For Immediate Release
By: R-CALF USA Marketing Director Jaiden Moreland
Contact: R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard
Phone: 406-252-2516; r-calfusa@r-calfusa.com
WASHINGTON, D.C., Feb. 16, 2026 — Last week, R-CALF USA leaders and members traveled to Washington, D.C., to carry the voice of independent cattle producers into meetings and events focused on private property rights, agricultural freedom and the future of America’s food supply.
R-CALF USA President Dave Hyde, Vice President Eric Gropper, Property Rights Committee Chair Shad Sullivan, and former R-CALF USA President and Checkoff Committee Chair Brett Kenzy participated in the trip alongside several R-CALF USA members from across the West.
R-CALF USA leaders met with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins to discuss priorities including mandatory country-of-origin labeling (MCOOL) for beef, checkoff reform and protecting private property rights. The group also met with Natural Resources Conservation Service Chief Aubrey Bettencourt.
While in Washington, R-CALF USA leaders and members also joined broader conversations with allied organizations and producer coalitions, including the Eat Real Food event and the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Rancher Coalition, where stakeholders discussed challenges facing rural America such as corporate consolidation, excessive regulations, MCOOL, and the need for transparency in cattle markets.
“It was a tremendous trip and a tremendous opportunity to express to the secretary that it is an exciting time to be in the cattle industry,” Kenzy said. “America has the best beef and the best consumers in the world. It’s time to act like it.
“If cattlemen and consumers don’t stand up and stand together, we will just see the status quo continue – shrinking productivity with a powerful few controlling a bigger piece of a shrinking pie. We need to trust in our system to rebuild our cow herd to a level that will allow American food security.”
Several members of the group also attended USDA’s rollout of the Farmer and Rancher Freedom Framework roundtable, an initiative aimed at addressing agricultural lawfare and reinforcing constitutional protections for landowners and producers.
“It was an honor to be included in these discussions impacting our land, our livelihoods and our food security,” Sullivan said. “This trip was about promoting liberty and making sure the people who actually raise the cattle – not the corporations – have a seat at the table. We’re encouraged by the progress being made and by the willingness in Washington to hear directly from producers. Freedom, fair markets and food security all depend on keeping ranchers at the center of these decisions.”
# # #
Ranchers Cattlemen Action Legal Fund United Stockgrowers of America (R-CALF USA) is the largest producer-only lobbying and trade association representing U.S. cattle and sheep producers. It is a national, nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring the continued profitability and viability of the U.S. cattle and sheep industries. Visit www.r-calfusa.com or call 406-252-2516 for more information.