In the 1970s, the Brandt family’s cattle operation grew rapidly under Bill Brandt’s direction, increasing from 1,200 head to 100,000. Today, the 100,000-head feedyard is the center of the Brandt Company. The company’s portfolio also includes 5,000 acres of forage production land, a high-tech compost yard and a jointly-owned rail line for corn shipments. A short drive from the feedyard is a packing facility that Bill helped build cooperatively with other Imperial Valley feeders in 2001.

Known as the Howard Hughes of the cattle industry, Bill Foxley has been active in every facet of the ranching and cattle business for nearly 50 years. Much of what he learned about business management was selftaught and acquired through hands-on experience. During his career, Bill has bought and sold ranch land, marketed hundreds of thousands of heads of cattle, developed new feeding techniques and led much positive change and productivity to both his business and the industry.

One of Nebraska’s largest farmers and cattle feeders, Don Oppliger fed 230,000 cattle across six feedyards. He got his start when he purchased a 15,000-head feedyard in Texas in the 1980s. In 1991, Don acquired a 35,000-head feedlot in New Mexico. He followed that by purchasing a large farm in Nebraska, on which he built a 55,000-head feedlot and later expanded to 70,000 head. He also integrated diversified operations including a dairy and a trucking company.

James Herring is the chairman and CEO of Friona Industries, a company that began as a single, small feedyard in 1962 and has become one of the leading cattle-feeding businesses in the world. James led an innovative approach to coordinate efforts of ranchers, cattle feeders, beef processors and retailers to enhance quality and consistency of beef. His work has made great strides in raising the competitive position of beef in an intense environment for consumer preferences.

Jack Reeve had a private veterinary practice with locations in St. Charles, MO and Garden City, KS. Always an entrepreneur, he began feeding cattle, which led to the purchase of the Reeve Cattle Company. Reeve had a significant impact on higher education as a member of the Kansas Board of Regents and numerous other state and national boards and committees.