"The agriculture industry is unique. The industry is constantly changing and improving, but the priorities have remained the same for years. Our challenge is how to continue to make producers profitable and the industry sustainable with the development and advancement of new technologies in an ever-changing market. To do this, we need to be extremely passionate about always being open to new opportunities."

Few people share the extreme passion and openness that Nikki Whitaker has displayed in her time with the Kentucky Cattlemen's Association. Going on 18 years with KCA, For 17 years, Nikki served as the Membership Coordinator, where she oversaw all aspects of membership services, including being a liaison between the state office and 99 county chapter affiliates. For the past 6 years, I have also worked on behalf of government affairs and lobbying efforts for KCA and the cattle industry. Recently, she stepped into the role of Director of Operations & Policy, where she represents the Association's initiatives to promote the organization’s values, plans, policies, and interests.

Being heavily influenced by her grandparents, Nikki fell in love with agriculture at a young age, specifically the people involved in the industry. She began her college career in the Pre-Vet program but soon realized her interests lie in communications instead of chemistry. Nikki invested her time in communications and public relations so that she could not only spend time around the people she enjoyed but to foster an understanding in consumers and non-agricultural industries of the important work farmers do.

We asked Nikki what she would consider some of her greatest achievements:

"During my time as Membership Coordinator, the Association grew its membership to a record high of 10,920 members. This was a huge achievement for the Association and a testament to our network of strong county associations.

Additionally, I helped to coordinate, with a producer task force, a five-year long-range plan in 2019. The Association had not completed a long-range plan in 20 years, and this new plan assessed the challenges and opportunities facing the Kentucky beef industry and crafted objectives to develop its focus and align its resources over the next five years.

More recently, the Kentucky Cattlemen's Foundation has teamed up with other livestock commodity groups and the University of Kentucky to propose an agriculture education center that creates an environment that engages both learning and teaching experiences to provide educational opportunities and outreach for students, producers, educators, processors, managers, and influencers on the impact of animal agriculture and products. While this center has not materialized yet, I think the achievement lies in the agriculture industry coming together to meet the evolving needs of the animal and food supply system in Kentucky."