With just one week to go, the countdown is officially on for the 2026 R-CALF USA National Convention and Trade Show, and the nation’s largest producer-only cattle organization has rolled out its final program and speaker lineup. For ranchers who have been waiting to see who would round out the schedule, the wait is over, and the additions are turning heads.
Themed “Fire in the Brand,” the convention runs June 16-18 at The Monument in Rapid City, South Dakota. Hundreds of cattle and sheep producers from across the country are expected to make the trip to talk shop on the issues that hit closest to home: market competition, food security, animal health, trade policy, property rights, and the future of independent livestock production. These are the kitchen-table concerns that determine whether a family operation thrives today and still stands strong for the next generation.
Among the most notable late additions is Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole Sarrine of the Antitrust Division at the U.S. Department of Justice, who will address attendees Wednesday afternoon. For producers who have long pressed for fairer markets and a more level playing field in the cattle business, hearing directly from the federal office charged with policing anticompetitive behavior is no small thing.
The fan-favorite Lonesome Lands podcast, hosted by Jim Mundorf and Shad Sullivan, will headline the convention banquet on Wednesday, June 17. Rather than a typical after-dinner speech, the evening promises an interactive podcast experience complete with live commentary and special guests. Sullivan will also deliver a presentation Thursday afternoon, while Mundorf steps in to moderate the EID panel Thursday morning, a timely discussion given the ongoing debate over electronic animal identification.
Joining them on the Wednesday afternoon slate are AJ Richards, founder and CEO of From the Farm, and Chris Young, executive director of the American Association of Meat Processors. Their perspectives speak to the broader supply chain, from the farm gate to the local processor, that keeps independent producers connected to the families who put beef on the table.
These names join an already deep bench. The lineup includes rancher and attorney Hayden Ballard; Coalition for a Prosperous America Trade Counsel Charles Benoit; U.S. Department of Homeland Security Policy Advisor Dr. Lora Bledsoe; R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard; Western Justice Executive Director Dave Duquette; R-CALF USA Animal ID Chair Kenny Fox; and R-CALF USA Checkoff Chair Brett Kenzy. Also on the program are attorney Patrick McGahan of Scott+Scott Attorneys at Law LLP; University of Nebraska-Lincoln agricultural economist Dr. T. Jake Smith; veterinarian Dr. Jim Stangle; Good Ranchers CEO Ben Spell; Dr. Max Thornsberry; veterinarian Dr. Julie Trask; and New Civil Liberties Alliance Senior Litigation Counsel John Vecchione.
Of course, a gathering of cattlemen and women is about more than panels and presentations. The convention carries a full slate of fellowship and celebration, including branding parties Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, the Denim and Diamonds Gala with live music from JJ Kent and the Aces and 8s, a trade show, live and silent auctions, raffles, and the annual prayer breakfast. It is a fitting reminder that the people who feed this country still gather to break bread, share a few laughs, and look out for one another.
R-CALF USA, the Ranchers Cattlemen Action Legal Fund United Stockgrowers of America, is the largest producer-only lobbying and trade association representing U.S. cattle producers. The national nonprofit is dedicated to ensuring the continued profitability and viability of the U.S. cattle and sheep industries. The event is open to media, and the entire convention will be livestreamed for those who cannot make it to Rapid City in person.
Readers can find the full convention agenda at www.rcalfconvention.com or watch the livestream at www.cattleusa.com.