During the last 60-plus years, Rishel has received numerous honors, held dozens of volunteer leadership roles in state and national beef organizations and with education institutions, judged numerous cattle shows and presented many impactful presentations. In typical candor, he says he is most proud of his wife, Barb, and her partnership in their life journey and businesses, as well as their three married daughters and their families.

The Nebraska Hall of Agricultural Achievement named Rishel its 2024 Honoree. The award recognizes Rishel as an outstanding leader for all of Nebraska, said University of Nebraska Chancellor Emeritus Ronnie Green. “Bill Rishel has led a life of exceptional servant leadership in the beef industry, as a master breeder of Angus genetics, an innovator in beef genetic improvement, and a strong advocate and mentor for educating the next generation of industry leaders.”

In 2017, Rishel Angus became TD Angus at Rishel Ranch when the operation was sold to Trey and Dayna Wasserburger.

“There was never a negotiation. An accomplished, well-respected cattleman turned over his life’s work to a very inexperienced cowboy with nothing more than frank conversations, fearless eye contact and a firm handshake,” said Trey of the 2017 ranch purchase. “Bill and Barb made it their business to help us succeed. I will never forget what it felt like to know they were there for us; to know they still believe in us.”

Upon learning he has been selected as the 2025 inductee, Rishel said: “It is a privilege to know that my contributions of time, effort and ideas were vital to improving the lives of my family, community and, most importantly, the beef cattle industry for all producers across the globe. I view this honor as a lifetime achievement award at the highest level of the agricultural industry.”

An original oil portrait of Rishel, painted by renowned artist Richard Halstead, has been commissioned and will be framed and hung when the award is presented at the NAILE in November.

Visit the website to learn more about the Saddle & Sirloin Gallery, read the Bill Rishel story in its entirety,  make a contribution to help underwrite the cost of portrait and the event in Louisville, and establish a fund to provide perpetual support of beef industry research and development.

Registration is open for the 2025 BIF symposium

Registration is now open for the 2025 Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) Research Symposium and Convention to be hosted June 10-13 in Amarillo, Texas.

Participants can save $75 if they register by May 9. Full registration before May 9 is $275. This includes two and one-half days of educational programming focused on beef industry profitability. It also includes a welcome reception Tuesday evening, lunch Wednesday and Thursday, and an off-site social with dinner Wednesday evening. The student early bird rate is $200.

The hotel housing portal is open. You can visit BIFSymposium.com and click on the “Hotel & Location” information link. The hotel block closes May 9.

Tuesday, June 10, kicks off with the Young Producer Symposium at 1 p.m. followed by the Welcome and Scholarship Reception. Monday evening attendees can participate in the National Association of Animal Breeders (NAAB) Symposium.

Wednesday’s general session will focus on “Beef Industry Profitability: Conflicting market signals and profit drivers in the beef value chain.” Presentations will include Mandy Carr, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) senior executive director scientific affairs; Ty Lawrence, West Texas A&M University; Sam Hands, Triangle H Cattle Co.; and Brad Johnson, Gordon W. Davis Regent’s Chair in Meat and Muscle Biology at Texas Tech University.

Thursday’s general session theme will be “Sustainability: Improving our product through selection, applications of technology and data integration.” Speakers will include Matthew Cleveland, ABS Global senior director, global bovine sustainability; Guilherme Rosa, precision livestock production and breeding, University of Wisconsin; Jason Archer, Beef + Lamb NZ head of genetics; and Ben Weinheimer, Texas Cattle Feeders Association CEO.

Technical breakout sessions Wednesday and Thursday afternoon will focus on a range of beef-production and genetic-improvement topics.

For registration and more symposium details, including hotel information, visit BIFSymposium.com. Prior to and during this year’s symposium, be sure to follow the event on social media channels using the hashtag #BIF2025.

R-CALF USA to Host 2025 National Convention in Deadwood

R-CALF USA will host its 2025 National Convention and Trade Show, themed “All In,” from June 17-19 at The Lodge at Deadwood. The convention will focus on sharing expertise, driving action, and strengthening the national organization’s strategy to restore profitability and prosperity in the U.S. cattle and sheep industries.

A key highlight of the event will be discussions surrounding R-CALF USA’s 13 priorities for the Trump administration and Congress, including mandatory country of origin labeling (mCOOL) for beef; tariffs and tariff rate quotas; overturning the mandatory electronic identification (eID) rule; reforming the mandatory beef checkoff program; and supporting and finalizing Packers & Stockyards Act rulemakings.

