Brandon Depenbusch, feedyard general manager for Innovative Livestock Services, was one of  more than 60 young cattlemen and women selected to participate in the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association 35th Young Cattlemen’s Conference. Depenbusch was sponsored by Kansas Livestock Association. The YCC program is a comprehensive, nationwide tour of beef industry sectors, created to enhance leadership skills in your beef industry professionals.
“YCC is a prestigious and competitive program designed to foster the future leadership of our industry,” said Forrest Roberts, NCBA chief executive officer. “The participants selected to attend YCC were chosen because of their exceptional contributions to the beef industry and their potential to be a strong voice in our future development. I look forward to seeing Brandon take an increased leadership role within NCBA and the beef industry.”  
Living in Great Bend, Depenbusch works for Innovative Livestock Services, Inc. Innovative Livestock Services owns and operates 11 feedyards in Kansas and Nebraska. In addition to the feedyards, ILS farms 20,000 acres and operates several smaller companies that support their feedyards. Depenbusch has worked for ILS for five years, with primary responsibilities as general manager for two of the feedyards and supporting companies, research coordinator, and special project/data analyst.
Depenbusch completed his Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees from Kansas State University in the Department of Animal Sciences and Industry. His research revolved around pre-harvest food safety strategies, ethanol by-product utilization, and extrusion grain processing for feedlot cattle. Depenbusch also managed the Kansas State University Beef Cattle Research Center while attending graduate school.
“YCC is an excellent opportunity to network with other young industry professionals while learning about the opportunities and challenges that face beef producers daily,” said Depenbusch.