Speakers
Arnis Robbins
Evie Mae’s Pit Barbeque, Owner
Arnis is a Texas pitmaster and co-owner of Evie Mae’s Pit Barbeque, a nationally recognized restaurant just outside Lubbock. Rooted in traditional Central Texas–style barbecue, Arnis is known for his focus on consistency, craftsmanship and bold flavor. Under his leadership, Evie Mae’s has ranked in the top 10 of Texas Monthly’s Top 50 BBQ joints for a decade, earning acclaim for its brisket, house-made sausages and attention to detail. Beyond the pit, Arnis leads operations and develops his team with an emphasis on hard work and growth, earning widespread respect in the Texas barbecue community.
BJ Johnson
Buckhead Meat of Atlanta, Director of Sales
Growing up near his family’s farm in Huntsville, Alabama, BJ Johnson developed a deep appreciation for agriculture and the food industry. His family raised black Angus cattle while cultivating cotton and soybeans. He studied management at The University of Alabama and later graduated from Johnson & Wales University with a degree in Culinary Arts. That same year, he began his career with Sysco. For more than two decades, BJ has served in roles across Alabama, Charlotte, Atlanta, and Chicago, holding leadership positions in three of those markets. Alongside his teams, he helped launch two highly successful Certified Angus Beef ® programs in North Carolina and Georgia and has been honored as the Certified Angus Beef Marketer of the Year. Today, BJ serves as Director of Sales for Buckhead Meat of Atlanta where he leads a team of 26 Sales Consultants across the Southeast and they proudly lead the nation in Certified Angus Beef Prime sales.
Brian Walt
W6 Cattle, Owner
Brian Walt is a commercial Angus rancher from Collyer, Kansas, and the owner of W6 Cattle, a multigenerational cow-calf operation built on data-driven decision-making. Since returning to the ranch in 1999, Walt has focused on measurable genetic and management improvements—from targeted sire selection and DNA testing to backgrounding and feedyard performance—to raise carcass quality and capture value-based premiums. His commitment to improving marbling and meeting consumer demand has helped his cattle routinely achieve high percentages of Certified Angus Beef® and Prime.
Bruce Cobb
Certified Angus Beef, Executive Vice President, Production
Bruce focuses on ensuring long-term Certified Angus Beef ® product supply and leads educational and communications strategies for farmers and ranchers to raise high-quality Angus cattle sustainably, using best practices and responsible care. In overseeing the Product Services division, he also plays a vital role in passing the brand’s ranch heritage to every package of beef meeting the brand’s unrivaled quality standards. Bruce earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural communications from Texas Tech University and master’s in agriculture from Texas A&M University. He then gained experience with the U.S. Meat Export Federation, Daymon Worldwide and Consolidated Beef Producers, serving as the CEO of the largest cattle marketing cooperative for 16 years.
Carson Rogers
Certified Angus Beef, Director, Product Services
Carson focuses on ensuring Certified Angus Beef ® product quality and assisting partners with product solutions. He works with packing companies, production facilities, foodservice distributors and retailers to uphold product quality and integrity. Carson earned a bachelor’s degree in animal science from West Texas A&M University and interned with the U.S. Meat Export Federation. He also has experience in barbecue and charcuterie.
Dan Basse
AgResource Company, President
A commodity economist since 1979, Dan forecasts domestic and world agricultural price trends and provides information and research to farmers, elevators, soy and corn processors, wheat millers, food companies, trading companies, importers, exporters and meatpackers. Raised on a dairy/grain farm in Wisconsin, Dan has a keen sense of production agriculture and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a master’s in agricultural economics. In 1988, Dan founded AgResource to serve the market research needs of the world agricultural community, often holding global conferences in Canada, Switzerland and Brazil.
Jeff Heldt, Ph.D.
Selko USA, Beef Technical Lead
A Nebraska native, Jeff received a bachelor’s degree in animal science from the University of Wyoming, master’s from South Dakota State University and Ph.D. from Kansas State University, with both advanced degrees emphasizing range cow nutrition and forage utilization. Jeff’s career began in beef technical services in the livestock feed industry and as a feedlot and ranch manager in Nebraska before joining Selko USA. Today, Jeff leads beef technical services and validation research for the North American beef team. Jeff serves on the Nebraska Cattlemen’s Board of Directors. He’s also served as a past president of the Nebraska Cattlemen’s Research and Education Foundation, member of the Nebraska Cattlemen Western Nebraska affiliate and past co-chairman of the 2014 Cattlemen’s Ball of Nebraska.
John Stika, Ph.D.
Certified Angus Beef, President
John leads a team dedicated to marketing the Certified Angus Beef ® brand to partners and consumers across the globe. Connecting people from pasture to plate, the brand leverages the strong demand for branded beef to increase the value of registered Angus cattle. John grew up on his family’s small farm in central Kansas. He obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in animal science and meat science, respectively, at Kansas State University, and then his doctorate in meat science from the University of Kentucky. John joined the team as assistant director of feeder-packer relations in 1999, and then director of supply development and packing. Moving on to vice president of business development, he led efforts to collaborate with domestic and international distributors, grocery stores and restaurants to grow their beef sales before becoming president in 2006.
Kara Lee
Emcee | Certified Angus Beef, Director, Producer Engagement
Kara grew up on her parents’ farm in Southern Indiana and brought her passion for cattle to Certified Angus Beef in 2009. As the director of producer engagement, Kara leads supply development’s marketing and education initiatives for cattlemen—with the goal to help them earn more for their focus on quality. Kara also takes the lead for pulling together the content for Feeding Quality Forum.
