this by my fellow producers means the world to me. Praise God."

Background
Buck Wehrbein grew up in eastern Nebraska on a farm raising cattle, hogs and chickens. Wehrbein has managed custom feedlots in Nebraska and Texas since 1984 while feeding his own cattle since 1980. He worked outside Amarillo on a custom feedlot for many years before moving back to Nebraska.  

Wehrbein has been active in the beef industry and served as both chairman and treasurer for the Nebraska Beef Council. He also served on the Beef Promotion Operating Committee. He participated in Young Cattlemen’s Conference in 1993.  

Wehrbein and his wife Sandy have been married 53 years and have three children (two living), seven grandchildren (six living), and eleven great-grandchildren (ten living).



Nebraska Cattlemen Posthumously Awards Myron R. Benes with the 2025 Industry Service Award

The Nebraska Cattlemen posthumously awarded Myron R. Benes with the 2025 Industry Service Award during the Nebraska Cattlemen Annual Awards Banquet.

The Nebraska Cattlemen Industry Service Award recognizes the contribution of individuals who have gone above and beyond to support agriculture.

Kevin Benes stated, “We’re very honored for dad to get this award. Working around cattle was his life. He did a lot of incredible things behind the scenes that no one got to see. Our family is humbled to accept this award on his behalf.” 

Nebraska Cattlemen executive vice president Laura Field said, “His devotion to cattle and kids through volunteering in local cattlemen’s groups and 4-H and FFA programs prove Myron Benes’ dedication, love and service for the cattle industry. We are pleased to honor him with the Industry Service Award and encourage others to adopt his kind and generous spirit.”

Background
Myron R. Benes passed away on November 3, 2022, at his home in Albion, NE. He was 69 years old.

Myron was born on January 4, 1953, in Lincoln, NE. Before graduating from Bishop Neumann High School in Wahoo, NE, Myron enlisted in the Army National Guard in 1970 and served for seven years before returning to his family’s farm in Valparaiso.

It wasn’t much longer before he and his brother Melvin met a man by the name of Jim Wolf, whom they would show cattle for. Wolf encouraged Myron to move to Albion to work for him. Myron specialized in sales consulting with breeding programs for the Wolf family and Wagonhammer Ranch. He was an active member member of many cattle organizations, including Boone-Nance Cattlemen, Nebraska Cattlemen, American Angus Association, Simmental Association, Charolais Association, and Nebraska Elite Beef.

Myron and his wife, Karen (Stevens), raised two sons and were active in their community. He particularly enjoyed helping his boys and grandchildren with their show cattle, along with many other kids in 4-H and FFA.



BQA and BQA Transportation Training - Beemer

Nebraska Beef Quality Assurance will be offering Beef Quality Assurance and Beef Quality Assurance Transportation Certifications.

Wednesday, January 21, 2026 
5:00 pm central time
Riverside Headquarters, 106 S Main St, Beemer

Attendees must RSVP by pre-registering online below or by calling 308-633-0158

Personal Information - Beemer 2026 Nebraska BQA Registration
https://web.cvent.com/event/dbdbb12c-18a7-48e7-b320-91292036badc/regProcessStep1

Cuming County Feeders will be grilling burgers following the training.




Order Your 2026 Nutrient Recordkeeping Calendars
Leslie Johnson | UNL Animal Manure Management Extension Educator

The 2026 Nutrient Management Calendars are available for pre-order from the Nebraska Extension. This easy-to-use record keeping calendar tracks manure-related records for livestock and cropping operations. It serves as a guide for livestock operations that are required by the State of Nebraska to keep records. It was designed to be used by all sizes of livestock operations and includes all records required for operations permitted for the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). 

Whether you have 2 head or 200 thousand head, this calendar can help you keep records of your manure handling and the weather that affects its application on the land, as well as yield and fertility records for those fields.

Part of the calendar’s record keeping tools includes tracking manure application rates, which is important for getting the maximum crop nutrient value from manure and documenting one’s environmental stewardship.

It has been approved by the Nebraska Department of Water, Energy and Environment (DWEE) and recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a valuable resource for livestock producers. Thanks to sponsors, it is available at no cost to livestock producers by contacting Leslie Johnson or DWEE.

