RFK Takes Center Stage at CattleCon
HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. addresses cattlemen about the importance of beef in transforming the health of Americans.
February 19, 2026
For many young Americans across the country, the food pyramid was something learned in 4-H club meetings and health classes. Laminated printouts could often be found in the cafeteria, and healthy lunch initiatives seemed to take a swipe at protein while loading trays with empty carbohydrates.
That all changed this past January. A shift in thinking within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) gave a major update to the U.S. Food Pyramid, moving to a model that focuses on proteins and fats.
HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. joined Buck Wehrbein, a Nebraska cattle producer and immediate past president of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, on stage Thursday, Feb. 5, at CattleCon in Nashville, Tenn., to speak to cattle producers about the importance now placed on real food.
Eat real food
When he took office in January 2025, there was a set of dietary guidelines developed by the previous administration ready to publish, Kennedy said. After reviewing 453 pages, it was apparent something needed to change.
“We got the best nutritionists in the country from the best universities in the country, and we basically locked them in a room,” Kennedy explained. “We thought it was going to take them a month. It took them ... almost 11 months.”
While the process may have taken a bit longer than Kennedy expected, the new guidelines (see “Dietary Guidelines Released”) were what he hoped to see: simple, science-based and with a focus on real food.
Every recommendation was justified with science-based evidence, and Kennedy said he is proud that protein is back at the top of the food pyramid.
“Protein is absolutely critical,” Kennedy stressed, questioning why anyone would steer people away from proteins. “It provides vitamin B, all of these micronutrients, iron, zinc, all these things where Americans are chronically deficient.”
Food is medicine, Kennedy said. He noted that meat, eggs and animal protein are now at the top of the priority list, with HHS recommending Americans eat protein at every meal.
HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. said he is proud that protein is back at the top of the food pyramid.
“We poisoned a generation of kids,” he said. “Now it’s time to stop doing that. The food pyramid says one thing: Eat real food.”
Demand for beef
Kennedy said he is happy to report meat demand is growing within America and that experts expect that trend to continue.
His one request to the CattleCon audience: Increase the size of the U.S. cow herd.
“Right now the message that I’d give to beef producers is begging you to increase the size of the herd. We had 132 million head in 1972. We have 92 million today,” Kennedy said, noting that he realizes producers are selling more females as feeder heifers because of market fluctuations and uncertainty. “I’d ask you to stop doing that. We need a lot of beef, and we want to make it here in America. We don’t want to be importing it from other countries.”
While the audience reaction to the request was laughter, Wehrbein noted that CattleFax experts believe expansion is beginning and that it will take time. Wehrbein also expressed that although the U.S. cattle herd is at a 50-year low, production is only down 2.5% overall.
To that, Kennedy acknowledged that modern beef cattle are larger than their 1972 counterparts. While nobody in the current administration wants to be importing beef, he said, President Trump promised the American people to drive down the price of groceries and is working to balance those priorities.
“We are doing everything we can to encourage people to increase the size of the herds in this country. But, as you say, you can’t do that overnight,” Kennedy said. “It takes 18 months or more before we start seeing that at the grocery store.”
Winding up the on-stage interview, Wehrbein asked Kennedy what his favorite cut of beef is while joking that growing up it was assumed the Kennedys ate lobster all the time.
“Well, I do like lobster, but my go-to cut is strips,” Kennedy laughed. “That’s what I eat. I eat beef every day. I usually eat it twice a day.”
Kennedy’s final thoughts to the auditorium were clear. Just eat real food, and get beef production up if we can.
Editor's note: [Lead photo courtesy of NCBA.]
Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA, Vol. 18, No. 2-B
Topics: Consumer , Events , Human Health , Industry News , News , Policy
Publication: Angus Beef Bulletin
Related Content
