Junior Division Results
Best Written Exam
3rd – Brigham Bernhard
​2nd – Bailey Kubecka
1st – True Creel

Best Presentation 
3rd – Gage Smrkovsky
2nd – Holly Ressler
1st – Andi May

Best Individual Carcass
3rd – Emma Kubecka and Tanner Pustka
2nd – Anna Lane, Newman Neeley and Coy Tindel
1st – Kennedy Wilhelm

​Best Pen Steer Points
3rd – Emma Kubecka and Tanner Pustka
2nd – Anna Lane, Newman Neeley and Coy Tindel
1st – Kennedy Wilhelm

Top Rookie Award
2nd Place Rookie – Emma Kubecka
Top Rookie – Walker Moore

Senior Division Results
Best Written Exam
3rd – Ryan Janak
2nd – Kacey Kubecka
1st – Jake Ressler, Jenna Stevenson and Pierce Wilhelm

​Best Interview
3rd – Ryan Janak
2nd – Kacey Kubecka
1st – Jenna Stevenson

Best Individual Carcass
3rd – Ashlyn Pustka
2nd – Pierce Wilhelm
1st – Ryan Janak

Best Pen Steer Points
3rd – Ashlyn Pustka
2nd – Pierce Wilhelm
1st – Ryan Janak

Top Rookie Award
Graham Haile​

From the very first meeting on May 18, 1967, at the Holiday Inn West in Amarillo—where 10 men gathered around a table to discuss forming a cattle feeders association—the Texas Cattle Feeders Association has been guided by visionary leaders willing to show up, share ideas, discuss issues and provide solutions.

To help prepare future leaders, TCFA established its Leadership Program in 1990. Since its inception, 76 individuals from the fed cattle industry in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico have participated. Many have gone on to serve the association, including as chairman of the board of directors.

Individuals between the ages of 25 and 40 are identified and nominated by their peers for the program. Each year, the TCFA executive committee selects two to three participants from the pool of nominees.

Those selected spend a year studying the workings of the cattle feeding industry and other organizations. Participants attend the TCFA Board and Leadership Orientation, join the Young Cattlemen’s Conference, attend one Texas Agricultural Lifetime Leadership session and go to the TCFA Annual Convention.

Together, these experiences give participants a firsthand look at the inner workings of the cattle industry while connecting them with other leaders.

​“I met a lot of new people, learned about different facets of the industry and learned about policy,” said 2025 leadership participant Matt Quinn with Melissa Feeders and TELUS Agriculture, where he works as a nutritionist. “I have learned how TCFA leadership drives a lot of policies and bridges the gap between industry and the government.”

Meeting industry leaders from across the country provides lasting benefits, both professionally and
within TCFA. The program encourages candid discussions about challenges facing the industry and differing perspectives on policy.

“The networking was important to help set policy and be involved in that process within the industry,” said 2011 leadership participant Levi Berry, Past TCFA Chairman in 2019 and Operations Manager of Smith Cattle Co. “The other thing is knowing those guys and visiting with them to see what the challenges they are facing are and why they have the stance they have, trying to understand the position they have rather than just being opposed to it.”

Participants are also exposed to TCFA’s advocacy efforts, including meetings with senators and
representatives to support or oppose policies affecting cattle feeding.

“It was really, really eye opening for me when I was in Washington D.C. talking to representatives, everyone expected TCFA to take the lead,” Quinn said.

The program also provides perspective on why leadership development is essential to the association’s future.

“An organization is only as good as its members and the leadership of that organization is only as good as the leaders you develop from within,” Quinn said. “I think it’s imperative TCFA continues to support and develop leaders within the cattle feeding industry so we can then go out and be leaders across multiple facets of the beef cattle industry. TCFA has done a phenomenal job of that over the years and earned the reputation as leaders within the industry.”

Leadership development extends beyond TCFA, influencing participants’ roles in their communities and careers.

“I was encouraged to step forward and take on more leadership roles outside of just TCFA,” Quinn said.” It allowed me to develop and understand what it takes to be a leader in the industry and what it takes to be a leader in our organization or organizations outside of the cattle feeding industry.”

