PCDC Welcomes Nebraska Cattlemen Leader Back Home for Keynote Address

PCDC welcomes Holdrege native Pete McClymont as the keynote speaker for the 2019 PCDC Annual Meeting on March 14.

Pete, who grew up working on his family’s four-generation Phelps County farm, now serves as the Executive Vice President of the Nebraska Cattlemen. He travels across the state and country working with those involved in the beef industry, and he spends his days coordinating activities between leadership and staff executing Nebraska Cattlemen policy.

“I may work in cattle/beef industry, but my true focus is being in the people business,” Pete said. “Interacting with elected officials and agencies is rewarding and challenging. Working with people is my biggest enjoyment. Also, witnessing first-hand the respect Nebraska Cattlemen members have earned is humbling.”

The Ag Work Ethic

Pete grew up on a diversified farm operation consisting of cattle feeding, ranching and row crops. He graduated from Holdrege High School in 1977 and then earned a degree in speech communications/public relations with a minor in English from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

After college, he returned to the family operation where his primary responsibilities involved managing the feedlot. The work prepared him well for his current role.

“The Nebraska-ag work ethic prepares one for any job,” Pete said. “Getting chewed out by Phil and Rollie was an excellent precursor to what any member or one interacting with my role experiences.”

While managing the feedlot, Pete got involved in the Phelps/Gosper Livestock Feeders group. He became a member of the Nebraska Cattlemen’s Board in 1996 and served as the association’s president in 2006. In 2007, he became the Nebraska Cattlemen Vice President of Legislative Affairs with responsibilities primarily focused on lobbying at the state level. In 2013, he was hired as the executive vice president of the Nebraska Cattlemen.

Nebraska Cattlemen

Nebraska Cattlemen serves as the representative for the state’s beef cattle industry and represents professional cattle breeders, ranchers and feeders as well as county and local cattlemen’s associations.

Pete said the organization works to help those in the cattle industry with challenges such as labor shortages, perception and awareness, property-tax relief and reform and regulation encroachment.

He sees more opportunities for the cattle industry in the future as work is done to brand Nebraska as the “Beef State” and the premier agriculture state to do business in, including ag processing and technology.

And, Pete said, Phelps County is poised to benefit from these opportunities given it’s natural strengths in agriculture, and its people.  This is a topic he will share more about in his keynote speech at PCDC’s Annual Meeting on Thursday, March 14.

The PCDC Annual Meeting and Business Hall of Fame Induction will take place at JB’s Sports Bar & Grill and will include a meal. Advanced tickets are available for $35 per person by contacting Stacy at PCDC at (308) 995-4148 or Stacy@PhelpsCountyNE.com. Tickets may be available at the door for $40 per person if the event hasn’t sold out.