Henry County Cattleman Serving at National Level

Al Lyman of Hadley Farms, continues his path of beef advocacy and leadership on the Beef Promotion Operating Committee.

by Jaclyn Krymowski

It’s fair to say Al Lyman keeps pretty busy. In addition to operating Hadley Farms Inc. with his wife, Karen, and family in Cambridge, where they finish approximately 2,000 head each year, he shares his valuable time serving the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) in addition to active membership with IBA.

For the past three years, Lyman was fulfilling his term on the NCBA Executive Committee as NCBA Region III Federation vice president. At the recent Cattle Industry Convention in Houston, he was elected to now serve on the Beef Promotion Operating Committee.

“The rewards are hard to count,” he says of NCBA service. “They’re not financial rewards…we volunteer our time in these organizations. But the reward for me, is that we’ve gotten to become friends with great cattle people and industry leaders from both Illinois and all over the country that are involved with NCBA at all kinds of different levels.”

Over the years, Lyman has contributed on various levels, from county to state and now national. In this next role, he will help make decisions that influence the way National Beef Checkoff dollars are spent to benefit the national beef community. This isn’t his first time working on Checkoffrelated projects at both state and national levels, Lyman was on the committee decision for the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner 300 sponsorship.

“I’m really excited about his new role,” says Josh St. Peters, IBA executive vice president. “…(Being) on the Beef Operating Committee will allow him to continue that leadership for the Beef Checkoff nationwide, but in a new capacity (now) overseeing the operations of the money and the organizations that steward our National Beef Checkoff programs.”

Al Lyman

Getting Involved

Lyman attended Iowa State University, met wife, Karen, and spent the next few years working on different cattle operations, including his parents’ home farm, early in their marriage. His involvement in beef leadership goes back to his home state of Iowa where he served on his county cattlemen’s board and was eventually elected president.

Then, in the late 1990s Lyman and his family had the opportunity to uproot and move to Illinois and work with Karen’s parent’s fifth generation operation, Hadley Farms in Henry County. Al and Karen worked closely with Karen’s parents, Warren and Cathy Hadley, until they retired and have been running the operation ever since.

After becoming established in Illinois, Lyman became President of the Henry County Beef Association. Shortly thereafter, that lent itself to an opportunity serving on the state level. With IBA, Lyman has worn multiple hats, including serving as a director and leader on the Board of Governors. By the conclusion of his tenure, Lyman was already dabbling with NCBA opportunities.

Lyman represented Illinois on NCBA’s Federation of State Beef Councils, which allows state beef councils to help build beef demand by working with the National Beef Checkoff partnership. The natural progression of such leadership, Lyman says, usually leads to requests to serve on other committees and co-chair positions. When opportunities were given to him, he accepted.

In 2019, Lyman ran for Region III vice president of the Federation and was elected. With the fulfilment of that term, he looks forward to his latest assignment.

Hadley Farms, Geneseo, Ill.

Reaping the Rewards

An exciting part of leadership roles is the ability to take an active role and be a voice on the frontlines for the proliferation of beef.

“I feel honored to be on that board of 20 members that will help set the direction for how National Checkoff funds are spent in the coming year,” says Lyman.

At the upcoming September meeting, the Beef Promotion Operating Committee will evaluate authorization requests that contractors suggest are funded by checkoff dollars. The committee is made up of 10 producers elected by the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and 10 producers elected by the Federation of State Beef Councils. Lyman will serve on the Federation side. From there, they can accept requests, deny requests, or adjust the amount of funding requests.

“This is a very grassroots process with several steps,” explains Lyman. “The Checkoff committees with listen to proposals from contractors, rate them and give comments. The committee is made up of beef producers like you and I. The last step of that process is the Beef Promotion Operating Committee making the final decision on how to maximize these funds. I’ve realized for a long time that we have more requests than dollars available. That lends itself to making some hard decisions on what to fund and how to work through that while trying to get 20 people on the table.”

Lyman notes that this type of service can be challenging due to the investment of time. Lyman must make sure he has enough help at home to run things during meetings and other commitments. Nevertheless, he feels it is time well spent.

“It’s interesting, you learn a lot from these other people and how they do things in different parts of the country,” he says. “I also have a list of people that I feel comfortable with if I ever have a question.”

A benefit that comes with this diversity of background is the different expertise and experience folks can contribute. Lyman believes it makes the industry stronger and better.

“We have a lot of great things going on in the industry right now,” he says. “We’re at a 33 year high of domestic beef demand and this past year our exports broke a new record in volume and dollars. It’s a pretty exciting time.”

Al Lyman and wife, Karen

Photo taken by Summit Engineering & Construction

Preserving Beef’s Future

Lyman believes there is a place for all cattle producers, regardless of background and herd size, at the table of leadership to shape the industry. He says that early on he thought even service on the state level was beyond him, but as he became more active, he realized the opportunity was there.

“As you build friendships with colleagues in the industry, it’s not as scary as it looks,” he says. “It’s definitely a commitment, and everybody’s terribly busy, I understand that. But if you can carve out a little bit of time, the rewards are pretty great.”

St. Peters adds, “I think any time Illinois cattlemen steps up to serve on the national landscape, it will bring tremendous value. We’ve had a history of producers serving in different leadership roles in the past.”

Being a diverse state with many types and sizes of operations, he adds that Illinois cattlemen have a broad perspective and solid grasp on the industry at the national level.

“There’s a critical need for more men and women with cattle backgrounds to step up and be involved in both the Illinois Beef Association and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association,” continues St. Peters. “I think now more than ever, our industry needs advocates to tell our story to consumers and promote our product in the marketplace. We must do our part to protect our freedoms and lifestyle in the regulatory landscape.”

He recommends interested individuals speak with their local leaders to learn more, or contact the IBA office, to learn more about involvement and opportunities.

Hadley Farms, Geneseo, Ill.

Photo taken by Summit Engineering & Construction