Brent Espil

Brent Espil is a fourth-generation rancher operating in partnership with his family across northwest Nevada and northeast California. Headquartered in Washoe County, about 30 miles southwest of Gerlach, their operation includes cattle, sheep, and alfalfa production.

The family runs a cow/calf and sheep operation that relies on public lands for nearly year-round grazing, working with both the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service. He has been actively involved in developing and implementing grazing allotment plans, fire rehabilitation efforts, and riparian restoration projects on both public and private lands.

He has served on the Washoe County Wildlife Advisory Board, has been a member of the Society for Range Management, and serves on the Agricultural Research Service advisory board. Espil currently serves as Region XI director for R-CALF USA, representing California, Nevada, and Hawaii.

He believes R-CALF USA is the only organization willing to fully support livestock producer concerns, from imports and mandatory country-of-origin labeling to electronic identification, and the growing market power of meatpackers. Espil says that these issues must be addressed, and common sense must prevail if our industry is going to survive for the next generation.