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.”

Junior Division Results
Best Written Exam
3rd Place Written Exam – Tate Fritsch 
2nd Place Written Exam – Crockett Guenther
1st Place Exam and winner of a $250 prize – Jenna Stevenson 
 
Best Presentation
3rd Place Presentation – Tatum Fritsch
2nd Place Presentation – Virginia Stevenson
Best Presentation and winner of a $250 prize – Crockett Guenther
 
Best Individual Carcass
3rd Place Individual Carcass – Bailey Kubecka and Clint Kubecka
2nd Place Individual Carcass – Trinity Hernandez and Jenna Stevenson 
Top Individual Carcass and winner of a $250 prize – Kennedy Wilhelm and McKinley Wilhelm
 
Best Pen Steer Points
3rd Place Carcass Pen – Trinity Hernandez and Jenna Stevenson
2nd Place Carcass Pen – Baiden Beavers
Top Carcass Pen and winner of a $250 prize – Kennedy Wilhelm and McKinley Wilhelm
 
Top Rookie Award
2nd Place Rookie – Tate Fritsch
Top Rookie and winner of a $250 prize – Bailey Kubecka and Tatum Fritsch

Senior Division Results
Best Written Exam
3rd Place Written Exam – Jake Ressler and Logan Kainer
2nd Place Written Exam – Emma Stevenson
1st Place Exam and winner of a $500 prize – Kade Lawrence
 
Best Interview
3rd Place Interview – Ryan Janak
2nd Place Interview – Kade Lawrence
Best Interview and winner of a $500 prize – Emma Stevenson
 
Best Individual Carcass
3rd Place Individual Carcass – Cason Cribbs, Quannah Dudley and Ryan Janak  
2nd Place Individual Carcass – Kade Davis and Ryan Janak
Top Individual Carcass and winner of a $500 prize – Logan Kainer, Pierce Wilhelm and Kade Zinnate
 
Best Pen Steer Points
3rd Place Carcass Pen – Ryan Janak 
2nd Place Carcass Pen – Cason Cribbs and Quannah Dudley
Top Carcass Pen and winner of a $500 prize – Pierce Wilhelm
 
Top Rookie Award
3rd Place Rookie – Macey Putska 
2nd Place Rookie – Logan Kainer
Top Rookie and winner of a $500 prize – Ryan Janak

​Feedyard employees serve as the backbone of beef production. However, it is no secret that finding employees for jobs in the fed beef industry can be difficult. A job at the feedyard requires hard work, dedication to a craft, unconventional working hours and a willingness to care for cattle and feedyard facilities no matter the weather conditions.
 
“Employee retention has always been an issue in the feedyards,” Brady Miller, TCFA Director of Market, Membership and Education, said. “So, we sent a survey to members asking about the need for employees and the survey said yes, we need help, yes, we will support a program that will help drive employees to the feedyard.”
 
Fifteen years ago, TCFA set out to find the best way to introduce young adults to a career in the feedyard. For several years TCFA staff completed research and sought information and partnerships to put together a program that would help meet staffing needs. 
 
“It took a lot of time to hone in on what is now called the Feedyard Technician Program and build a specialized curriculum for high school students,” Miller said.
 
In 2013 the association settled on a program that would expose high school juniors and seniors to cattle care and handling and machinery operations at a feedyard, splitting the program into two sessions so that students could gain more hands-on opportunities in each portion.
 
Since the beginning, it has been TCFA’s goal to show students a path for them at the feedyard, whether it be working directly with cattle, in the office, in the mill or in maintenance.
 
“It is important to get opportunities in front of students. If they don’t ever see it, they don’t ever know it exists,” Miller said.
 
He knew that if the program was going to be a success, they needed someone who was familiar with agricultural education teachers to help them in their outreach to schools.
 
Robert Devin was the person who could do exactly that. When the program was in its early years, the retired extension agent went to each school individually and taught students the material needed to successfully complete the program.
 
The program started with just 20 students from five schools in the Panhandle.
 
It has grown immensely in the last 10 years. In 2023 over 450 students were exposed to opportunities they may not know exist at a feedyard and over 3,000 students have gone through the program since its inception. This growth has opened doors to opportunities for TCFA feedyard members, the schools that participate and the students.
 
Texas started putting more emphasis on students graduating high school with certificates after House Bill 5 was passed in 2013 and was implemented for students entering high school during the 2014-15 school year, Miller said.
 
Agriculture teachers and TCFA began looking into how they could help participating schools reach that goal. In 2019 the Texas Education Agency (TEA) recognized the program allowing participating students and schools to receive credit when a student successfully completes the program.
 