Mark McCully
American Angus Association, CEO
Mark has led the nation’s largest beef breed registry since June 2019, guiding efforts to advance the Angus breed and increase production of consistent, high-quality beef through the Association and its subsidiaries: Angus Genetics Inc., Angus Media, Angus Foundation and Certified Angus Beef. He previously served as vice president of production at Certified Angus Beef, leading supply chain strategies across seedstock, cow-calf, feeding and packing sectors, joining the beef company in 2000 after working with Southern States Cooperative’s Beef Improvement Program. Mark holds degrees from Lake Land College and Western Illinois University, completed graduate work in ruminant nutrition at Michigan State University, and is an accomplished livestock evaluator who has judged more than 300 cattle shows across the U.S., Canada and Brazil.
Nick Hardcastle, PH.D.
Cargill, Senior Director Beef Grading and Meat Science Technical Lead
Nick Hardcastle grew up in the Texas Panhandle and holds a Ph.D. in Meat Science from Texas Tech University. After college, he went to work for Cargill in their Beef business. Currently, Nick manages Beef Grading for Cargill North America, leveraging his knowledge and experience to drive innovation. He believes the beef industry only advances when all parties do together: the producer, feeder, packer, and purveyor provide a product that meets the consumers’ needs while elevating beef to a higher level. Nick believes pushing the current industry forward requires not only a focus on beef quality but also improving beef carcass red meat yield, which will drive sustainable and efficient production system. Nick currently sits on multiple beef industry advisory committees focused on shaping the future of the industry and keeping beef as the cornerstone of the meat case.
Paul Dykstra
Certified Angus Beef, Director, Supply Management & Analysis
Paul works with cattlemen to help garner a growing supply of Certified Angus Beef ® product. He shares information and builds relationships with cattle feeders, commercial cow-calf producers and registered breeders, guiding them with resources to profitably manage and market high-quality cattle. Before joining the brand, Paul was the feedlot manager for the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center. During his 20-year tenure, he has audited ranches and feedyards pursuing the brand’s Natural product extension. He’s the brand’s resident expert on beef market and grading trends, which he reports in the bi-weekly CAB Insider. Paul and his family manage their own cow herd in Chappell, Nebraska.
Pete Anderson, Ph.D.
Midwest PMS, Director of Research
Dr. Anderson directs research conducted and sponsored by MWPMS, provides technical support to company nutritionists and clients, and directs its performance records analysis program. He also has quality assurance, feed safety and regulatory responsibility for the production facilities. Additionally, he leads the company’s business and operations consulting and provides strategic planning, succession planning and management and leadership education to clients and coordinates operations consulting for the company. He applies scientific principles to solve business problems, based on 25 years of experience as a senior business executive. Dr. Anderson earned his bachelor’s degree in animal sciences and industry from Kansas State University and his master’s and Ph.D. from Michigan State University.
Spencer Smith
Capstone Beef, Partner
Spencer Smith grew up on a ranch in North Texas and then attended Texas A&M for undergrad before going to the University of Houston for his JD/MBA. He spent 14 years in the oil field primarily in steel pipe manufacturing/sales before returning to the cattle business full time in 2021. Smith lives in Southern Oklahoma with his wife and 3 daughters where they have a commercial cow/calf herd and develop bred heifers for sale. He is a partner in Capstone Beef, a cattle feeding program focused on helping cow/calf producers in the area improve their genetics and bottom line.
Taylor Engle, DVM
Four Star Veterinary Service, Partner, Consulting Veterinarian
Dr. Engle oversees the health and management of large calf ranches and feedyards as well as swine integrators across the Midwest. He is recognized for his big-picture approach to the dairy-beef industry, focusing on the development of comprehensive, systems-based health programs. A dedicated researcher, Dr. Engle continues to advance the field through his work in the swine and cattle industries. He earned a DVM from the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine and master’s degree from the University of Nebraska, where his research in virology and genetics resulted in several patents and publications. In 2023, he further specialized his expertise by completing the Executive Veterinarian Program in Beef Health Management at the University of Illinois. Dr. Engle also shares his expertise as an adjunct professor in animal science at Wright State University.
Tom Fanning
Pratt Feeders Group, General Manager
Tom oversees operations at Buffalo Feeders in Oklahoma and Ashland Feeders, Ford Feeders and Pratt Feeders in Kansas. Prior to this role, he managed Buffalo Feeders for over 22 years, building a reputation for operational excellence, performance-driven cattle feeding and strong customer relationships for which the feedyard earned multiple national Beef Quality Assurance and industry excellence awards. Tom earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from Oklahoma State University and master’s in management from Troy State University, serving in the U.S. Army for 10 years between degrees. His career began at Cargill, where he managed cattle feeding operations in the Texas Panhandle. He has served as chairman of the Oklahoma Beef Council and director of the Texas Cattle Feeders Association. Tom and his family operate a cow-calf, stocker and feeder cattle business, reflecting their deep, multi-generational commitment to the cattle industry.
Trevor Caviness
Caviness Beef Packers, President
Trevor Caviness received a BBA in Finance from Southern Methodist University and then completed the Ranch Management Program at Texas Christian University in 1998. He began his full-time career in the family business, Caviness Beef Packers, in 1998 and has been president of the company since 2013. The company has steadily grown, adding new facilities that led to a sevenfold increase in capacity since the early 2000s. Trevor’s role is primarily overseeing operations, marketing, food safety and business development. He is active in the protein industry, serving as a board member of The Meat Institute and staying active in his regional community initiatives and non-profits.