“There has never been a more important time for American producers to be ‘All In’ on saving their industry, and we are planning an event that will reflect just that,” said R-CALF USA Marketing Director Jaiden Moreland. “We look forward to what we expect to be another highly successful event in Deadwood.”

Preconvention activities and meetings will kick off Tuesday afternoon, June 17, with committee and policy development meetings, followed by an affiliate council meeting. The evening will feature a welcome reception offering appetizers, drinks, early registration check-in, and trade show access.

On Wednesday, June 18, and Thursday, June 19, attendees will hear from industry experts, government officials, and key stakeholders on pressing issues, legislative updates, reforms, litigation, and other topics. A full agenda and list of speakers will be announced later.

Applications for the Kimmi Lewis Scholarship are now open, and the deadline to apply is also May 1. Early bird registration for attendees is open, with prices subject to increase on June 1. For more details, hotel accommodation, or to register to attend or sponsor the event, visit www.RCALFconvention.com.

Secretary Rollins announces sweeping reforms to protect national forests and boost domestic timber production

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins issued a Secretarial Memo to establish an “Emergency Situation Determination” on 112,646,000 acres of National Forestry System (NFS) land. This memo comes on the heels of President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order to expand American timber production by 25%, and it will empower the U.S. Forest Service to expedite work on the ground and carry out authorized emergency actions to reduce wildfire risk and save American lives and communities.

“Healthy forests require work, and right now, we’re facing a national forest emergency. We have an abundance of timber at high risk of wildfires in our National Forests,” said Secretary Rollins. “I am proud to follow the bold leadership of President Trump by empowering forest managers to reduce constraints and minimize the risks of fire, insects, and disease so that we can strengthen American timber industry and further enrich our forests with the resources they need to thrive.”

The memo issued by Rollins is part of a larger effort to ensure American resources are properly managed for generations to come. This work is intended to support rural economies, reduce wildfire risk, and build capacity through workforce alignment and expanded partnerships.

This memo will also spur immediate action from the U.S. Forest Service directing field leadership to increase timber outputs, simplify permitting, remove National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) processes, reduce implementation and contracting burdens, and to work directly with states, local government, and forest product producers to ensure that the Forest Service delivers a reliable and consistent supply of timber.

U.S. farmers expect to plant more corn and less soybean acres

Producers surveyed across the United States intend to plant 95.3 million acres of corn in 2025, up 5% from last year, according to the Prospective Plantings report released today by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).

Planted acreage intentions for corn are up or unchanged in 40 of the 48 estimating states. Acreage increases of 400,000 acres or more from last year are expected in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota. If realized, the planted area of corn in Idaho, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon and South Dakota will be the largest on record.

Soybean growers intend to plant 83.5 million acres in 2025, down 4% from last year. Acreage decreases from last year of 300,000 or more are expected in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota. Record-high acreage is expected in New York and Ohio.

The Prospective Plantings report provides the first official, survey-based estimates of U.S. farmers’ 2025 planting intentions. NASS’s acreage estimates are based on surveys conducted during the first two weeks of March from a sample of nearly 74,000 farm operators across the nation. Other key findings in the report are:

• All wheat planted area for 2025 is estimated at 45.4 million acres, down 2% from 2024.
• Winter wheat planted area, at 33.3 million acres, is down 2% from the previous estimate and down less than 1% from last year.
• Area planted to other spring wheat for 2025 is expected to total 10.0 million acres, down 6% from 2024.
• Durum wheat planted is expected to total 2.02 million acres for 2025, down 2% from last year.
• All cotton planted area for 2025 is expected to total 9.87 million acres, down 12% compared to last year.

NASS also released the quarterly Grain Stocks report to provide estimates of on-farm and off-farm stocks as of March 1. Key findings in that report include:

• Corn stocks totaled 8.15 billion bushels, down 2% from the same time last year. On-farm corn stocks were down 11% from a year ago, while off-farm stocks were up 12%.
• Soybeans stored totaled 1.91 billion bushels, up 4% from March 1, 2024. On-farm soybean stocks were down 6% from a year ago, while off-farm stocks were up 13%.
• All wheat stored totaled 1.24 billion bushels, up 14% from a year ago. On-farm all wheat stocks were up 13% from last year, while off-farm stocks were up 14%.
• Durum wheat stored totaled 38.7 million bushels, up 6% from March 1, 2024. On-farm Durum stocks were up 15% from a year ago, while off-farm stocks of Durum wheat were down 3%.

The Prospective Plantings, Grain Stocks and all other NASS reports are available online at nass.usda.gov.

Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA, Vol. 17, No. 4-A