NCBA starts CattleCon with policy priorities for 2026

As the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) began its CattleCon 2026, it laid out its policy priorities for the organization, including reducing regulatory costs, defending free markets, expanding trade opportunities and maintaining strong beef demand.

“NCBA focused on practical, workable solutions that produced meaningful policy wins in 2025,” said Gene Copenhaver, president-elect for NCBA. “NCBA’s efforts resulted in key tax and regulatory improvements, including expanded estate tax exemptions, a new Waters of the US rules, and the rescission of the Bureau of Land Management Public Lands Rule, providing greater certainty and opportunity for cattlemen and cattlewomen.”

The association noted that those policies will help shape the organization’s 2026 policy agenda, which focuses on strengthening producer profitability and addressing emerging challenges across the cattle business. Other areas NCBA will look at include advancing regulatory reform, animal health protections, expanded market access and workforce solutions.

“Now is the time to continue reforming federal regulations that have hindered conservation efforts for decades, strengthen protections against the northward spread of New World Screwworm (NWS), expand foreign market access for US beef, and advance science-based policies that keep beef at the center of the plate,” Copenhaver said.