DENVER, CO – A South Dakota rancher will serve a leadership role on a committee that is responsible for developing policy from the Farm Bill to food safety.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) announced that Spearfish, S.D., rancher Eric Jennings will serve as vice chair of the organization’s Agriculture and Food Policy Committee.
“From his time as an agricultural instructor to his decades of work on his family ranch, Eric Jennings has seen firsthand how important it is to protect the ranching way of life,” said NCBA Policy Division Chair Kim Brackett. “Our policy committee leaders serve NCBA by helping us develop the association’s policy book—a collection of policy positions that guide NCBA’s advocacy in Washington, D.C. This grassroots policy process ensures that cattle producers are the ones making decisions on NCBA’s priorities. As vice chair, Eric will help NCBA protect key Farm Bill programs, invest in animal health initiatives, and strengthen the cattle industry for future generations.”
As a grassroots organization, NCBA policy committees provide a venue for cattle producers to discuss issues facing the cattle industry and pass policy resolutions that direct the association’s advocacy efforts in Washington, D.C. The Agriculture and Food Policy Committee has jurisdiction over the Farm Bill, transportation, labor, farm programs, nutrition, disaster relief, food safety, and related issues.
Jennings owns and operates his ranch along with his wife, Michelle. After graduating from South Dakota State University with a degree in agricultural education, he taught vocational agriculture in Lennox, S.D., before returning to his family’s ranch in 1988.
The ranch includes permitted grazing land in the Black Hills National Forest and along Spearfish Creek, which has made Jennings a passionate advocate for public lands grazing and responsible, sustainable land management.
Jennings is a current Lawrence County commissioner, president of the Spearfish Rural Fire Protection District, treasurer of the Black Hills Regional Multiple Use Coalition, and past president of the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association (SDCA).
“Eric Jennings has long been an advocate for the cattle industry and now he is using his experience to help guide the creation of our new Leadership Academy that will empower the next generation of advocates,” said SDCA Executive Director Taya Runyan. “The South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association is proud that our past president is now in a national leadership position to help advocate for policy that will benefit the entire cattle industry.”
Policy committee leaders serve a two-year term expiring at the end of 2026.
Initiated in 1898, NCBA is the oldest and largest national trade association representing America’s cattle farmers and ranchers.
