Exclusive Interview: Jarrod Gillig, Senior Vice President of Cargill Beef

Jarrod Gillig centers education and engagement in his role as senior vice president of Cargill’s North American beef business.

Originally published on meatingplace
November 11, 2025

 

Jarrod Gillig, senior vice president of Cargill’s North American beef business, on his family’s homestead in Blue Rapids, Kansas.
Jarrod Gillig, senior vice president of Cargill’s North American beef business, on his family’s homestead in Blue Rapids, Kansas.
When Jarrod Gillig of Cargill says “My whole life has been centered around beef production,” he means it literally — after raising cows as a kid, Gillig took out a USDA loan in middle school to purchase his own cows and build out the family herd on their land in Missouri. From there, Gillig became president of the National Junior Angus Association, and his future wife was chairman of the National Junior Polled Hereford Board. 

“She and I actually met at a leadership conference in Houston, at what they now call Youth Beef Industry Council,” Gillig recalls. “You can imagine the fun folks we had at our wedding.” 

Gillig and his family now raise Hereford cattle on his wife’s historic land, and their children represent the ranch’s fifth generation of stewards. 

“It’s something that we take a lot of pride in,” Gillig says. “It’s fun to watch our kids get involved in showing and livestock exhibitions. It’s just a lot of fun. We’re pretty addicted to it. Being able to transfer that into my day job is pretty awesome, because it allows me to have that producer perspective in this industrial beef production.” 

And Gillig’s day job is an important one. As the senior vice president of Cargill’s North America beef business, Gillig plays a central role in not only the day-to-day operations of beef processing, but also the political and ideological future of animal agriculture. In an interview with Meatingplace, Gillig detailed how he approaches such a multifaceted position. 

 

Read the full interview with Jarrod Gillig on meatingplace to learn more about how he and Cargill are championing the next generation of American beef.