Unification Is the Key to Future Success

By Chandler Keys

“No one, not in my situation, can appreciate my feeling of sadness at this parting.  To this place, and the kindness of these people, I owe everything.”

— Abraham Lincoln

Looking back on 20 years with NCBA, my first thought is “thank you.”  The members of NCBA and the staff with whom I have worked are some of the finest people I know.

I can remember my first day … the anticipation, the excitement, the adventure.  Strange as it seems, I still have the same feelings about my job even today. 

While I grew up just miles away from Washington, I feel like a lot of other farm kids that made their way to this magical city full of promise and hope.  The joy of working in a free and democratic country knows no bounds, and I have been blessed to represent NCA and NCBA during these times.

When I first started with NCA, we had typewriters and mimeograph machines.  The cell phones, Blackberries, and instantaneous e-mail we depend on today weren’t even figments of our imaginations.  Over the past two decades, I have witnessed one of the most explosive technological advances known to mankind.  And MAN has it changed our industry! 

The information age has made the world smaller, efficient, and interdependent — all in 20 short years — and the change has just started.  To most, these have been welcomed changes.  Others have rejected these changes. 

One thing is true:  the technological evolution is upon us.  Changes will not only continue, but they will accelerate.  Keeping up will prove to be daunting, but believe me, doable.  The ability of people to adapt has been proven time and again. Technology and modern thinking will enhance our ability to increase efficiency, production and profitability. Willingness is the key. 

We are facing this in our industry today.  Most of you have — and will continue to — adapt to innovation. You are the willing, and you will succeed with much trial and error. Unfortunately, some in our industry resist change. They scoff at progressiveness and have closed themselves off to the needs of our ever-changing global marketplace.  Some even urge the government to stop change. 

What is at the root of their efforts?  In some cases it’s greed.  In some cases it’s ignorance.  For the most part, it’s fear.  People fear the unknown, and that’s why it’s so important for cattlemen to work together and help each other through the evolutions in our industry. 

NCBA and its predecessor organizations have always been made up of the progressives and the innovators, the early adopters, and that is why it has survived over 100 years.  This is why I have worked for you — the members — for the past 20 years.  Your organization has always been about individual choice:  marketing beef and keeping government involvement in our industry to the bare minimum. These values I hold dearly.

It has been a privilege to work for you. I have fought many political battles with you throughout the years. Many we’ve won, some we’ve lost, but we always gave it our all, and to me, that is the feat I prefer to remember.  I hope I can say that over the years I have always provided you all my energy, wit, courage, and knowledge.  I have strived to shoot straight, not mince words and give you my most professional support in your endeavor to make a better cattle and beef industry. 

Some say I am not a humble man, and too often I have let myself get ahead of the issue at hand, but rest assured, I have done what I have done for the organization. For those I rubbed the wrong way, I apologize for the personal slight, but not for the professional objective of advancing NCBA policy and philosophy.

NCBA has become a second family, and I will never forget the kindness, and — yes, love — that has been shown me over the years.  Many of you that read this know me personally, and your friendship has an even deeper meaning. But make no mistake, everyone that pays NCBA dues holds a special place in my heart because I have been honored to serve the people that step into the arena.

NCBA is YOUR organization. Your strengths are NCBA’s strengths, and your weaknesses are crosses the entire industry must bear. NCBA’s Chief Executive Officer Terry Stokes is one of the most brilliant and caring people I have ever met.  He leads a team of over 120 people in three cities whose mission is to help put more money in your pockets. To me personally, the 20 people who staff NCBA’s Washington office are the cream of the crop. They are the best and the brightest in our nation’s capital, and they serve you at a bargain price — your dues dollars. 

But this staff can only work to accomplish the directives you give them.  NCBA is a producer-led organization, and you have an obligation to make your voice heard and to be part of the process. 

Much has been said about the divisiveness in our industry.  There are organizations and individuals within the cattle industry that will stop at nothing to undermine our efforts.  This presents a challenge that I’ll pass on to you.  Debate is healthy, and I encourage you to embrace your neighbors — especially the ones with whom you disagree. Bring these folks to the NCBA table to work out the differences together.  Who knows? They may even have a few good ideas.

The Bible says “If a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” And Abe Lincoln repeated these words when the country was confronting civil war.  We must do all we can to prevent a civil war among cattlemen.  Believe me, we have enough opponents outside our industry.

So as we collectively look to the New Year, I’ll look back on my days at NCBA and hope that somewhere along the way I have made a difference.  My hope for you is that you’ll adapt to change, embrace your neighbors, and collectively work within NCBA for a healthier cattle industry. You have the resources at your disposal — NCBA is your resource.  Willingness is the key.

Chandler Keys is the vice president of government affairs in NCBA’s Washington, D.C., office.  After 20 years of service to NCBA and its predecessor, the National Cattlemen’s Association, in January Keys begins a new job with a different company.