2017 Hall of Fame Inductee

Earl Brookover

Brookover Feed Yards Scott County, KS

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 moved to Garden City, Kansas. He sought more sophisticated irrigation methods that resulted in the vast production of feed grains. The grain surplus, combined with the moderate climate, inspired Earl to build the state’s first commercial feedyard in October 1951.

For more than 65 years, Brookover Feed Yards has been feeding cattle. After Earl’s death in 1985, the management of the feedyard was passed to his son, E.C., and grandson, Ty. To this day, it remains a family-owned operation that is dedicated to excellence, the community, and the people that represent them.