“The TEA recognition took our program to a whole new level and soon after the program
expanded beyond the Panhandle,” Miller said.
 
The cattle care and handling part of the program is now hosted at three locations across
Texas each spring. Miller said they plan to do the same with the machinery operation session.

​How It Works
The Feedyard Technician Program is split into spring and fall sessions, allowing students a more in-depth view of what opportunities are available to them.
“The idea behind having separate categories at different times of the year is that not all students will want to handle cattle and not all students will want to be welders or be involved with maintenance although many students do participate in both sessions,” Miller said.
 
Since its beginnings, the program and people involved with it have had a goal of engaging students with an industry they may or may not be familiar with.
 
“The mission of the program is to create, generate and build the future work force,” Miller said.
 
Students do not just listen and watch speakers; they participate and have the chance to practice newly learned skills themselves.
 
“I distinctly remember the lab exercise of giving intramuscular and subcutaneous shots,” Cutter Smith, 2015 Feedyard Technician Program participant and manager at Tascosa Feedyard, said. “That’s where I learned how to give shots and is still something I
use today.”
 
Once students have spent time learning the materials, visiting feedyards, driving machinery and practicing new skills, they participate in test day.
 
Test day requires them to showcase their knowledge during a written exam, perform the newly learned skills and participate in an interview with an industry professional. In order to earn their certificate, they must receive a 70 percent score or higher in each category.
 
TCFA felt the interview portion was important to the success of students outside of high school.
 
“It does not matter how good you are at whatever skill you have if you cannot get through an interview,” Miller said.
 
Creating Success Stories
As the program has progressed over the years, success stories have evolved and students who were once participants in the program have become program speakers, successful feedyard employees and advocates for the industry.
 
“The program has been offered for 10 years, and we are starting to see these students grow in their roles and responsibilities at feedyards,” Miller said. “If a student gets hired as a doctor, we may not work directly with that student to start with, but now we are seeing these students rise to supervisor and manager positions.”
 
For Smith, the program solidified his path for the future and helped him climb the ladder.
 
“Going through the tech program my senior year solidified that I was interested in the feedyard industry,” Smith said. “I have always said I am interested in making cattle make money and I really like fat cattle. This portion of the industry is what interests me the most.”
 
In 2015, Antonio Adame, mill manager at Dimmitt Feedyard, was introduced to the feeding industry through the Feedyard Tech Program which gave him the confidence to apply for feedyard jobs.
 
“I was interested in welding and using machinery so I thought going through the program would expose me to future opportunities,” Adame said. “Going through the program gave me the confidence to apply for a job at the West Texas A&M University Feedlot while working on my degree.”
 
Adame now helps with the program each fall, leading students through the mill and answering questions about his job at the feedyard.
 
“After going through the program and now speaking to participants, I understand the students who do not have a lot of questions,” Adame said. “Now as a manager, I try to answer the questions I had when I was in their shoes.”
 
In addition to exposing students to future careers at the feedyard, the program develops advocates for the cattle feeding industry.
 
“Even if you do not have a plan or desire to be in the industry, the most important thing that anyone should know is that we get up and eat, sleep and breathe taking care of animals,” Smith said. “Our livelihoods, our jobs and our purpose in life at the feedyard is to make sure that the animals have the best lives before it goes back to feed us.”
 
While the Feedyard Technician Program has not fixed every labor issue faced by TCFA member feedyards, it has introduced students to new career paths and brought many talented employees to the table.
 
“The students see the TCFA program up front and can see how it benefits the industry in training employees and in lobbying for our industry,” Smith said. “How many kids would know what the feedyard industry does
without the efforts of TCFA?”

When Gene Lowrey became a part of the cattle feeding industry 30 years ago, he hit the ground running, with a desire to learn, a passion to give back and to advocate for the rest of the industry, which is likely the reason he is serving as the Texas Cattle Feeders Association Chairman. 
 
“I was going to will my way through no matter what,” Lowrey said. “I was going to work hard, be honest, listen to people who knew more than I did and I was going to learn everything I could.”
 
Lowrey grew up on a commercial cow-calf operation in Southwest Alabama. Growing up on the ranch taught him the value of hard work, the importance of dedication and created a love for the cattle industry. 
 
He packed his bags in 1991 and moved to Stillwater, Oklahoma to pursue an animal science and business degree at Oklahoma State University (OSU). He left with a burning passion to be involved in the cattle business. 
 
“Leaving home wasn’t the easiest thing, but on the other side of that I found a great opportunity where I am, and I have been involved with things that I had no idea I would ever be involved,” he said. 
 
