Steve Hanson (left) and Jerry Effertz will lead the Federation of State Beef Councils in 2016.
Steve Hanson, a cow/calf operator from Elsie, Neb., was elected chairman of the Federation of State Beef Councils during the 2016 Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show in San Diego, Calif., last week.
Elected vice chairman of the Federation was Jerry Effertz, a cow/calf operator from Velva, N.D. The Federation of State Beef Councils is the national home of state beef councils and a division of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), a contractor to the Beef Checkoff Program.
Hanson and his wife, Susan, operate a family farm and ranch in southwest Nebraska with their son, Nick, the fifth generation on the farm, feeding out calves they raise with grain grown on their operation. Hanson has been very active in both state and national industry organizations, serving on the checkoff’s Freedom to Operate Committee, Global Growth Committee and Evaluation Committee. He has served as the chairman of the Nebraska Beef Council, and on numerous local church and school boards. Hanson had previously served as the Federation’s vice chairman.
Effertz and his wife, Norma, operate Black Butte Acres Limousin Ranch, raising seedstock Limousin cattle and backgrounding feeder calves. To educate people about the cattle business and stewardship of the land, they also operate Black Butte Adventures, which includes hiking and biking trails as well as farm tours. Effertz, the third generation of his family to own and operate their farm and ranch, also served in leadership positions in state and national beef industry organizations, including the North Dakota Beef Commission, U.S. Meat Export Federation, and several beef checkoff committees.