To request a calendar on-line, go to https://water.unl.edu/manure/RequestCalendar. If you have a previous calendar, you may also mail in the postcard found inside the calendar to get your 2027 calendar. If you have any questions about the calendar or suggestions for future calendars, contact Leslie Johnson, Animal Manure Management Extension Educator.



Nationwide CSP, EQIP application deadline set for Jan. 15

Farmers and ranchers interested in signing up for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) have until Jan. 15 to submit initial paperwork.

Although the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) programs allow for continuous sign-up, the agency is implementing this national batching period to ensure producers have access to funding and support following the government shutdown.

Administered by NRCS, CSP and EQIP provide financial and technical assistance for producers implementing conservation practices while maintaining agricultural production.

“CSP and EQIP are voluntary programs designed to help producers meet their conservation goals while maintaining their bottom lines,” said Andrew Tonnies, policy associate with the Center for Rural Affairs. “The financial support provided through these programs is especially important given the tight profit margins producers are facing.”

CSP is designed to reward producers for new and existing conservation activities across an entire operation. To be eligible, applicants must demonstrate they are currently addressing priority resource concerns on their farm or ranch and a willingness to implement additional practices.

EQIP offers assistance for single practices or projects to help producers address a particular resource concern. Several structural practices, such as terraces, can be funded through EQIP as well.

Through both programs, the applying producer will develop a conservation plan with support from local NRCS staff to ensure the implemented practices benefit natural resources and meet the applicant’s conservation goals.

Clay Govier, a corn and soybean producer from Broken Bow, Nebraska, has used CSP and EQIP to help implement no-till practices, cover crops, and nutrient management, and install moisture meters.

“CSP and EQIP have been great programs to help cover some of the cost of adopting practices that have an upfront expense, but a long-term benefit,” Govier said. “The local NRCS office has been helpful and easy to work with to develop a conservation plan that works for my farm.”

Farmers interested in applying for either program are encouraged to contact their local NRCS office. Applications for the recently launched Regenerative Pilot Program will also be accepted during this time. A list of local offices can be found at nrcs.usda.gov/contact/find-a-service-center.



Pillen Temporarily Waives Regulations for Truckers Hauling Heating Fuels Used for Residential Heat

Due to increased demand for heating products across the Midwest and resulting challenges in timely access to heating fuel, Governor Jim Pillen has issued an executive order to provide emergency relief.  

The executive order temporarily waives federal hours-of-service requirements for commercial motor vehicle drivers hauling residential heating fuels, heating oils, or fuel used to generate power for residential heat into or within the State of Nebraska. The waiver applies only to vehicles transporting these essential heating fuels.

Drivers operating under this order should keep a copy with them. The Governor’s order (25-17) is effective immediately and will remain so through January 3, 2026, at 11:59 p.m.



Six Individuals Appointed to NPB Board of Directors 

The National Pork Board (NPB) welcomes five appointees to serve a three-year term ending in June 2028, and one appointee to serve a two-year term ending in June 2027. 

Congratulations to the following producer leaders: 
•    Chad Groves, Kansas
•    Jessica Stevens, Ohio
•    Paul Ayers, Illinois
•    Dwight Mogler, Iowa
•    John Rauser, Montana
•    Jeremy Burkett, Wyoming (Two-Year Term)

The National Pork Board is comprised of 15 pork producers or importers, nominated by Pork Act Delegates at the National Pork Forum and appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.

The board collects National Pork Checkoff funds and uses those dollars for promotion, research and consumer information projects and programs to enhance U.S. pork and pork product marketing.

“NPB is a producer-led, consumer-driven organization that judiciously invests Pork Checkoff dollars to do what’s best for pigs, people and the planet,” says David Newman, CEO of NPB. “Our board of directors generously dedicates their time and talents to serve U.S. pork producers and keep us focused on and accountable to our three-year strategic plan. We look forward to partnering with our board and producer-leaders from across the country to drive the pork industry forward, together.”  

