Idaho woman named president-elect of National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

A woman from Idaho has been named president-elect of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.

Kim Brackett, a longtime Southern Idaho resident, is the third rancher from the Gem State and the third woman to be elected NCBA president since the organization was founded in 1989. It serves as the oldest and largest national trade association for cattle farmers and ranchers across the U.S.

On its website, the NCBA states that it is producer-directed and focused on advocacy, promotion, education and research for the industry.

Brackett was elected at the organization’s CattleCon 2026, held in Nashville. The last Idaho rancher to hold the position was Eric Davis, of Bruneau, who was elected in 2003.

Brackett has held several leadership positions for organizations representing the cattle industry at both the state and national level. She chaired the Beef Industry Long Range Plan Task Force from 2020 to 2025, served as president of the Idaho Cattle Association, chaired the Cattlemen’s Beef Board, and chaired the Beef Quality Assurance Advisory Group.

She also spent time abroad studying and researching sustainability issues affecting the cattle industry under the Eisenhower Fellowship, according to her bio.

Aside from her leadership positions, Brackett and her husband operate Brackett Ranches Limited Partnership, a ranch with a primary goal of providing consumers with more information about how their food is raised, using third-part verification programs, according to the NCBA.

In a press release, the organization quoted Brackett as saying she is honored to serve as the president-elect to be able to “defense this industry and promote the benefits of cattle production.”

The association noted that Brackett has a passion for the industry, and her motivations come from wanting to pass on an “economically and environmentally viable operation” for future ranchers, including her children.

“As cattle producers, we wear many hats and one of them is serving as America’s original conservationists that help maintain millions of acres of range and pastureland across the country,” Brackett stated in the release. “During my tenure I will keep telling that story of conservation and promoting our way of life for future generations.”