Cattle Feeders
Hall of Fame

The Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame has been established to honor the exceptional, visionary men and women who have made lasting contributions to the cattle-feeding industry.

celebrating our rich traditions

preserving our mission

improving our production practices

2024

Reception in Orlando, FL

Dr. Kee Jim, DVM

G.K. Jim Farms and Feedlot Health Management Services Ltd.

Dr. Kee Jim, DVM

G.K. Jim Farms and Feedlot Health Management Services Ltd.

Dr. Kee Jim, DVM, earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1983 from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatchewan. After graduating, he established G.K. Jim Farms and Feedlot Health Management Services Ltd. Jim began his cattle feeding career with a 6% share pen of 300 head and grew to become a prominent figure in...

View Bio
View Bio

Dr. Jack Reeve, DVM

Reeve Cattle Company

Dr. Jack Reeve, DVM

Reeve Cattle Company

Dr. Jack Reeves, DVM, a fifth-generation cattleman, established a feedlot and introduced center pivot sprinklers on his family’s century-old homesteaded land. After earning his degree in veterinary medicine degree from Kansas State University, he served in the U.S. Army before launching his veterinary practice in Garden City, Kansas. Transitioning to the cattle business full-time, Reeves dedicated...

View Bio
View Bio

2023

Reception in New Orleans, LA

Jerry Adams

Adams Land & Cattle

Jerry Adams

Adams Land & Cattle

Growing up in the small town of Broken Bow, NE, Jerry Adams was born with a love for agriculture, especially cattle, and developed a work ethic milking cows and feeding calves. In 1972, the Adams’ operation consisted of five employees, 5,000 calves and 3,000 acres of farmland. Jerry, along with his brother Bill, grew the operation...

View Bio
View Bio

Ed Barrett

Barrett Crofoot Feedyards

Ed Barrett

Barrett Crofoot Feedyards

The late Ed Barrett of Barrett Crofoot Feedlots in Hereford, Texas, was in the cattle feeding industry full-time for over 60 years. Barrett ran Lubbock Feedyard before moving back to Emporia in 1968 where he built and operated Flint Hills Feedyard. In 1975, Ed worked with the Crofoot family to establish the Barrett and Crofoot Feedlots...

View Bio
View Bio

2022

Reception in Houston, TX

Norman Timmerman

NA Timmerman, Inc.

Norman Timmerman

NA Timmerman, Inc.

Norman Timmerman learned the virtue of hard work at a young age. Born one of six to a cattle feeding family, Norm actively contributed to his family’s operation from adolescence, often hauling cattle to the stockyards in the morning before school. Half a century later, that family tradition holds strong. Norm and his 3 brothers spent...

View Bio
View Bio

Tom Jones

Hy-Plains Feedyard

Tom Jones

Hy-Plains Feedyard

Raised on a row crop farming operation just north of Garden City, Kansas, Tom Jones has marked his career with a sharp emphasis on learning and advancement. From his time as an Animal Science major at Kansas State University to his diverse experience on both the live cattle and packing plant sides of the industry, he...

View Bio
View Bio

2021

Reception in Nashville, TN

Johnny Trotter

Bar-G Feedyard

Johnny Trotter

Bar-G Feedyard

Raised in Hereford, Texas, Johnny Trotter is a true member of the cattle feeding community. Trotter has always posessed a strong passion for farming, ranching and horses, all of which became stepping stones that influenced his career. Today, Trotter owns one of the country’s largest individually owned cattle feeding operations, Bar-G Feedyard. Located in Hereford, the...

View Bio
View Bio

Steve Gabel

Magnum Feedyard

Steve Gabel

Magnum Feedyard

Steve Gabel has dedicated his career to improving and serving Colorado agriculture and the cattle feeding industry. Born and raised in Weld County Colorado, Steve graduated from Fort Lupton High School in 1975. He attended college at Colorado State University where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science. After nearly 4 years working...

View Bio
View Bio

2020

Reception in San Antonio, TX

Carl Stevenson

Red Rock Feeding Co.

Carl Stevenson

Red Rock Feeding Co.

Carl Glenn Stevenson was born and raised in California. He attended UC Davis and graduated in 1940 with a degree in animal husbandry. The next year, he was drafted into the army and joined a Veterinary Corp Unit in Ft. Bliss, Texas. stevenson served the entire four-and-a-half years of the war following the bombing of Pearl...

