Todd Wilkinson is Ready to Stand Up for the Beef Industry

the things that I feel need to be changed. When I saw what can happen if you get both feet into it, I was committed and haven’t looked back since. I don’t regret a minute of all the hours I’ve spent in volunteer leadership,” Wilkinson said.

Now, Wilkinson steps into his biggest role of all, president of NCBA.

“I enjoy going into the different regions of the country, meeting new people, and hearing new perspectives and ideas. 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 think that the regulatory challenges that we’re going to face in the next couple of years are going to be daunting,” Wilkinson said. “I’m anything but a pacifist, so if this membership wanted to elect a guy that’s going to be ornery, well they’ve succeeded. 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 that want to put us out of business.”

Wilkinson’s focus during his time as president is going to be pushing back on issues that threaten the livelihoods of cattlemen and women across the country while 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 to us,” he said. “We have to unite on these big issues and some common themes. If we don’t, we are going to get squished.”

When it comes to protecting his family, community and livelihood, Todd Wilkinson isn’t willing to back down. The same goes for the cattle industry as he takes the helm of NCBA this year. The son of a Marine Corps Master Sergeant, it’s ingrained in Wilkinson to stand up for what is right and what he believes in. His vision for the future is to unite the beef industry on issues that could impact all producers, and make sure those trying to put farmers and ranchers out of business understand the force they’re up against.

Although the town of De Smet, South Dakota, is probably best known for Laura Ingalls Wilder who wrote the bestselling series ‘Little House on the Prairie’, it’s also home to Wilkinson and his family, who together own a cow-calf and feedyard business.

Wilkinson’s dad is the reason his family is involved in agriculture, and his first venture into the cattle business was feeding heifers through the winter as a nine-year-old. His payment was a heifer calf and from that he built a cow herd. The family operation has evolved over the years. In the early 1990s, they added a feedyard to the business and a backgrounding facility followed. Now, Wilkinson’s son is back on the operation and, together, they run between 250 to 300 cows and a backgrounding and finishing facility for Wilkinson Livestock.

While Wilkinson has been rooted in the beef business his entire life, he’s also pursued other interests. He went to college and played football while studying for a law degree. Wilkinson has practiced law for almost four decades and specializes in business transactions, estate planning and probate, real estate matters, and agricultural law.

“The area that I have developed a little bit of a niche for is agriculture matters and estate work. I work with producers in multiple states dealing with things that a lot of producers will recognize, like confined animal feeding operation permitting, farmland trusts and estate setups, and succession planning for farmers and ranchers; so, my clientele consists of people that I thoroughly enjoy working with,” Wilkinson said. “The running joke in my family is, I try to make enough money on the law side so I can lose it on the cattle side. Sometimes there’s more reality in that than you would think, but it’s been good balance for me in terms of being able to bring assets to our operation that allow us to grow.”

Over the years, Wilkinson has been heavily involved in local, state and national leadership roles, including serving as president of the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association. Having been a part of the agriculture industry his entire life, Wilkinson knew he wanted to have a voice in the beef industry’s decisionmaking process.

“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. I have made it a commitment of mine to be very involved in trying to change

Wilkinson will make sure NCBA works to protect the cattle industry from regulatory attacks under Waters of the United States, the Endangered Species Act and emissions reporting, to name a few. The Farm Bill will be a large focus for NCBA in the coming year as the organization works to secure reauthorization of animal health provisions, expanding the accessibility and funding of risk management and disaster relief programs and protecting voluntary conservation programs. Tax issues are also top of mind in the coming year and Wilkinson’s expertise in this area was critical to backing down harmful tax proposals from the Biden administration last year.

Another focus for NCBA in the coming year is ensuring the industry is prepared for the threat of a crippling cattle disease outbreak and protecting the health and welfare of cattle herds. One focus for Wilkinson during his time as president will be traceability because he knows that a foreign disease outbreak could devastate the beef industry.