As participants advance, the program instills confidence and a sense of responsibility to give back to the association.

“It is flattering to be nominated by your peers to be an officer in the organization,” Berry said. “I guess I kind of had the mindset that I was one of the young guys looking up to the more seasoned members of the organization and somewhere along the way you figure out that you’re not a young guy anymore and it is your opportunity to give back to the organization that has afforded you so many opportunities.”

That responsibility often extends to supporting the broader cattle feeding industry.

“It changed my perspective on how I view leadership and what it takes to be a strong leader,” Quinn said. “It gives you more of a sense of responsibility to things that you don’t directly have control over, you can still demonstrate leadership outside of being the one that is directly leading that group.”

The impact of the program also reaches future generations of industry professionals.

“Over time, it has become important for me to meet the young people who are coming up in the industry and organization to try to connect with them and meet them just like I was trying to do twenty-five years ago,” Berry said. “I wanted to become part of the industry and get to know some of the leadership. Now it is a personal sense of obligation to stay involved and meet those younger guys to help any way I can to put them on a path to be successful.”

In addition to leadership development, the program prepares participants to serve as advocates for the cattle feeding industry.

“The other component is the importance of that leadership when it comes to being a voice for the
industry,” Quinn said. “Whether that is sitting on a plane next to somebody who doesn’t have any
knowledge of beef cattle production or food production or it is talking to the media or someone on
social media or a policy maker, it changed my perspective to be more willing to engage and have
responsibility for promoting the industry across the board.”

Over the past 36 years, TCFA members and staff have identified and developed young leaders who have played an integral role in shaping policy and ensuring the long-term vitality of cattle feeding in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico. As TCFA continues to invest in leadership development, the association remains well-positioned for the future.

For many years, TCFA has focused on developing the next generation of feedyard employees, cattle feeders and industry leaders through educational programs for students ranging from third to twelfth grade. Yet there was a missing piece, something to keep youngprofessionals connected to  the fed cattle industry and to TCFA throughout their collegiate careers. Launched in January 2025, the TCFA Collegiate B.I.N. Program now fills that gap.

“We began to notice a disconnect between students who engaged in youth programs and then went to college and began their careers,” said Ginna McCarty, TCFA Outreach and Engagement Coordinator. “We would lose them while they were in college, and then several years later, they would be nominated to serve on a TCFA committee. The B.I.N. Program aims to close that gap and provide students with a behind-the-scenes look at the industry before they begin their careers.”

B.I.N. stands for Build, Integrate and Network–Build future industry leaders, Integrate them into the industry, and provide Networking opportunities with seasoned professionals.

These three pillars emerged from conversations with college students and industry professionals. Students expressed a desire to network, serve on committees and be integrated into the industry before graduating.

“The most appealing piece of the B.I.N Program is the opportunity to network among the current industry leaders to create connections and gain as much knowledge as possible,” said Weston Peters, current B.I.N. participant. “Along with this, I’m excited about the opportunity to be a part of a committee and be able to experience what the members do to improve and grow cattle feeding.”

Industry professionals, meanwhile, wanted a program that could help build future feedyard managers and leaders for TCFA.

With these priorities in mind, TCFA staff developed an exclusive two-year program for highly qualified college students interested in building careers in the cattle feeding industry. Applicants must submit a completed application, two letters of recommendation, one from a cattle industry professional, and a resume.

A selection committee made up of members of the Industry Relations Committee reviews and scores applications and identifies top candidates for virtual interviews.

“Our discussions with the college student working group showed us the importance of developing a competitive and prestigious program that provides hands-on opportunities with TCFA members and staff,” McCarty noted.

Students in the B.I.N. Program come from unique backgrounds and have varying levels of knowledge about the fed cattle industry. However, each is passionate about carrying on the tradition of cattle feeding and eager to learn from and network with industry experts.

“The students’ desire to make meaningful industry connections and take advantage of networking opportunities is inspiring. With the first cohort set to begin roles in the cattle feeding industry in the next couple of years, the future of the industry is bright,” McCarty said.