View Bio
View Bio

Don Oppliger

Oppliger Companies

Don Oppliger

Oppliger Companies

Born in Columbus, Nebraska, Donald Lee Oppliger attended the University of Nebraska and started feeding cattle in the early 1980s in Texico, New Mexico. Oppliger started his operation in 1980 by renting farm land in Hereford, Texas, and growing corn for Frito–Lay. He then purchased a 15,000–head feedlot in Farwell, Texas. The cattle-feeding operation thrived under...

View Bio
View Bio

2019

Reception in New Orleans, LA

Bill Foxley

Foxley Cattle Company

Bill Foxley

Foxley Cattle Company

After Notre Dame and a subsequent three-year tour in the Marines, Bill Foxley’s Foxley Cattle Company built a 15,000 head feedlot south of Omaha in 1962, with mill equipment developed on the west coast. Much of what Bill learned about the business was self-taught and acquired through hands-on experience. During his storied career, Mr. Foxley has...

View Bio
View Bio

James Herring

Friona Industries

James Herring

Friona Industries

James’ career began on a solid academic footing. After earning his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Texas at Austin, Mr. Herring graduated with an MBA from the Harvard Business School. James was a Founding Shareholder of First National Bank of Park Cities in Dallas, Texas and served as a Director from 1985...

View Bio
View Bio

2017

Reception in Denver, CO

Earl Brookover

Brookover Feed Yards

Earl Brookover

Brookover Feed Yards

Earl Brookover, a Scott County, Kansas native, grew up on a dryland farm. After working on various land development and irrigation projects in Texas, California and South America, and graduating with a degree in civil engineering from Kansas State University, Earl returned to southwest Kansas with a pioneering spirit. In 1947, Earl and his wife Denelda...

View Bio
View Bio

Jeff Biegert

Midwest PMS

Jeff Biegert

Midwest PMS

From the small town of Shickley, Nebraska, Jeff Biegert was born into agriculture where he grew up under the Midwest motto of “hard work never killed anybody.” He attended Texas Christian University, majoring in business, and post-college worked in Houston helping to build a large chain of daycare centers. In 1976, Jeff moved back to Nebraska...

View Bio
View Bio

2016

Reception in Denver, CO

Paul J. Brown

Cattle Empire

Paul J. Brown

Cattle Empire

Paul Brown was drawn to western Kansas by the allure of good soil and the potential for irrigation. He started running cattle in 1961 to counteract the cyclical nature of farming. It was the start of a career that would allow Paul to make a name for himself as an honest, hardworking cattleman in southwest Kansas....

View Bio
View Bio

Bob Gottsch

Gottsch Cattle Company

Bob Gottsch

Gottsch Cattle Company

Bob Gottsch grew up on farms in eastern Nebraska during the Great Depression. After high school, he served in the U.S. military police in Germany. When he returned from World War II, Bob tried college, but didn’t like it – he wanted to be working. Bob and his brother hauled corn and cattle and delivered fuel...

View Bio
View Bio

2015

Reception in Denver, CO

Loren Doll

Irsik and Doll

Loren Doll

Irsik and Doll

Loren Doll has been in the cattle-feeding business since 1961, when he and his father, Fred Doll, partnered with three Irsik brothers to construct and operate Ingalls Feed Yard. This feedyard grew from a one-time feeding capacity of 2,500 head to 40,000 head. Becoming the managing partner and chief executive officer of Irsik and Doll in...

View Bio
View Bio

Robert Josserand

AzTx Cattle Co.

Robert Josserand

AzTx Cattle Co.

Robert D. Josserand, a native of Pratt, Kansas, is the owner of AzTx Cattle Co., which includes two feedyards in Texas and Kansas.Bob served on the boards of directors of the National Livestock and Meat Board in Chicago, Beef Industry Council, Texas Cattle Feeders Association and National Cattlemen’s Association. He is a past president of Texas...

