Proud to support R-CALF USA
Directors Spotlight
Meet the ICON Board and Regional Directors
Board and Directors Map Here
Background: I, Larry Sanger, was raised on a family farm at Lexington, NE. After high school I worked for a couple of farmers. Worked also at a commercial feed yard. 1994 moved to a ranch north of Brady, Nebraska. Ran a cow calf, yearling, and custom raising operation.
Family: My wife, Connie, and I have four children, and we have four great grandchildren.
Roland Paddock
Title: Secretary/Treasurer
Occupation: Rancher in Ainsworth, Nebraska
Operation: "I am a retired rancher that has turned the operation of the ranch over to my son, that makes it the fourth generation of operation. I try to help as much as possible with the day to day activities and stay out of the road when not needed. I was fortunate enough to have previous generations wise enough to get through the 1980's and leave the land debt free. Basically we are grass raisers that harvest it through grazing and haying."
What does ranching mean to Paddock: "Ranching is an independent lifestyle, you are your own boss, and need to be a self starter, often working alone. That being said, most ranchers have good neighbors that are willing to help whenever the need arises. We may travel 100 miles to help someone out and think nothing of it. Our rural lifestyle is one of caring for God's creation, good neighbors, and enjoying the fruits of our labor."
Family: My wife Rita is a retired teacher. We have two children: Andrew and Amy. Andrew is taking over the ranch and Amy lives in Independence, MO with her husband and family.
Paddock's thoughts on ICON: “My thoughts on ICON: I believe ICON does a good job representing the cow-calf sector, trying to promote good legislation that will benefit the family ranch. In my mind, ICON keeps on top of many issues for the independent cow-calf producers in Nebraska. I see the founders of ICON as hard-working individuals who devoted much time and energy organizing ICON and keeping it a vital rural voice across the state and in the Unicameral.”
Jim Dinklage
Occupation: 5th generation cattleman tracing back to roots in Germany.
Operation: I have a custom grazing operation in SW Knox County where I practice intensive rotational grazing. I have fed cattle in various custom feedlots, feeding drug-free calves by using a direct-fed probiotic additive. I now have my own probiotic company, Dinklage Enterprises, LLC, where I make and sell Natural Defense livestock microbial products.
What does the cattle business mean to Dinklage: “The cattle business to me means producing a great product. Because I started out as a cattle feeder in Cuming County, NE, I felt great satisfaction from starting out lightweight calves, keeping them healthy, feeding, and watching them grow. Then finally finishing them at 1400 lbs., having them yield 64%, and grade choice and prime. When I started my cow herd, it was like Christmas in the spring to see what the calves were like from my AI breeding program as they raced and played on my Sandhills ranch. There’s nothing like raising quality beef and making a profit while doing it.”
Family: Jim's wife Pat is a retired school music teacher and takes an active role in their ranching operation. Their son Aaron and wife Stacey have a daughter and son. Aaron is a livestock production specialist for Purina and manages Niobrara Valley Feed Service in Valentine. Aaron and his family also have a cow-calf operation.
Dinklage's thoughts on ICON: "After being a founding member of a business fraternity in college, I haven't had much time to contribute to any organizations. However, I've always supported the livestock industry. When the beef checkoff referendum was proposed, I voted for it to promote the beef business. But when the national organization hired Cybill Shepherd, a vegetarian, to promote beef for dinner, I knew the whole idea behind the beef checkoff and the use of the money would get corrupted. I attended R-Calf conventions in the early years and joined because they supported policies similar to my business beliefs on a national level without checkoff money support. Then along came the Independent Cattlemen of Nebraska, a group of cattlemen who like myself don't necessarily follow the "herd" when it comes to our livelihood. We think and do things "outside the fence". ICON is striving to preserve the independent stockman's way of life."
David J. Wright
Occupation: Ranches in Holt County near Ewing.
Operation: Wright is a fourth-generation rancher and his day-to-day operation includes a cow-calf operation with just enough grass to feed the cows and enough cows to eat the grass. He is proud his grandfather was a cattle-trader. Along with his son Isaac, we background our calves to 600-700 lbs. Wright also sells hay.
What does ranching mean to Wright: "I love putting up hay; I like the baby calves in the spring and enjoy weaning them. There isn’t anything about ranching I don’t like. I’m a fourth generation rancher and my son Isaac is the fifth. I have a huge burden to those before me and my successors coming up to keep this business alive and well. If I don’t stand up for the independent rancher, who will? No one."
Family: My wife Joan has retired from nursing and sold our printing business, now she is in the business keeping our family together while herding grandchildren. Son Isaac has a degree from Southeast Technical College in Diesel Mechanics. He gets to hone his skills on the ranch equipment, and he has three sons. Daughter Katie is a teacher/volleyball coach, and she has a son and a daughter. Youngest daughter Hannah is in marketing, and she is always traveling somewhere.
Wright’s thoughts on ICON: "I have been a part of many cattle organizations and in all of them, cow-calf operations are at the bottom of the totem pole. ICON is for the cow-calf producer and only the cow-calf producer; not huge feedlots and packing companies."