Throughout the two-year program, students are fully immersed in the industry through a weeklong onboarding experience, service on a TCFA committee, mentorship from an industry leader, industry tours, feedyard visits with TCFA staff and the opportunity to participate in TCFA events.

But what makes the B.I.N. Program truly unique is that students are encouraged to shape their experience based on their career interests or by exploring new areas of the industry.

“While the students are given a list of required activities, they also have the opportunity to make the program their own,” McCarty said. “The first three students have each shaped the program
to fit their interests. Some have spent the day with their mentor learning about their role at the
feedyard; others have helped with TCFA youth programs. Wherever their passion lies, we want them to dive in and learn as much as they can.”

Ask someone to describe a feedyard, and they will likely mention cattle first. Ask TCFA Chairman Laphe LaRoe, and he will tell you it is really about the people who care for them. The cattle feeding industry is built on individuals who demonstrate an unmatched work ethic and a shared commitment to providing high-quality care for cattle, producing a safe, nutritious beef product for consumers around the world.

​“There is lots of quality work that gets accomplished at a feedyard before the sun ever even comes up and before the rest of the world is going to work. That work ethic has always been a part of why I enjoy the industry,” LaRoe said.

LaRoe is no stranger to hard work. He has built his career through dedication and a deep love for
the cattle feeding industry–an appreciation that began early in life.

One of the people who helped foster LaRoe’s passion for the industry was his father, who
worked at Hartley Feeders for many years. LaRoe and his family lived in a house at the feedyard, immersing him in day-to-day operations of a feedyard.

“I’ve always said I grew up in this industry. My dad was always involved with cattle,” LaRoe said. “His passion was handling cattle, and he loved being on a horse.”

That early exposure sparked LaRoe’s interest at a young age and led to only a brief period in his life when he was not directly involved in the cattle feeding industry.

After graduating from Clarendon College, LaRoe began his own career in the feedyard industry at the Cargill feedyard in Dalhart. Driven by his passion for the business, he worked his way through the ranks, managing the cattle department before eventually moving to the corporate office.

LaRoe later managed McLean Feeders for 13 years. Ten years ago, he moved to Smith Cattle Company, where he currently serves as director of operations.

Throughout his career, LaRoe has benefited from mentors who shared their experience and knowledge of the industry. Those relationships instilled in him a desire to help develop the next generation, ensuring the heritage of the cattle industry continues.

“The future of the industry comes from building and training the next generation. I have been fortunate to always have someone I’ve worked with that had a world of experience they were willing to share,” he said. “Even today I am still learning because I have been blessed with the opportunity to surround myself with strong people. I think that needs to be the base to keep this industry going.”

LaRoe is passionate about feeding the world and encourages others to explore opportunities within the industry, whether through allied industries or hands-on roles with cattle.

“The industry is big enough from the technologies we use to the equipment we use, so there is a place in this industry for people of all backgrounds,” LaRoe said. “It is so diversified that it doesn’t have to be just putting your hands on an animal.”

During his career, LaRoe has witnessed significant changes within the cattle feeding industry. From
the adoption of new technologies at feedyards to improvements in cattle genetics at the ranch level, these advancements have contributed to sustained and even increased demand for beef.

“It is not by accident that demand is as high as it has been in the last 40 years,” he said. “That
is a direct reflection of the hard work and focus that has been put into improving our product. It didn’t happen overnight; it has taken years. We have done a good job of listening to what our consumer wants.”

​The Amarillo area beef community presented a check for $100,907 to the Snack Pak 4 Kids (SP4K) Beef Fund. One hundred percent of the money raised will provide high-quality beef protein to food-insecure students through the Snack Pak 4 Kids® weekend backpack program. The check was presented at the seventh annual Beef 4 Kids Classic golf tournament. Over $800,000 has been raised since the tournament started.
 
“The local beef community continues to show up for our students year after year,” said Dyron Howell, Founder and Executive Director of Snack Pak 4 Kids. “Because of their continuous commitment to the community, we are able to continue to provide high-quality beef protein to student in their backpacks.”
 
