In 1940 Monsignor Luigi G. Ligutti became executive secretary of the Conference and its first full-time executive secretary. One of his first actions was to move the office of the Conference from St. Paul, Minnesota, to Des Moines, Iowa. Two years later he purchased the large mansion at 3801 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, and this remained its headquarters until 1979. By the time Ligutti resigned as executive director in 1959, he had become the most important spokesman for Catholic rural life to the government, farm organizations and other religious organizations, but was also the personal symbol of the Catholic rural life movement. After World War II, Ligutti also brought the NCRLC into international rural life efforts.

Beginning in the 1940s, the NCRLC made an extensive effort to train and educate its more numerous leadership. However, even with its considerable success, its message was not reaching the average Catholic farmer and his family. It attempted to increase participation on the part of the laity during the 50s, adding a youth section to its conventions. Youth Institutes were also developed in various parts of the country.

Perhaps the Conference's most successful method of reaching the rural laity was through its spiritual program of liturgical revival, retreats and devotions. It developed its own prayer book, stressed the Rogation Day processions and blessings for fields and farm, initiated the God, Home and Country Awards for active youth, and claimed St. Isidore as the official patron of farmers and of the Conference.

One of the emphases of the NCRLC in the 40s was helping farm families have a better image and appreciation of themselves. The Conference repeatedly stressed the fact that farming was great family oriented occupation. Stress was given to family size farms as places to raise a family in a true Christian setting. The image farm women had of themselves also was of concern to the Conference.

After World War II, the Conference again tried to promote a back-to-the-land movement as it did in the 30s. There were many obstacles to this effort, but the Conference tried to do what it could. It proposed local diocesan land associations for settling the unemployed and returning servicemen and women, but no diocese attempted it. However, some dioceses initiated farm placement services. It also played an important role in resettling displaced persons into farming and in a variety of other post-war relief programs. Of example, it began to cooperate with the Heifer Project in 1945, and was co-founder of Christian Rural Overseas Program (CROP) in 1948.

Reverend Edward O'Rourke of Peoria, Illinois became the new executive director and Reverend John George Weber of Salina, Kansas, was found for the post of executive secretary. Reverend James Vizzard, S.J. continued to operate in the Washington office until his resignation in April, 1968.

Monsignor O'Rourke shuttled back and forth from Des Moines to Washington to cover both until 1970 when Stephen Bossi became the Washington representative.

Bossi became Director of Research and Public Policy in the Des Moines office in 1975. He was the last NCRLC employed official to represent the Conference in Washington. A USCC staff person has lobbied on rural issues since that time.