While in college, he worked at the OSU Wheat Pasture Research Station. It was there that he was introduced to cattle feeding. Some of the cattle on trial were sent to Cimarron Feeders to be finished. Lowrey met John Rakestraw at the feedyard and later Rakestraw offered him his first job after college. He started as a feedlot trainee and has not looked back since. 
 
“I had no idea that I would stay this long, but I have no regrets, nor would I do anything different. I have learned so much and met so many great people,” he said. “If I would have picked up and moved back home and lived in my own little world, never ever would I have been exposed to the things I have been exposed.”

A desire to learn
Growing up in an area of the country that is not conducive to feeding cattle meant that Lowrey had not been around the size or scale of operation that was Cimarron Feeders. 
 
“The learning curve was pretty steep, I knew nothing about nothing,” he said with a laugh. “I had never been exposed to anything of that scale. The most cattle I had ever seen was at a sale barn coming from the southeast.”
 
While the knowledge gap was big, Lowrey was passionate about gaining the knowledge it took to manage a feedyard and to manage people. 
 
Lowrey spent four years at Cimarron Feeders where he said he learned everything he could before moving to Hartley Feeders in 1998. He started there as the feed manager and again took every opportunity to learn. Eventually, he was promoted to general manager at Hartley Feeders and in 2009 he moved to XIT Feeders in Dalhart where he currently works.  
 
He loves being able to share his knowledge with young employees and help them grow. 
 
“A big part our company’s philosophy is developing people from within,” Lowrey said. “It is tremendously exciting for me to see young people move up through the organization and take on more responsibility and produce great results. That is the thing that keeps me going at the feedyard.”
 
Paying it forward
Giving back to the industry that has provided him with unique opportunities is something Lowrey set out to do since the beginning.
 
“I always felt that if I was going to make my living in this industry, I needed to give back,” Lowrey said.
 
TCFA has provided him the opportunity to give back and play a role in moving the industry forward.
 
Lowrey is the kind of leader that is quick to listen, while bringing knowledge and perspective to the table, TCFA President and CEO Ben Weinheimer said.
 
“Gene Lowrey has been an engaged and productive member of TCFA for many years,” Weinheimer said. “He is passionate about feeding cattle and upholding the values of the industry and association while moving them both forward. We are thankful for his leadership and willingness to represent TCFA membership this year.”
 
Part of Lowrey’s efforts to give back include leaving the feedyard to make trips to Austin and Washington D.C. 
 
“While I may not be at the feedyard, I am still trying to help the people who are at the feedyard by making sure that the things that don’t need to happen don’t happen and that the things that need to happen do happen,” Lowrey explained. “I think it is a privilege to be a part of all of that.”
 
In his many years of involvement within the feedyard industry, he has seen it evolve and grow. As chairman, he wants to see the industry continue to make progress. 
“If we get complacent, the world is going to pass us by and it will replace us with something that doesn’t have the story and doesn’t have the benefits that our product has,” Lowrey said. 
 
He is ready to take on the challenges thrown the industry’s way this year. He wants members to pull up a seat at the table and continue to move forward together. 
 
“Everybody has a chance to say what they need to say and be a part of making the decisions and getting the decisions down to the people who need to hear them,” Lowrey said.
 
He wants to leave the industry better than where it was when he started. 
 
“It is a privilege to do this, and I do not take it lightly. I will do whatever the association and industry needs,” said Lowrey. “I care deeply for it, and it has afforded me a very good living. I have raised my family, and I am going to keep doing what I can to make it better.”
 
A passion for the cattle business was instilled in Lowrey years ago on a small family cattle operation, a passion that has not been lost in the shuffle of life but has grown and developed into the thing that drives him. 
 
“The industry has to remember that we are there for a bigger purpose,” said Lowrey. “It gets me up and going to work each day. Being a part of feeding people is something that feels good. It gives everyone a sense of higher purpose. We are able to do what we do, and people enjoy a good steak or hamburger. It is more than the long hours and cold days and hot days. We are doing something people like and want to eat.” ​

Ground Beef Jalapeño Popper Meatballs

Looking for an easy yet tasty beef recipe to take to your next holiday gathering? We have just the recipe for you. These ground beef jalapeño popper meatballs are quick, delicious and only require five ingredients! Check out the recipe below.

What you’ll need:

• 1 cup diced jalapeños (about 5)
• 3 cups cheddar cheese
• 1 pound ground beef
• Your favorite hamburger seasoning (use as much or as little as you want)
• 4 ounces cream cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add all ingredients EXCEPT the cream cheese to a large bowl and mix together with your hands. Then roll 15-20 balls of cream cheese. Next make a small patty of the meat mixture (make to your desired size) and place a ball of cream cheese in the center of it and roll the meat mixture around the cream cheese, creating a meatball. Do this until you’ve used all of the ground beef and bake 13-15 minutes or until the reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees. This recipe makes between 15 and 20 meatballs.

