Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, the oldest and largest livestock association in the Southwest, elected Carl Ray Polk Jr. as president during the 2024 Cattle Raisers Convention & Expo on Saturday.
Polk, of Lufkin, Texas, is a respected figure within the industry, bringing extensive expertise and a proven advocacy track record to his two-year term as TSCRA president. As a third-generation rancher and land steward, Polk is well-positioned to steer the association toward continued growth and success.
After the business session on Saturday in Ft. Worth, Oklahoma Farm Report’s Ron Hays and Carey Martin with the Texas Farm Bureau Radio Network talked to Polk on the Trade Show floor about his vision for the year ahead. You can listen to his first conversation with the media as President by clicking on the Listen Bar below:
Polk acknowledges agriculture has issues- “we are in an industry that is challenged- whether it’s weather, whether it’s cost of capital- it’s a challenging industry- so therefore our membership is flat- so I feel like one of my focuses is to engage as many of our members as we can and be able to offer our platform to new members.”
“When you look back through TSCRA history, it is beyond humbling to be part of this long-standing organization,” Polk said. “I’m honored to serve alongside our leadership, board of directors, committee leaders and volunteers in support of our membership and mission.
Polk is proud of how people have responded to the historic wildfires of early March across the Texas Panhandle into western Oklahoma. “It’s pretty amazing- over 1.2 million acres were impacted and as of this morning, we have had almost 1400 donations and we are hovering right around $1.2 million dollars” given to their disaster assistance fund. He says that they have opened the application process for those who need help on their ranches because of the wildfire- he urged those who need assistance in both Texas and Oklahoma to click here and apply right away.
During the 2024 Cattle Raisers Convention & Expo, the TSCRA Executive Committee met to approve the newest additions to leadership roles for the organization. Stephen Diebel of Victoria was named first vice president and Dan Gattis of Georgetown was elected as second vice president.
Martin and Hays also talked with Diebel on the Trade Show Floor- click to listen to their conversation:
Four members were elected to the TSCRA Board of Directors. These include: Anson Howard, San Antonio; Michael Sasser, Corpus Christi; Richard Marbach, Victoria; and Ross Thompson, Iowa Park. Three members were elected to the executive committee: Austin Brown III, Beeville; Claudia Scott Wright, Richmond; and James L. Donnell Jr., Fowlerton.
Polk succeeds Arthur Uhl, whose leadership and dedication have been instrumental in driving TSCRA’s mission. On behalf of the association, Polk extended his appreciation to Uhl for his invaluable contributions and wished him continued success in his future endeavors.
“I want to thank Arthur for setting an outstanding example of what a Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association president should stand for,” Polk said. “I hope to uphold many of the examples he’s set.”
To learn more about Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association and its leadership, visit tscra.org.