The SP4K Beef Fund launched in October 2017. The program was designed to provide more protein over the weekend for hungry students in the Texas Panhandle. 
 
Each year, local students answer survey questions from SP4K to ensure the program is adequately serving students in the area. Their comments reinforce the value of quality food in the bags. “My mom has been working overtime since my dad is a cancer survivor, so it helps my mom not stress about getting us something to eat on the days she doesn’t have money to buy us food,” said one student.
 
Snack Pak bags provide students with healthy, high-quality food to help them meet their nutrient requirements. Protein is one of the key items, and the inclusion of beef provides ten essential nutrients and vitamins, including protein, zinc and iron – three key nutrients that are essential for proper growth and development of children.  
 
“Texas Cattle Feeders Association members are committed to caring for the communities that they live and work in,” said Lindsey Sawin, TCFA Communications Manager. “The cattle feeding community is proud of the beef they produce and grateful for the opportunity to partner with Snack Pak to help ensure students across the Panhandle have beef in their backpacks each week.”
 
TCFA would like to thank the sponsors and golfers who made this year’s event possible. Major sponsoring organizations include Amarillo National Bank, Baptist Community Services, Bezner Beef, Cactus Feeders, Cargill, Caviness, Champion Feeders, CoBank, Elanco, Five Rivers Cattle Feeding, Friona Industries, Liz & Mike Haning, Jax Transport, Kemin, Dee King Trucking LP, Kirkland Feedyard, Greg & Jackie McGibboney, Micro Technologies/MWI, Sweet Bran and Upshaw Insurance.

Students from across the TCFA region made their way to West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas on Friday, July 25 for the 2025 Junior Fed Beef Challenge. Fifty-eight contestants, who are in third through twelfth grade, delivered phenomenal performances in categories such as the written exam, junior presentations, senior interviews, top carcass and others. 
 
The goal of the contest is to expose youth to the ins and outs of feeding cattle and build the next generation of cattle feeders. Youth who participate in the contest are tasked with feeding a pen of steers, taking a written exam and participating in interviews and oral presentations. The performance of their cattle is also factored into their overall score. 
 
The 2025 Junior Fed Beef Challenge prizes were sponsored by 2025 TCFA Sponsors.

In the Junior Division, the Overall Champion received a $350 prize and a trophy buckle. The overall winner was Crockett Guenther.

In the Senior Division, the First Runner-Up received a $2,000 scholarship and trophy buckle. First Runner-Up went to Jenna Stevenson.
​
The Reserve Champion received a $3,000 scholarship and trophy buckle. The Reserve Champion went to Caden Joy.
​
The Senior Division Overall Champion received a $5,000 scholarship and a trophy buckle. The overall winner was Logan Kainer. 

Our nation's cattle inventory has plummeted to a 73-year low, creating a serious challenge for the American beef industry and the consumers who depend on it. In the face of this, we need decisive, responsible leadership to ensure families can continue to afford high-quality American beef. That is precisely what we have in Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, whose recent announcement of a phased, science-based reopening of the border to Mexican feeder cattle is a critical and welcome step forward.
​
This decision was not made lightly. It is the result of months of rigorous work and firm diplomacy. Secretary Rollins didn't just ask our partners in Mexico to improve their New World Screwworm (NWS) detection and treatment—she held them accountable, demanding and verifying results. When standards weren't met, she stood her ground.

The proof is in the data. Five USDA-APHIS teams across Mexico have been on the ground, ensuring the sterile fly distribution meets our stringent U.S. standards. Their surveillance confirms the NWS outbreak has not moved northward for more than eight weeks, and case numbers in Mexico have stabilized. This is not a matter of hope; it is a matter of science. If we believe in making decisions based on evidence, we can and should have confidence in this reopening.

That confidence is backed by an ironclad, multi-layered safety protocol. Thanks to stringent USDA oversight, the U.S. and Mexico have maintained a safe cattle trade for decades. Under Secretary Rollins's leadership, those protections are now even stronger. The reopening is not a return to the old standard but an advancement of it.