View Bio
View Bio

2014

Reception in Denver, CO

J. R. “Jack” Simplot

J.R. Simplot Company

J. R. “Jack” Simplot

J.R. Simplot Company

Jack Simplot revolutionized the food industry with the first commercially viable frozen french fries, carved a cattle empire out of sage brush and desert, and built a $6 billion agribusiness that employs more than 10,000 people worldwide. Today, his company’s land and livestock holdings include extensive farm and ranch properties in the western United States with...

View Bio
View Bio

Roy Dinsdale

Dinsdale Brothers Inc.

Roy Dinsdale

Dinsdale Brothers Inc.

In 1948, Roy Dinsdale received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska and returned to the family’s cattle operation in Palmer, Nebraska. In the six decades since, Roy has nurtured Dinsdale Brothers into a large, diverse company involved in cattle feeding, ranching, farming, banking and other ag-related businesses. Third- and fourth-generation Dinsdales now oversee the...

View Bio
View Bio

2013

Reception in Denver, CO

Leo Timmerman

Timmerman & Sons Feeding Co., Inc.

Leo Timmerman

Timmerman & Sons Feeding Co., Inc.

After marrying Irene Meister, Leo Timmerman started farming with three milk cows and two dozen chickens. Leo and Irene lived off the money from the eggs and cream, but Leo found this farming practice lonely and slow-paced. During this time he bought two or three head of cattle, which began a successful career in the cattle-feeding...

View Bio
View Bio

Louis Dinklage

Louis Dinklage, Inc.

Louis Dinklage

Louis Dinklage, Inc.

Louis Dinklage’s vision for the cattle-feeding industry helped him become one of the most well-respected cattle feeders in America. Born in 1902, Louis never could have imagined that by the late 1960’s he would be considered the country’s largest cattle feeder. He influenced both the cattle-feeding industry and the community, as he mentored many young cattle...

View Bio
View Bio

2012

Reception in Denver, CO

Robert Rebholtz, Sr.

Agri Beef Co.

Robert Rebholtz, Sr.

Agri Beef Co.

As founder, owner and chairman, Bob displayed exceptional vision and leadership. He created a company that includes livestock breeding and ranching, commercial feeding, nutritional solutions, and beef processing. Under his command, Agri Beef Co. gave considerable focus to promoting sustainability throughout all organizational entities.

View Bio
View Bio

Willard R. Sparks

Cattico, LLC

Willard R. Sparks

Cattico, LLC

Willard’s passion for livestock and grain laid the foundation for his life within American agriculture. He was regarded as a leading agricultural economist, a cultivating businessman and a humble philanthropist.

View Bio
View Bio

2011

Reception in Denver, CO

Lee Borck

Beef Marketing Group and Innovative Livestock Services, Inc.

Lee Borck

Beef Marketing Group and Innovative Livestock Services, Inc.

As Chairman of the Board for the Beef Marketing Group and President of Innovative Livestock Services, Lee Borck has been instrumental in developing a unique approach to meeting retail customer needs through innovative alignment between the producer and the meat case.

View Bio
View Bio

Dave Wood

Harris Feeding Company

Dave Wood

Harris Feeding Company

Dave Wood is one of the most recognized cattlemen in the cattle-feeding business, and during his 40 years at Harris Farms, Inc., he helped make the Harris name a household word.

View Bio
View Bio

2010

Reception in Denver, CO

Ladd Hitch

Hitch Enterprises, Inc.

Ladd Hitch

Hitch Enterprises, Inc.

Ladd Hitch was an innovator in the cattle-feeding industry and one of the first feedyard owners to install large concrete silo pits and introduce one of the first irrigation systems in Oklahoma.

View Bio
View Bio

Kenneth Monfort

Monfort Feeders

Kenneth Monfort

Monfort Feeders

Kenneth Monfort revolutionized the cattle-feeding industry by building a packing plant in cattle-feeding country and inventing boxed beef to sell to foodservice and retail professionals.

View Bio
View Bio

2009

Reception in Denver, CO

Paul Engler

Cactus Feeders

Paul Engler

Cactus Feeders

In a cattle-feeding industry filled with hard workers and entrepreneurs, Paul Engler stands out for accomplishments both large and lasting.

View Bio
View Bio

W.D. Farr

Farr Feeders

W.D. Farr

Farr Feeders

Many in the cattle-feeding industry see William D. (“W.D.”) Farr as the founding father of our modern industry.

View Bio
View Bio