By CAROL RYAN DUMAS
Capital Press
Hailing from a small crop farm in Weiser, Idaho, and with her grandparents in the ranching business near Ola, Shea Nesbitt will feel right at home in her new job as program manager for the Idaho Beef Council.
“The opportunity to represent the beef industry in Idaho was an opportunity I couldn’t let pass by,” she said.
She’ll be representing people in the beef industry as well as her own family, she said.
Her grandparents live on the ranch and their sons help run the place.
Nesbitt has been involved in agriculture her entire life, working on the farm and showing Angus-Limousine and black baldies, and she took her aspirations of a career in the ag sector to the University of Idaho.
“I always had a strong pull for making the ag industry stronger,” she said.
At college, she was active in clubs in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and was president of CALS Ambassadors, who recruit students for the college. She also served as secretary of the Ag Student Affairs Council and was a member of the Collegiate Farm Bureau and Agribusiness Club.
While still in college, she began a year and a half internship with the Dry Pea and Lentil Council.
“I loved my time there,” she said.
But the opportunity to represent Idaho’s beef industry was too tempting, and in September she joined the ranks of the Beef Council.
Now she will help implement marketing plans to increase consumer demand. Her focus will be on youth and consumer education of the nutritional benefits of beef, and she’ll also work with retailers and food service on marketing and promotion.
She’ll also be engaged in industry and producer communications to share the success of the checkoff-funded programs.
“We are thrilled to have someone with Shea’s background and skill set joining the IBC team,” said Traci O’Donnell, Idaho Beef Council executive director. “She will play a key role in executing the checkoff funded programs here in Idaho and expanding our producer communication efforts.”
“I’m very excited to see what the next year brings and hopefully do a good job of communicating with people and implementing programs,” she said.
Nesbitt replaces Kaitlin Davis, who took a position with the Idaho Department of Agriculture.