The process will be meticulous and phased, not a flood of new cattle. It begins with a single port in Douglas, Arizona—a location chosen specifically for its low geographic risk and its proven history of successful collaboration with USDA-APHIS. Every animal will be subject to thorough inspection and mandatory, preventative treatment protocols. Other ports will be considered only when this initial phase is proven safe and effective.

This careful approach allows us to address our domestic cattle shortage while upholding our highest duty: protecting the health of the U.S. herd.

The economic stakes are clear. For over 25 years, an average of 1.15 million head of Mexican cattle have crossed our border safely each year, playing a vital role in America's food security. This trade, strengthened under the USMCA, has provided U.S. consumers with a consistent supply of high-quality beef. Mexican producers, responding to American demand, have invested heavily in improved genetics, diversifying our supply chain and helping to meet consumer demand at a time when it has never been higher.

We in the cattle industry do not want NWS in the United States. Our livelihoods depend on the health of our herds. We are confident that the science-based protocols and decisive leadership demonstrated by Secretary Rollins and the Trump administration will protect our industry while ensuring a steady, high-quality beef supply for Americans. This is the right plan to secure our border, herds, and food supply.

Robby Kirkland is Chairman of the Texas Cattle Feeders Association Board of Directors and is the Owner of Kirkland Feedyard.
 
CONTACT:
Lindsey Sawin, [email protected]

Research plays a significant role in the long-term vitality of the cattle feeding industry. Whether it is technology advancements, improvements of cattle health and nutrition or environmental management, TCFA understands the importance of continual research.

For many years, the TCFA Research Committee has sorted through research proposals and allocated dollars to support science-based advancements to the industry. In order to further TCFA’s support of research, the committee and TCFA Board of Directors voted to establish the TCFA Distinguished Student Fellowship. The fellowship promotes the involvement of young researchers in the industry while continuing the support of traditional research. Each fellowship recipient receives up to $25,000 to conduct their research.

“The TCFA Research Committee saw the need to bridge the gap between researchers and the industry,” said Max Harrison, Chairman of the TCFA Research Committee. “Establishing a graduate student fellowship produces relevant research and allows the selected master’s or Ph.D. student to make connections within the industry.”

Kasi Schneid, a Ph.D. candidate at West Texas A&M University (WTAMU), was selected as the first fellowship recipient in the spring of 2024. Eight students at universities from across the three-state TCFA region submitted proposals to the committee for review. Upon review, the committee interviewed the top students, ultimately selecting Schneid.

Schneid grew up on a cow-calf operation in eastern Kentucky. She attended Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) as an undergraduate and studied pre-veterinary science. While in school at EKU, her passion for the cattle industry grew, along with her goals and plans for the future.

“I set a goal to work in every single aspect of the cattle industry before I graduated with my bachelor’s degree,” Schneid said. “I worked at the stock yards, volunteered with people who had a backgrounding operation, my family had a cow-calf operation and on a whim, I applied for a feedlot internship in Broken Bow, Nebraska. I spent the summer at Adams Land and Cattle and loved the
management aspect of it. That internship is what drove me away from cow-calf and into the feedlot sector.”

After completing her undergraduate degree, she pursued a master’s at EKU in safety, security and emergency management. Part way through that master’s degree at EKU, Oklahoma State University (OSU) notified her of an opening in their master’s program. With the encouragement of her father, she finished her safety, security and emergency management degree online while also pursuing a master’s in animal science with a research focus in feedlot nutrition at OSU. Upon graduating with her master’s from both EKU and OSU, she began her Ph.D.

At WTAMU, she is pursuing a degree in agricultural systems, working at the research feedlot on a daily basis and conducting research. Schneid’s research looks at both the diet and management effects on acidosis and liver abscesses in finishing feedlot cattle.

“In small pen research, it is really hard to replicate liver abscesses. A lot of people are using different treatments trying to mitigate liver abscesses, but for this research we are trying to induce them,” Schneid said. “We are trying to see if it is something in our production setting that is causing the abscesses.”

Cattle health and wellbeing is a top priority for cattle feeders, putting this project in direct alignment to the goals of the research committee.