Thank you to the following producer leaders for their dedicated service to the U.S. pork industry as they end their term: 
•    Alayne Johnson, Indiana
•    Bill Luckey, Nebraska 
•    Bob Ruth, Pennsylvania

As a catalyst and connector to add value and build trust among those who produce, process, sell and consume pork worldwide, NPB values state and national producer involvement to navigate an ever-changing future. Learn more about the National Pork Board at porkcheckoff.org. 



November Milk Production in the United States up 4.5 Percent

Milk production in the United States during November totaled 18.8 billion pounds, up 4.5 percent from November 2024. Production per cow in the United States averaged 1,963 pounds for November, 41 pounds above November 2024. The number of milk cows on farms in the United States was 9.57 million head, 211,000 head more than November 2024, but unchanged from October 2025.



Dairy Market Report - DECEMBER 2025

Falling milk prices spurred largely by an imbalance between milkfat supply and demand have continued in recent months and may continue into 2026.

U.S. fluid milk sales in October were just 0.1% lower than a year earlier. Total domestic commercial use of milkfat was down moderately from a year earlier during June-August, while total skim solids use rose by 3%. U.S. exports of butter and American-type cheese were up by triple-digit percentages during July-September. Total U.S. milkfat production grew by 5.5% from a year earlier during August-October, almost two percentage points faster than liquid milk production during the same period. U.S. cheddar cheese production rose 3.2% year-over-year during August-October, down considerably from its 8.8% annual growth rate during May-July.

Prices for cheese, nonfat dry milk and dry whey showed moderate changes from September to November, but butter prices dropped by over $0.40/lb during the same period. Overall retail price inflation ticked down to a 2.7% year-over-year gain in November, while average retail dairy product prices dropped by 1.6% that month. The DMC margin dropped by $1/cwt from August to October, to $10.52/cwt, mostly on a drop of $0.90/cwt in the all-milk price, to $20/cwt.

Read full report here:  https://www.nmpf.org/dmr-december-2025/.  



USDA Issues Permit for Santa’s Reindeer to Enter the United States

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) today issued a transit permit to Mr. S. Nicholas Claus of the North Pole, a distributor with Gifts and Good Cheer, Inc. The permit will allow reindeer to enter and exit the United States between the hours of 6 p.m. on Dec. 24, 2025, and 6 a.m. on Dec. 25, 2025, local time, through or over any U.S. border port.

"USDA is delighted to grant Mr. Claus and his reindeer a special permit to enter the United States, ensuring a seamless journey for the joy they bring each holiday season," said Dudley Hoskins, Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs. "We extend a warm welcome to Mr. Claus and recognize the vital role of U.S. whole milk and cookies in fueling his festive flight."

Veterinary officials ensured the reindeer met all entry requirements before issuing the permit. Dr. Rosemary Sifford, USDA’s Chief Veterinary Officer, stated: “At a recent inspection, the reindeer were found to be healthy and able to prance and paw with each hoof.”

It was noted on the health certificate that one reindeer, Rudolph, has a minor physical anomaly. However, APHIS indicated that Rudolph’s red nose, while bright, was normal for him and not a concern.

APHIS regulates the movement of cervids, including reindeer, to protect the health of America’s livestock population. The permitting process provides assurance that only healthy animals enter the United States.

USDA has confirmed that the reindeer will arrive pulling a wooden sleigh with jingling bells attached, filled with brightly wrapped gifts. Port personnel will clean and disinfect the runners and underside of the sleigh at the time of entry. They will also conduct a short visual inspection of the reindeer. Mr. Claus has been asked to disinfect his boots and thoroughly wash his hands. These measures are intended to prevent the entry of any livestock diseases the team may encounter during deliveries to farms and houses around the world prior to entering the United States.

Mr. Claus also provided an advance list of what port personnel should expect upon their arrival. This includes a variety of food items, all of which come from approved locations and none of which pose a threat to U.S. animal or plant health.

“It’s important that Gifts and Good Cheer, Inc. take all the right steps and precautions to protect against the potential introduction of pests and diseases,” explained Mr. Claus. “I appreciate USDA’s assistance every year as we gear up for our big night.”

Whatever you celebrate this time of year, USDA wishes you a joyful and healthy season filled with meaningful traditions and celebrations.