During its January meeting, the board of directors of R-CALF USA elected Region VIII Director Dave Hyde as the new president of the board and Region X Director Eric Gropper as the board’s new vice president.
Hyde and his wife, Brenda, operate Hyde Farms, a cow/calf operation in eastern Ohio. They have two children. He has served on the board since 2019, representing R-CALF USA members in Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee and West Virginia.
“We are in the cattle industry, not the beef industry; and the cattle industry’s money is being used against us with no oversight or accountability,” Hyde said. “America first means mandatory country of origin labeling. Eliminating wasteful spending means checkoff reform.”
Gropper operates a cow/calf operation in Long Valley, South Dakota, alongside his wife, Sarah, and two daughters. Gropper represents R-CALF USA members who are members of native tribes of the United States and has served on the board since 2019.
Outgoing President and Region III Director Brett Kenzy from Gregory, South Dakota, served two consecutive three-year terms and served as president of the board since 2022.
Ron Volk was elected to replace Kenzy as the new region III director by R-CALF USA members in North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska. Volk, his girlfriend, T.C. Miceli, and his three children operate Volk Ranch, a cow/calf and backgrounding operation in Sentinel Butte, North Dakota.
Region VII Director Eric Nelson of Moville, Iowa, also concluded his term as vice president of the board, having served since 2022. Nelson will continue his role as region director throughout the remainder of his term.
The board also appointed Thad Montgomery of Wirtz, Virginia, to represent R-CALF USA members in Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. Montgomery operates Double M Dairy and Melvin’s Farm to Fork Store with his wife, Gayle, and their six children. Montgomery replaces Alan Pruitt. Beginning in 2010, Pruitt served two consecutive terms and remained interim until the position was filled.