“When selecting a student to receive the first fellowship, it was important to ensure their research was going to advance the industry,” Harrison said. “Kasi’s research was partially completed upon selection; however, studying both diet and management effects provides a different approach to liver abscess research, which is something the committee appreciates.”

Since being selected as the fellowship recipient, Schneid has had the opportunity to present to the committee, attend the TCFA Annual Convention and meet numerous individuals from within the industry.

“Being at WT, I have already met so many people in the cattle feeding industry that I would not have met if I did not come here,” Schneid said. “Then, the added bonus of receiving the TCFA fellowship and attending the TCFA convention, the amount of people who approached me and said, “We were in that interview, you did an awesome job,” or “We have a question about this,” has really helped broaden my connections in the industry.”

Schneid is grateful for the opportunity to connect with professionals from across the industry and for the support of TCFA.

“By them selecting me, it gave me the reassurance that I am doing what I am meant to be doing, and that I am on the right path to where I want to end up,” Schneid said.

Upon completion of Schneid’s Ph.D., she plans to combine her safety and animal nutrition knowledge to work as a consulting nutritionist or in extension.

With deep generational roots in Vega and Oldham County, Robby Kirkland finds a sense of pride in carrying on the tradition of cultivating crops, livestock and community in the area.

“Both sets of my grandparents were proud of Vega and Oldham County and the lives they were able to build and the families they built together,” Kirkland said.

While his family has been involved in production agriculture since they moved to Vega, it wasn’t until the 1980s that they began operating a feedyard. Kirkland Feedyard was started by Robby’s parents, Perry and Melanie Kirkland, in 1983.

​What started as the purchase of a small grow yard has expanded over the years, and he has had a front-row seat to the growth of the feedyard.

“I watched my dad grow it from the time I was 12 until I graduated high school,” Kirkland said. “He grew it from 1,000 head to about 5,000 head and when I went to college it was still growing.”

When Kirkland graduated high school, he knew one thing: he wanted to go to Texas Tech University (TTU). While at TTU, he found a sense of belonging to the agriculture industry and to his family’s operation. As he sat in classes with likeminded individuals, he knew it was his desire to carry on the legacy his grandparents began.

“Something that is important to me and has been instilled in me is trying to help build a legacy of what my grandparents and parents started,” Kirkland said.

He returned to the feedyard in 1995 after graduating with a degree in animal science. He wanted to continue the growth of the feedyard alongside his father.

“I saw the opportunity to go back and leave Kirkland Feedyard a little bit better,” Kirkland said. “Going back to make an impact, make it a little better, a little different and have my fingerprint on the feedyard.”

FAMILY BUSINESS
Since the beginning, Kirkland Feedyard has been a family affair. Kirkland’s parents worked side by side for many years, his mom in the office and his dad managing operations.

“It was dad’s vision and passion,” Kirkland said. “But mom was right beside dad supporting him every step of the way. She has been instrumental in the day-to-day operations of the feedyard.”

Today, the tradition of family remains. When you drive through the fences of Kirkland Feedyard, you will find three generations.

From the day Kirkland returned to the feedyard, he and his dad have worked together, and his son Carson returned to the feedyard last year.

“Seeing Carson’s story play out similar to mine, going to Texas Tech and then wanting to come back and be part of the operation is special,” Kirkland said. “I think we are all drawn to be a part of something, for us it is being drawn to be part of the legacy of a family operation.”

The desire to carry on the legacy isn’t the only thing his dad has taught him over the years. His dad serves as his greatest mentor and a wealth of knowledge.

“When there are challenges within the industry whether it is legislative or regulatory, I know Dad gives me a clear, unbiased opinion,” Kirkland said. “I can sit him down and explain what is going on and say, ‘tell me how you view this.’ ”

An additional part of carrying on what his grandparents started includes making decisions with God’s guidance.

“Faith in the Lord has been a part of our family legacy as well,” Kirkland said. “We strive to keep it in the center of what we do and our thought process.”
​
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS
The Kirkland Feedyard business model has always been based on taking care of customers and cattle. And while being profitable is important, it is also about making people feel like they’re part of the family.

