Bruce Hafenfeld, President, California Cattlemen’s Association

 

Bruce Hafenfeld was born and raised in Orange County, Calif., and began working within the beef cattle industry as a young man at the Irvine Ranch Company. After high school, he attended California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and earned his bachelor of science degree in animal science. Upon graduation, he became a Naval Flight Officer and ultimately obtained the rank of Captain. Bruce and his wife Sylvia, have been married for 30 years and have two children, Eric and Jessica.

Hafenfeld began his own cattle business in 1975, and currently owns and operates a family ranch headquartered in Weldon, Calif. raising commercial cows, calves and stockers on both private property and on a federal grazing allotment on the Sequoia National Forest. On his ranch, Bruce has enhanced habitat for a number of wildlife species and entered into perpetual conservation easements to ensure the property in Kern River Valley is always maintained as a working ranch.

He is extremely involved in many facets of the agriculture industry, and has served as the president of the Kern County Cattlemen’s Association, a director of the Kern County Farm Bureau, a member of the Kern County Fair Livestock Committee, as the chairman of the California Cattlemen's Association public lands committee, and vice president of the California Cattlemen's Association. Presently, Bruce serves president of the California Cattlemen's Association, and as a member of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association Board of Directors.