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Message from the President
Changing of the guard
ICA’s new Board President takes the reins
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BY KIM BRACKETT ICA President
Iam excited and honored to serve as your ICA President this year. ICA has been a part of my life for such a long time and, yet, I am still surprised to find myself in this position. I moved to Idaho after my husband, Ira, and I were married and one of the first events we attended together was ICA’s annual convention. It was at that convention when I began to meet so many of the wonderful people that comprise the heart of the Idaho cattle industry.
Over the years, those same people gave me a chance to be involved in ICA. They guided, supported and encouraged me in different ways, large and small. Most importantly, they served as examples of what great leadership looks like. I watched those leaders work to gather input, help build a consensus and take action on membership policies. I saw the sacrifices they made as they volunteered their time and resources to ICA. As I move into the role of ICA President, I continually remind myself of the many talented leaders that have come before me, and I am humbled to follow in their footsteps.
A little about me, I grew up on my parent’s ranch in Wyoming and moved to Three Creek, Idaho after marrying Ira. We are raising our four children on his family’s ranch. Our two oldest boys are both in college, our daughter is in high school, and our youngest son is finishing the last of his middle school years (hallelujah!). We run a cow/calf and stocker operation that keeps all of us busy. Most of our time is spent chasing kids, calves, horses or dogs and, honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Perhaps the most important lesson I learned during those first years of my ICA membership is that the success of our association is built upon a strong foundation of grassroots involvement. The active participation of our members over the course of many years has built ICA into a policy association that has a solid working relationship with various government agencies and is well-respected by our state legislature. However, grassroots organizations are only as strong as their membership. Volunteerism and association membership is on the decline in our society, yet ICA’s work never ends. We have our perennial issues: wolves, sage grouse, state politics and agency relationships. In addition, there are emerging issues such as, increased recreation on state and federal lands. We recognize it is challenging to find the time to attend cattle association meetings; life and work pressures always tend to come first. I encourage you to find a way that you can engage at either a local or state level, ICA needs your input and your involvement as we continue to tackle the issues that are most critical to the future success of Idaho’s cattle industry.