​“We want to be a family atmosphere,” Kirkland explained. “We started out at a 1,000 head and today we are close to 30,000 head, but we continue to have the same philosophy that we did and that my dad instilled in me. We work hard, we have high expectations, we treat people the way we want to be treated and create a family atmosphere. That is still how I try to manage the feedyard today.”

That philosophy is expected to trickle down into the way feedyard employees complete their job.

“If our team has heard it once, they’ve heard it 100 times, we treat people, cattle, equipment and people’s cattle the way we want to be treated,” he said.

Their people-focused business model allows them to work with a large group to produce a product in which they believe.

“We are out here as a family, feeding our family, our community and our employees,” Kirkland said. “We are trying to produce a safe, healthy product while working with customers to accomplish that.”

At any one time, Kirkland Feedyard has about 70 different customer’s cattle on feed. With that comes opportunities to help each one meet their goals.

“In our situation where we are feeding lots of customer cattle, we are working with customers, ranchers, feeders and producers that are trying to meet a goal, too,” Kirkland explained. “At the end of the day, we are all trying to make a better and profitable product, we can’t do it just to do it, we have to be able to be profitable while doing it. So, our goal becomes multi-targeted from a standpoint of working with customers and providing them what they need. The customer’s wants, desires and needs to be sustainable and profitable carry over to us.”

Kirkland enjoys being able to pivot and try different approaches to help each of their customers successfully produce a beef product to feed consumers across the globe.

“Working with 70 different people on their goals or expectations is a challenge, but I enjoy the competition and try to be the best we can be,” he said.

​If you ask, they will come through. That, more than any, describes the value that the people in cattle feeding bring to their communities.
 
Wheeler County in the eastern Texas Panhandle isn’t the largest county in the state. Nor the most populous. In fact, with a population around 5,000, the county is home to more cattle
than people.
 
It is, however, likely the biggest county in the state to, per capita, boast the highest number of Eagle Scouts at 54 and counting. And that’s not all. “We’re building a brand-new baseball field,” Pat McDowell, rancher and county judge said. The feedyard in Wheeler County is the title sponsor.
 
Those things don’t just happen, McDowell said. They happen because the people who live in a place where cattle fuel the economy make it happen.
 
In communities throughout Cattle Feeding Country, they do that by showing up to help, to offer leadership. They do that by contributing money and resources to local causes. They don’t brag about it. They don’t do it for recognition. They do it because it’s the right thing to do to make their community better, stronger, more resilient.
 
Wheeler County is just one of many points of light that illuminate how important people are to creating a thriving, vibrant community. And in the rural areas of Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico, where cattle and cattle feeding fuel the economy, it’s the people who make it happen.
 
Just ask Cathy Bunch. She’s the mayor of Hereford, Texas, and the wife of a feedyard manager and owner. Her dad shod horses for feedyards. “I worked for a feedyard growing up as a teenager. So I’ve been around feedyards and know how important they are to our community.”
 
She recalls the first time she asked feedyards for a community contribution. It was to fund an air-filled arch for the high school football team to run through at home games. “And the response was, ‘Yes, whatever we need to do for the community.’” She’s never been turned down since when she makes a request to help. “The feedyards are who we go to if we need something for our community.”
 
Like Wheeler to the northeast on the other side of the Texas Panhandle, Hereford will build a new baseball complex. “And I feel comfortable going to the feedyards to ask them to contribute, because they are always willing to give back to the community.”
 
While that community pride helps everyone, it’s part of how a feedyard helps its employees. “Their employees live in this town and I feel like they want to provide and help support their employees outside of the job to make sure their families have quality of life in Hereford,” she said.
 
“That’s good for the feedyard because if the employees are happy and their families are happy and they’re content living in Hereford and have a quality of life here, the community is better off and the feedyard is better off.”
 
While financial contributions are important, it doesn’t stop there, Bunch said. “They (feedyards) really like to donate hamburger meat. If an organization, 4-H or the Booster Club or something like that cooks hamburgers, we can go to the feedyards and they’re willing to support.”
 
