A native of Nebraska, Don Oppliger of Amarillo, TX, farmed and owned feedlots in New Mexico, Texas and Nebraska. His cattle feeding operations eventually totaled a capacity of 230,000 across six feedyards. An avid Nebraska football fan and pilot, Oppliger was known for his “hands-on” management style. His integrated and diversified holdings included a dairy and a trucking company.

A fifth generation cattleman, Jack Reeve received his veterinary degree from Kansas State University and served in the U.S. Army before setting up a practice in Garden City, KS. Always an entrepreneur, Reeve started feeding cattle, developing farm land and eventually built a large ethanol plant. Today, Reeve Cattle Co continues with a capacity of 46,000 head.

Ed Barrett started in the cattle business in 1952 in Kansas. He sold his first set of fed cattle for 23 cents a pound and never looked back. In 1975, he partnered with the Crofoot family, creating Barrett-Crofoot Feedyards. The Crofoots sold their interest to Barrett in 1995. Through the years, Ed has been involved with feeding more than 8.5 million head of cattle. Ed is still known to say, “I just love to feed cattle,” as he continues to share his knowledge around the feedyards.

Carl Stevenson moved to Continental, Ariz., in 1951 at the request of Farmers Investment Company to begin a cattle-feeding operation. Under his reign, two feedyards were built with a total capacity of 18,000 head. In 1964, Carl went out on his own to purchase corrals in Red Rock, Ariz., which would hold 1,000 head. Today’s operation includes a 30,000 head capacity yard and farm ground in Red Rock and a leased yard in Willcox, Ariz.

In 1983, after operating a grower yard and wheat pasture operation through the late seventies, Johnny Trotter and SL Garrison brought together a group of cattlemen to purchase the 40,000-head United Beef Feedyard, which became Bar-G Feedyards. Currently, Johnny serves as chief executive officer of Bar-G, overseeing a 125,000-head capacity operation. Trotter owns and manages farms and ranches across the southwest and serves on many boards and committees as well as being active in several cattle and horse associations.