Nebraska Cattlemen Research and Education Foundation Awards $12,000 in Grants and McClymont Receives Friend of the Foundation Award

Lincoln, Neb. (January 5, 2026) – During the Nebraska Cattlemen Annual Awards Banquet, the Nebraska Cattlemen Research and Education Foundation presented the Nebraska Beef Industry Endowment, the Nebraska Range and Conservation Endowment, and the Friend of the Foundation award to three trailblazers in the beef industry.

2025 Nebraska Cattlemen Foundation Award Recipients

Nebraska Beef Industry Endowment – Dr. Kelly Bruns, Interim Director of the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture

The Nebraska Beef Industry Endowment was established in December 2009 and provides grants to beef industry-related research and/or teaching positions at Nebraska post-secondary educational institutions. This award honors those professors or instructors that are providing cutting edge research and/or student instruction in a beef industry related area.

As the 2025 Nebraska Beef Industry Endowment recipient, Dr. Kelly Bruns, was awarded a $6,000 grant on behalf of the Nebraska Cattlemen Foundation.

Dr. Kelly Bruns is a Nebraska native and UNL graduate who returned back to Nebraska to serve as the Director of the West Central Research and Extension Center in 2014. His research has focused on cattle growth with an emphasis on carcass quality. He was recently appointed as the Interim Director of the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture where he is leading new initiatives to expand NCTA student experiences through learning by doing.

Nebraska Range and Conservation Endowment – Dr. Anthony Perlinski, Professor and Department Chair of the Department of Rangeland Management at Chadron State College

The Nebraska Range & Conservation Endowment was established in December 2011 and provides grants to range management and conservation research and/or teaching positions at Nebraska post-secondary educational institutions. This award honors professors or instructors who are providing cutting edge research and/or student instruction in a range management and conservation related area. 

Dr. Anthony Perlinski received this year’s Nebraska Range and Conservation Endowment and was awarded a $6,000 grant on behalf of the Nebraska Cattlemen Foundation.

Dr. Anthony Perlinski is a professor and Department Chair of the Department of Rangeland Management at Chadron State College. He has spent the past twelve years at CSC educating students across disciplines on the importance of rangeland conservation through effective management.  His teaching has spanned the curriculum including course on soil science, hydrology, and ecology of rangelands. On top of his science-based courses, he has also effectively linked science to management through courses including Farm and Ranch Management, Ruminant Production, Vegetation Manipulation, and Land Resource Management Planning.  He has also advised undergraduate research projects focusing on the management of invasive cool season grasses and the response of invaded rangelands to drought conditions. Dr. Perlinski is a dedicated educator who has built a career around preparing then next generation of land management professionals.

Friend of the Foundation Award – Pete McClymont 

The Friend of the Foundation award is presented to a person or business that has shared endless amounts of time, talent, and treasure with the Nebraska Cattlemen Foundation. The Foundation is pleased to announce the 2025 recipient of the Friend of the Foundation award is Pete McClymont.

Pete McClymont is a native of Holdrege, Nebraska, where four generations have continuously farmed, including raising livestock in south central Nebraska since 1882. During his time working at the family farm, Pete primarily managed the feedlot along with his father and two brothers.

Pete’s passion for beef cattle production and advocating for the interests of producers led him to serve on the Nebraska Cattlemen Board of Directors, where he concluded his board service as President of the Board in 2006.

Upon concluding his service on the Board of Directors, McClymont became Vice President of Legislative Affairs for Nebraska Cattlemen in January 2007 and was later hired as Executive Vice President in July 2013.

During his time as a Nebraska Cattlemen member and staffer Pete always advocated for the Nebraska Cattlemen Foundation. 2026 will mark his twentieth year participating the Foundation’s Retail Value Steer Challenge. He often reminds people that a gift to the Nebraska Cattlemen Foundation is an investment in ourselves as well as students, the individuals who will be our next leaders.

McClymont spent over twenty-five years serving Nebraska Cattlemen members and working to keep Nebraska’s beef cattle industry prosperous. After more than two decades of service to the membership of Nebraska Cattlemen, McClymont retired at the end of February 2023.

Pete McClymont served Nebraska’s beef cattle producers for twenty-five years and has exhibited great leadership in supporting the Nebraska Cattlemen Research and Education Foundation.