Chris Abbott
Occupation: Ranches in Cherry County; co-manages Abbott Cattle Company with his brother Mike.
Operation: Commercial cow-calf operation; spring calving; weaned in October and calves are back-grounded for a short period; sold after the first of the year. The family operation hays about 5,000 round bales yearly and uses all in their cattle feeding. He is a fifth-generation Nebraska rancher and continues the family ranching tradition his great-great-grandfather Arthur began in the late 1890s.
What does ranching mean to Abbott: "Ranching means everything to me. I am a fifth-generation rancher and it’s important to me to pass it on to the next generation just as it was passed on to me. It’s in my blood."
Family: Wife Kim is a constant helpmate on the ranch to Abbott and a full-time grandmother for the sixth generation of Abbotts: three granddaughters, ages 9 months to 2 years old. Abbott’s children are A.J. who is a corporate pilot, owns his own cows, is a shareholder in Abbot Cattle Co., and sometimes works on the ranch when not flying; Alicia, Carver, and their families are both shareholders as well; Alicia’s husband is employed with a neighbor and Carver is employed with Abbot Cattle Co.
Abbott's thoughts on ICON: "Everyone asked us why we started ICON. Why did we need another organization? All the existing beef organizations catered to the large entities. I believe we need an organization that represents the independent producer and that’s what ICON does."
Al Davis
Occupation: Retired Nebraska State Senator, District 43
What does ranching mean to Davis: “My family homesteaded our ranch in 1888 and have been Nebraskans since shortly after statehood. As such, I have a love for rural Nebraska and especially appreciate the incredible beauty of the Sandhills. Over the course of my life, I've seen tremendous changes in my community – much of it not to my liking. Many of our neighbors have sold out and are gone, and that hurts the towns and villages which we depend on for groceries, supplies, and socialization. The cattle industry builds its entire image around the cow-calf operator, yet that segment of the business is most threatened by current industry trends. If you love the lifestyle, then you need to get out there and work to protect and promote it.”
Family: "My wife, Dot, and I were married in 1992. We had a large, wonderful extended family on both sides, which gave us lots of love and satisfaction. Dot passed away in 2022. I miss her intelligence, her laugh, her compassion and her common sense every day."
Davis's thoughts on ICON: “In 2005, we formed ICON because we did not feel that any organization in the state represented the cow-calf segment of the cattle industry. That hasn't changed as time moved on—witness the recent resolution by the Nebraska Cattlemen to abolish the brand inspection program as one example of the disconnect which exists within the different segments of the cattle industry. ICON has had a number of very significant successes in its short life due to the hard work of the volunteer directors who have put in hours and hours working to protect and promote the ranching industry. I am extremely proud of the accomplishments we have achieved since the inception of ICON. Now, what we need is more of you to step up and get actively involved in your organization. The directors need help on a number of fronts to build the organization. We need folks who will testify for us on legislative bills, people who will help build membership, and folks who will sit on committees and put in the time necessary to ensure the success of the organization. We all owe a great debt to our forefathers for building the life that we have in the United States—and on the ranches where we live and work. I feel that you owe it to your family and to your community to try and make the industry more cow-calf friendly. I'm making a pitch for some volunteers to step up and get involved. You'll be extremely surprised at how satisfying this work can be.”
Rod Gray
Occupation: Rancher and Registered Angus Breeder in Harrison, Nebraska
What does ranching mean to Gray: “I have been involved in ranching and farming all my life. As a fifth-generation rancher, I feel strongly about handing off the operation to the next generation. We have to find a way to get it done, and I see getting involved politically as about the best way to do that.”
Family: Rod and wife Laura have five children: four sons—Levi, Colt, Heath, Garrett, and a daughter, Naomi, who is married to Jeff Pelster. They are proud to be passing the ranching operation over to their children. Two sons are active in the day-to-day ranching chores, one son is a pilot, one son is in high school, and their daughter and her husband are just now making the move back to the family ranching tradition.
Gray's thoughts on ICON: “ICON to me is a grassroots sustainable organization, and I have found it to be the only one in Nebraska. I like that. I think we need to take a stand to get things done today and get involved. People need to make a difference. It's easy to stay at home and do the work, but everyone needs to keep our business and our farming industry alive. The Ag industry has dropped the ball really badly. We need to stand up and voice our opinions because we have a lot of ground to cover to catch up.”
Mike Ryan
Occupation: Rancher and Portable Sawmill Business Owner
Operation: Cow-Calf
Family: Mike and his wife Rashelle enjoy spending time with their family and working together on their ranch located near Ansley. Besides ranching, Mike owns and operates the Ryan Lumber Company and works part time at the sale barn in Broken Bow. Rashelle spends her time either playing with the grandkids, gardening or working as the financial secretary at their church.
Ryan's thoughts on ICON: “I looked at several cattle organizations around the state. ICON was the only one that I felt represented the cow-calf producer. Cow-calf operations are the foundation of the United States cattle industry. ICON is working to keep this segment of the industry strong.”
Past Board Member:
Jim was a founding member of ICON and served on our Board of Directors until his death in 2008. Jim Hanna Bio
Dr. Don Cain DVM was a chairman of animal health until his death in 2024.
