NEBRASKA GRAZING LANDS COALITION - Key Persons
Ben Bailey was born in south central Idaho and moved to Nebraska with his wife Shelly in 1993. They began working for Rex Ranch learning Holistic Management and sound grazing principles under Burke Teichert's guidance. He has attended several Holistic Management schools along with Ranching For Profit and Bud Williams Livestock Handling classes.
Ben is currently a foreman on the Pawlet unit and in charge of outside grazing and bred cow marketing. He has been involved with the Nebraska Cattleman as well as the Sandhills Task Force for several years.
Jack attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where he was involved in the Wildlife Club and Range Management Club. During his senior year, Jack was awarded a UCARE grant to conduct a pilot study on the impact of wildfire and grazing on Sandhills grassland.
Upon earned a bachelor's degree in Fisheries and Wildlife focused on habitat management and minors in Grassland Ecology and Management and Grazing Livestock Systems, Jack was offered a Graduate Assistantship to lead a more rigorous field study to assess resilience and heterogeneity following fire in the Sandhills. He completed his master's degree in August 2016 and accepted the Extension Educator position serving Box Butte, Dawes, Sheridan, and Sioux Counties.
He currently lives in Chadron with his wife, Emily, and son, Cogan.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Board Member of the Nebraska Grazing Lands Coalition and Has Been Involved
Paul serves as a board member of the Nebraska Grazing Lands Coalition and has been involved with the organization since the late 1990s. He is an organic farmer and works to utilize grazing for soil improvement. Paul also serves as a board of director for the Center for Rural Affairs and is a member of the Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society, Holistic Management International and Practical Farmers of Iowa. He is married with two adult children.
Sheila Luoma and her Husband Kris operate a cow calf operation in Greeley and Wheeler counties. Their operations main focus is on raising high quality replacement cattle that are adapted to their environment. Sheila worked for the Natural Resource Conservation Service as a range and resource conservationist for 32 years. Sheila is a member of the Society for Range Management. Sheila believes in range management and the importance in public awareness of livestock in protecting this natural resource.
Vern and his wife, Marjean are involved in a diversified farm/ranch operation with his brother, Terry, and their sons, Brock and Seth and their wives. Vern is a Nebraska LEAD graduate and has attended the Nebraska Ranch Practicum, which he feels is an important learning experience for any grass and cattle manager. He is a member of Nebraska Cattlemen, Sandhills Cattlemen and Nebraska Farm Bureau as well having served on numerous boards.
Vern stated that "Whether it is our own pasture or our rented pasture, we feel it is our responsibility to improve the stand and quality. NGLC has programs to help educate us to meet these goals. We use different grazing methods on each place depending on water, number of pastures and condition of the grasses."
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Loan Officer of the First State Bank of Hickman
Tim Kalkowski is a Vice President and Agricultural Loan Officer of the First State Bank of Hickman. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Banking-Finance from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln after attending Rock County High School in Bassett, his childhood home. He helps manage the family ranch in Boyd County, Nebraska.
He is a member of Nebraska Cattlemen and has served as co-president of the Seward / Lancaster Affiliate of the Nebraska Cattleman's Association. He has also served on the Nebraska Real Property Appraiser Board. He is involved in church youth programs and as a youth baseball coach. He is married and has a 14-year-old son and a 12-year-old daughter.
Tyrell Anderson grew up mostly in northern Montana on the Double T ranch raising Stabilizer seedstock cattle as cooperators with Leachman Cattle Co. After finishing his Bachelor's degree, he worked as an assistant ranch manager on the RO Cattle Ranch in Smokey Valley Nevada and then as the Farm manager at the Roaring Springs Ranch in Frenchglen Oregon. In 2013, he was accepted into the King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management, Master program in Kingsville Texas. He graduated with a Master's Degree in Ranch Management in May 2015 and now manages the Blue Creek Ranch near Oshkosh, NE for Turner Enterprises Incorporated.
Vaugh Hinrichs and his wife Vicki and have been involved in farming and ranching in Thayer county, NE all of their lives except while Vaugh served in the US Army. They have four children who have grown up having midwestern values. They also have 5 grandchildren.
Vaugh and Vicki are also members of the Thayer County Livestock Feeders which happens to be the largest feeders group in Nebraska and also a member of the National Cattlemen Beef Association. Vaugh has always practiced low stress cattle handling and has been instrumental in bringing Curt Pate to numerous grazing educational events across Nebraska. Vaugh believes that a close connection exists between how cattle are handled and how grasslands and water resources are managed. One of Vaughn's greatest joys is riding horseback through effectively managed grasslands checking cattle.