NCBA and PLC back Steve Pearce nomination

Nov 06, 2025
By Farms.com

Groups support Pearce for Bureau of Land Management role

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and the Public Lands Council (PLC) have officially announced their support for President Trump’s nomination of former Congressman Steve Pearce to serve as Director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

Pearce, who has represented New Mexico in both the U.S. Congress and the State House, brings decades of experience and a strong grasp of issues surrounding federal lands and western ranching communities. His appointment is seen as a significant step toward providing consistent leadership within the BLM, which plays a critical role in managing public lands and supporting the livelihoods of ranchers.

According to Kaitlynn Glover, Executive Director of Natural Resources at NCBA and Executive Director of PLC, Pearce’s nomination represents a strong commitment to addressing the real-world challenges faced by federal lands ranchers. “Having represented New Mexico in Congress and the State House for decades, former Rep. Steve Pearce understands the important role that public lands play across the West. Pearce’s experience makes him thoroughly qualified to lead the BLM and tackle the issues federal lands ranchers are facing,” said NCBA Executive Director of Natural Resources and PLC Executive Director Kaitlynn Glover. “Ranchers need a permanent BLM director. NCBA and PLC members support his nomination, and we urge the Senate to swiftly confirm him.”

The NCBA and PLC emphasized the need for stable, experienced leadership within the BLM to ensure that ranchers’ interests and environmental stewardship continue to align. Both organizations have called upon the Senate to swiftly confirm Pearce’s nomination, noting that his expertise and proven leadership will be valuable for promoting balanced land-use policies and strengthening collaboration among public land stakeholders.

Photo Credit: national-cattleman-s-beef-association

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.