NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Gene Copenhaver, a cattle rancher from Virginia, has assumed the presidency of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association following his election and installation during the CattleCon 2026 conference held in Nashville this February.
The association announced that this year’s CattleCon event set a new attendance milestone, drawing record numbers of cattle producers and industry representatives to what is considered the premier annual gathering for cattle and beef industry professionals seeking business opportunities, educational programming, and networking.
Copenhaver brings extensive experience from his previous leadership positions within Virginia’s cattle community and the broader national industry. The new president views his role as an extension of his family’s longstanding commitment to agricultural service, outlining key objectives that include maintaining successful existing programs, ensuring grassroots voices remain central to decision-making, keeping an open perspective, and emphasizing financial viability.
“Profitability is sustainability,” Copenhaver stated.
His vision encompasses supporting operations of all sizes and types across different industry segments. This approach involves challenging restrictive regulations, advocating for policies that enable reinvestment opportunities, and capitalizing on recent progress regarding tax-related provisions.
“We can’t build the future if every good year gets taxed away before we can shore up our infrastructure,” he explained.
The newly elected president, who previously worked in the banking sector before retirement, considers his NCBA leadership role as a continuation of his family’s farming heritage that began approximately 1850 when the Copenhaver family established themselves in Washington County, Virginia.
Roughly seven and a half decades ago, Gene’s father and uncle officially established Copenhaver Brothers Farms, creating a varied agricultural enterprise that included tobacco cultivation, hog production, sheep raising, cow-calf operations, and stocker cattle management.
“It was a model built on spreading risk and making use of every acre,” Copenhaver noted.
The tobacco buyout program became a transformative period for the Copenhaver family and Southwest Virginia’s agricultural sector overall.
“A lot of buyout money went into cattle genetics,” Copenhaver remembered. “It really changed the type and quality of cattle we have in Southwest Virginia.”
This transition also prompted his family to streamline their operations strategically. Eventually, the business shifted completely toward stocker cattle production, capitalizing on the region’s natural advantage in grass cultivation.
