Doing What’s Best For Our Land and Animals

By Madeleine Bezner
TCFA Excellence in Environmental Stewardship and Beef Quality Assurance Award Recipients

Cattle feeders continuously incorporate management practices to protect and preserve land, water and other natural resources for future generations. This is top priority as cattle feeders strive to produce the most healthy, safe and sustainable beef for the world. Their hard work and dedication to achieving this objective is important and worthy of recognition. 

This is why TCFA recently established the Excellence in Environmental Stewardship Award and the Excellence in Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Award to recognize TCFA feedyard members who excel in environmental stewardship and BQA practices. 

Dumas Feedyard
2022 Excellence in Environmental Stewardship Award Recipient 

Dumas Feedyard, managed by Doug Lantz, received the 2022 Excellence in Environmental Stewardship for its commitment to protecting the environment and natural resources used to produce cattle. 

Dating back to the early 2000s, Dumas Feedyard subscribes to the TCFA Environmental Services Program. Doug Lantz and the Dumas Feedyard management team work closely with TCFA staff to help ensure permit compliance and look for other opportunities to further improve environmental management. For example, Dumas Feedyard composts manure from the feedyard and markets it to local farmers. 

“To create added value for feedyard manure, we retain the services of a third party composting company,” Lantz said. “Dumas Feedyard provides an area for the compost windrows and all runoff from the compost area is captured in the runoff control structure. Composting manure creates a more uniform product, eliminates weed seed and allows the product to be hauled to farmers that are a greater distance from the feedyard.” 

The feedyard was first built as Dumas Cattle Feeders in 1960. The facility was constructed along the drainage area of the Palo Duro Creek. Attention to environmental management and compliance is a priority for the team at Dumas Feedyard. Today, the feedyard is authorized by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for a one-time capacity of 35,000 head capacity under the Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) General Permit for water and air quality. Dumas Feedyard has a demonstrated history of working to continuously improve environmental management practices. 

“We utilize four runoff control structures to capture rainfall runoff and beneficially utilize the water and nutrients on land application areas in close proximity to the feedyard. A fourth pond was put into service in 2014 to serve as an irrigation storage pond to allow for long-term storage of stormwater runoff and irrigation of crops throughout the year,” Lantz explained. “When possible, two crops (hay or silage) are grown each year to help manage uptake of nutrients in accordance with our Nutrient Management Plan.” 

Furthermore, Dumas Feedyard supports a number of civic and youth clubs in the Dumas area. 
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“We recognize that our business, our employees and our customers are all integral to our success and the health of our rural community,” Lantz said. “As an added measure of being cognizant of our neighbors and our location, we operate a solid-set sprinkler system in the cattle pens to help suppress and mitigate dust emissions during the hot and dry seasons.” 

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Dimmitt Feedyard 
2022 Excellence in Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Award Recipient 

Dimmitt Feedyard, owned by Dean Cluck Feedyard Inc. and managed by Ben Fort, received the 2022 Excellence in Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Award for its outstanding commitment to beef quality assurance. Dimmitt Feedyard is located west of Dimmitt, Texas, in the Texas panhandle. The operation is a 50,000 head capacity feedyard that feeds both company and customer cattle. 

BQA begins day one of every new hire at Dimmitt Feedyard as training is integrated into the orientation process with a video presentation conducted in both English and Spanish. 
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“The purpose and content are to communicate a comprehensive approach that is an expectation of each and every employee at Dimmitt Feedyard,” Ben Fort said. “Everyone takes this responsibility personally, and we take the outcomes personal as well.” 

Fort explains that the people at Dimmitt Feedyard and their daily commitment to enhance consumer confidence in the beef industry is what promotes the company’s success when it comes to best BQA practices and success. 

“Dimmitt Feedyard management and owners believe an excellent BQA program is intense on the front of all personnel and productions system,” Fort said. “It’s also a continual improvement effort for us.” 

Transparency is a key component when any new technology or best management practices are implemented. Dimmitt Feedyard strives for “zero corrective actions needed” after any in-house audit. Everything from feed manufacturing and delivery to pen maintenance and manure removal is documented by employees using technology. Additionally, accurate and accessible health records are maintained daily and are the responsibility of trained accounting clerks and trained cattle processing and doctoring crews. 

As part of Dimmitt Feedyard’s quest to cultivate a strong work environment, supervisors meet weekly on Mondays throughout the year to communicate each department’s ​production and BQA plans for the upcoming week, along with reporting opportunities for improvement to existing management practices. 

Visit Dimmitt Feedyard on any given day and you’ll find the employees are the foundation of its BQA program. 

“Our success is based upon their hard work and dedication,” Fort said. “The employees are committed and take these standards personal and strive to live above and beyond the standard.” 

Beyond the employees at Dimmitt Feedyard, the management team hosts TCFA Feedyard Technician students and students from WTAMU’s Feedyard Management class throughout the year. 

“These audiences allow for BQA practices to be communicated as the standard or foundation for all production decisions,” Fort said. “Dimmitt Feedyard has taken the approach to focus on communicating these BQA principles to the next generation.” 

Cattle feeding is a multi-generational, resilient industry focused on responsible stewardship of both the land and the cattle that occupy it. TCFA congratulates Dumas Feedyard and Dimmitt Feedyard on their continued dedication to producing sustainable, wholesome beef for consumers worldwide.