Kevin Carter, CEO of the Amarillo Economic Development Corporation, sees it as two sides of the same coin. “I’ve lived in a small town and I know how dependent on agriculture that these small towns are from the economic standpoint, but also as a major employer in those towns.”
 
McDowell agrees. The feedyard in his county supports 24 families. Those families go to church, their kids go to school, the parents are involved in their children’s activities and likely are involved in other community groups as well. “The manager told me that his people may leave for the oilfield, but they always come back because they know he’ll always be there.”
 
Feedyards don’t operate in a vacuum and community involvement doesn’t begin and end with feedyards alone. “Another very important business to Hereford is Caviness Beef Packers, whether it’s meat for hot dogs at a parade or any other need,” Bunch said.
 
Then there are the companies and businesses that provide the goods and services feedyards need. They’re an essential part of the cattle feeding world and an important part of the people equation that strengthens the fabric of small towns.

​That “cooperation combination” came together in a very special way about six years ago when the cattle feeding world rose to fulfill a critically important need—food insecurity.
 
“Kids can’t learn if they’re hungry,” according to Dyron Howell, founder of Snack Pak 4 Kids. “The cattle feeding community has stepped up to make sure communities have the beef protein that kids need every weekend. The people have been instrumental in making that happen.”
 
While school children facing food insecurity get meals at school during the week, weekends can be a hungry, scary time. Snack Pak 4 Kids works with the schools in communities in the Texas Panhandle and South Texas to provide food bags on Fridays for kids to take home.
 
Those food bags now contain beef sticks, thanks to the people in the cattle feeding world.
 
It came about with a meeting between Howell and TCFA staff to discuss the protein needs for food-insecure kids. “Then feedyard members got involved and asked, ‘What can we do?’ Then other companies that support the cattle feeding industry got involved and also asked, ‘What can we do?’”
 
That simple question, “What can we do?” has resulted in more than $600,000 raised from an annual cattle feeders’ golf tournament, all of which goes to buy beef sticks that are included in the Snack Pak that kids in need get every week.
 
“Every year we have 28 teams play in the golf tournament. It’s just been a snowball that has been rolling downhill once people were aware our kids needed what they needed,” Howell said.
 
In Howell’s mind the program is more than food. “It’s not a bag full of food. What we’re giving kids is a bag full of tools that lets them open their minds and opens up opportunity that we all have been blessed with,” he said.
 
While it’s true that kids can’t learn when they’re hungry, Howell offers this perspective: “Kids can change the world when they’re full. And making this investment gives them the tools they need to be successful. And then, you unlock all this potential for these kids.”
 
Unlocking the potential in kids—all kids—is what Mike Ray is about. He’s a cattleman from Guymon, Oklahoma, and part owner in a feedyard. He epitomizes the ethic and mantra of the people who make the cattle business strong.
 
“I believe if you live in a community, you’ve got to work to make it better. And that’s volunteer work, whether it’s the school board or being involved in civic clubs or whatever.” He served on the Guymon School Board for 15 years, then rose through the system to become president of the Oklahoma State School Boards Association.
 
While the Oklahoma Panhandle is home to a strong cattle feeding community, Guymon is a packing plant town, he said. And that creates interesting and sometimes controversial dynamics. “I’ve worked with schools all over Oklahoma, and we’re probably the most diverse school system in the state.”
 
In fact, 38 different languages are spoken in Guymon schools. While that’s a challenge, it’s also an opportunity in his mind. His kids and kids from feedyard families in the area were part of that dynamic. “My kids got to see what the real world was before they ever got out of high school, the diversity and the different cultures,” he said. “I think it gave them insight into how to function in society that sometimes you don’t get if you don’t have multiple cultures.”
 
He passionately believes that a school’s responsibility is to educate every kid it gets, regardless of where they’re from. And when that occurs, good things happen in a community.
 
“The kids of feedyard employees, packinghouse employees, they get established in the community and they become the community leaders,” he said. “It’s amazing how many of those kids have gone to Guymon schools, gone to Oklahoma Panhandle State University, and have started businesses or are involved in a business. They’re the next generation of leaders. And that’s what you need.”