​The Amarillo area beef community presented a check for $100,500 to the Snack Pak 4 Kids (SP4K) Beef Fund. One hundred percent of the money raised will provide food-insecure students with high-quality beef protein through the Snack Pak 4 Kids weekend backpack program. The check was presented at the fifth annual Beef 4 Kids golf tournament. 
 
"In the past five years, more than $500,000 has been raised through the B4K golf tournament, to ensure kids in 50 area communities have access to protein every weekend. It is a blessing that our agriculture partners have come together to make this possible," said Dyron Howell, Founder and Executive Director of Snack Pak 4 Kids.
 
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. This year’s tournament pushed the fund to over half a million dollars in donations to the Beef Fund in just five years.  
 
Each year, local teachers answer survey questions from SP4K to ensure the program is adequately serving students in the area.  “The students who get the bags are better mentally, physically and spiritually for having food over the weekends. They are alert, thinking and participating all the time during class and lab,” said a local teacher. 
 
Protein is an important addition to every Snack Pak bag and 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 is thankful for the strong partnership with Snack Pak 4 Kids and the opportunity to work with the community to provide high-quality beef protein to students in the area,” said Lindsey Sawin, TCFA Communications Coordinator. “Cattle feeders are dedicated stewards of their communities, and we are honored to be able to give back at the Beef 4 Kids Golf Tournament.”
 
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 Cares, Cargill, Caviness, Champion Feeders, CoBank, Elanco, Five Rivers, Friona Industries, Jax Transport, Kemin, Kirkland Feedyard, Microtechnologies/MWI, Tyson, Underwood Law Firm and Upshaw Insurance.

Students from across the TCFA region made their way to West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas on Friday, July 28 for the 2023 Junior Fed Beef Challenge. Over 60 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 2023 Junior Fed Beef Challenge prizes were sponsored by 2023 TCFA Sponsors.
 
In the Junior Division, the Overall Champion received a $350 prize and a trophy buckle. The overall winner was Caden Joy.

In the Senior Division, the First Runner-Up received a $2,000 scholarship and trophy buckle. First Runner-Up went to Kade Lawrence.​

The Reserve Champion received a $3,000 scholarship and trophy buckle. The Reserve Champion went to Grant Kubala.

The Senior Division Overall Champion received a $5,000 scholarship and a trophy buckle. The overall winner was Caraline Dudley

​Junior Division Results
Best Written Exam
3rd Place Written Exam – Baiden Beavers
2nd Place Written Exam – Jenna Stevenson
1st Place Exam and winner of a $250 prize – Caden Joy
 
Best Presentation
3rd Place Presentation – Malley Ecord
2nd Place Presentation – Abby Ressler
Best Presentation and winner of a $250 prize – Grayson McMurphy
 
Best Individual Carcass
3rd Place Individual Carcass – Kennedy Wilhelm
2nd Place Individual Carcass – Kennedy Wilhelm
Top Individual Carcass and winner of a $250 prize – Kennedy Wilhelm
 
Best Pen Steer Points
3rd Place Carcass Pen – Adalyn Carrales
2nd Place Carcass Pen – Crockett Guenther
Top Carcass Pen and winner of a $250 prize – Kennedy Wilhelm
 
Top Rookie Award
2nd Place Rookie – Gracie Ginn
Top Rookie and winner of a $250 prize – Crockett Guenther

Senior Division Results
Best Written Exam
3rd Place Written Exam – Samantha Unruh
2nd Place Written Exam – Grant Kubala
1st Place Exam and winner of a $500 prize – Caraline Dudley
 
Best Interview
3rd Place Interview – Grant Kubala
2nd Place Interview – Caraline Dudley
Best Interview and winner of a $500 prize – Kade Lawrence
 
Best Individual Carcass
3rd Place Individual Carcass – Pierce Wilhelm
2nd Place Individual Carcass – Pierce Wilhelm
Top Individual Carcass and winner of a $500 prize – Pierce Wilhelm
 
Best Pen Steer Points
3rd Place Carcass Pen – Grant Kubala and Kaden Zinnante
2nd Place Carcass Pen – Winston Stevenson
Top Carcass Pen and winner of a $500 prize – Pierce Wilhelm
 
Top Rookie Award
3rd Place Rookie – Jhett Davis
2nd Place Rookie – Kade Davis
Top Rookie and winner of a $500 prize – Lucas Sottosanti