“Putting a tag in the ear of that breeding cow and being able to quickly find and identify that cow in the event of a disease outbreak could save my herd. And I want to save my cow herd because that’s the future of my operation. Every producer should be willing to do that to protect their herd. I don’t look at foreign animal disease traceability as a negative. I view it as an insurance policy to have some viability for the future.”

While his role as NCBA president, cattle operation and law practice will take up most of his time in the coming year, Wilkinson will always find time to give back to his community. One way he’ll do that is by continuing his work with the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Foundation to put on the Prime Time Gala. This annual event raises money to provide beef to food insecure families throughout the state.

“We’re coming up on the 10th year of that event and, over the course of those 10 years, we’ve raised more than $1.4 million. The funding goes to support all the food pantries in the state of South Dakota, and we made one stipulation, that it has to be used to buy beef for those that are at a food disadvantage,” Wilkinson said. “I know producers are doing this kind of work with their local organizations and giving back to their communities in a variety of ways. We can’t lose sight of all the good our industry does, and we have to tell that story too.”

It’s clear Wilkinson is committed to the beef industry, and he’s excited to lead an organization like NCBA that brings together cattlemen and women to fight for common goals.

“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 to 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.

Resilience and Reflection

By Don Schiefelbein, NCBA President

Over the past year, it’s been my honor to serve as president of NCBA. It’s been a year of trials and triumphs, and I’ve been proud to represent an industry of cattlemen and women that continue to demonstrate resilience and an understanding that unity is the best way to achieve our mission.

As farmers and ranchers, we often find ourselves fighting the odds physically and mentally to endure the challenges that Mother Nature and other factors outside of our control hurl at us. As I write this column, I’m reflecting on a recent example of rancher resilience as many of us dealt with brutal winter weather conditions before the Christmas holiday, braving windchills and pushing through snowdrifts, hauling hay, and caring for livestock. Weather events always present unique challenges for us, but we do everything we can to prioritize the health and well-being of our animals. It’s year-round work and something we need to continue to share with consumers and policymakers alike.

This past year was defined by record-high inflation, a frustrating labor market, food supply-chain challenges and regulatory uncertainty. But it was also defined by the commitments farmers and ranchers make to conservation, animal welfare, technological innovation and product quality. I’m proud of the story we continue to share and the stance we took on the issues.

The hits from Congress, corporations and regulatory agencies focused on climate policy came quickly at the beginning of the year, but we were ready. NCBA made sure the interests of the cattle industry were front and center when it came to attempts of regulatory overreach focused on water, the environment and greenhouse gas emissions. NCBA engaged in several issues related to endangered species and notched a win in federal court when a judge in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted us intervenor status in a case challenging the delisting of the gray wolf. We also saw the President of the United States sign a National Security Memorandum recognizing that food security is national security. This is an important step by bringing defense, law enforcement, intelligence and national security officials into the conversation with the industry to develop ways to protect our food system from the multitude of threats that exist in the world.

NCBA has gone toe-to-toe with multinational companies, federal regulators, Congress, and deep pocketed animal rights groups. We punch above our weight, but the work will never be done, and we appreciate you having our back by being an NCBA member. You understand the need to have an association working on your behalf on the real issues that threaten our way of life. Those threats include the potential for a crippling cattle disease outbreak or the looming issue of cellcultured and fake meat that might soon mimic the look, texture and even flavor of our real beef.

But it was also defined by the commitments farmers and ranchers make to conservation, animal welfare, technological innovation and product quality. I’m proud of the story we continue to share and the stance we took on the issues.

NCBA is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year. Since 1898, this organization has been a forum for cattle producers in every sector and region to discuss issues and build consensus. In my family’s operation, we all come with different perspectives, but we talk together, debate, and move forward with a united front. NCBA policy is set the same way. We each have vastly different business practices, and we face different regional conditions, but we all come together to drive policy forward. Through collaboration, we send a powerful message to policymakers. Our industry is strongest when we band together and fight collectively. This year, I was honored to lead that charge and am looking forward to fighting the good fight for years to come!