Image of people on stage and Abby Johnson

In early February, I had the opportunity to attend CattleCon in Nashville, Tennessee. CattleCon is sponsored by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and hosts 8,000-plus attendees: farmers, ranchers, veterinarians, and hybrid farmers looking at innovations in technology and ag policy in the beef industry. 

This year, we heard from speakers like Dale Earnhardt Jr., New York Times bestselling author and motivational speaker Jon Acuff, and United States Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F Kennedy Jr. We were even able to catch a show with Vince Gill at the Ryman auditorium! 

Some of my key takeaways were: 

  • Positivity matters! Speaker Jon Acuff delivered a great message that was encouraging and uplifting for cattle producers. We all know that the beef industry and farmers face many challenges each year, and sometimes it is hard to stay positive. And, 96 percent of people say that they are not living up to their full potential! Practice being positive, because positivity has a better ROI than negativity.  
  • Innovation has come such a long way! It was amazing to see the new technologies that have been implemented in the beef industry. New ways of treating calves, new medicines and vaccines from Elanco and Zoetis, and new products like hydraulic cut gates and head chutes leave me inspired to bring some new technologies to my home operation.  
  • Changes are coming for the beef industry. Whether it’s fighting the screw worm or increasing the average herd size, cattle producers have lots of things to work on in the coming year. La Niña is fading, and El Niño is coming, so hopefully this brings good weather and, in return, good production. We received an optimistic price outlook for 2026. 

As a Kohl Centre Agri-food Finance Fellow, the project I am working on is with Virginia Verified Beef. We are looking at exploring new financing options for processors when it comes to buying cattle. It was a pleasure to be able to connect and network with fellow beef professionals and Virginia Cattlemen’s Association members. CattleCon allowed me to see how financial models are applied in real-life operations, and I gained insight into how cattle producers interact with processors and retailers. These will help me to understand how processors and producers respond to rising input costs and price volatility. This week reinforced my passion for the beef industry and the farmers and ranchers behind it. I am excited to take what I’ve learned and put it into practice this semester! 

By Abby Johnson '27
Agribusiness major with a minor in food, agriculture, and society