Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame

A Lifetime as a Feedlot Cowboy: Rick Hibler’s Unwavering Dedication to Cattle Care

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 22:35:03 GMT

Having been around cattle all his life, Rick Hibler serves as assistant manager at Irsik & Doll Beefland Feedyard in Garden City, Kan.

Hibler was born and raised on his family’s ranch south of Garden City, where they raised 4-H calves.

“I have been around cattle all my life, and that’s what I wanted to do, was take care of them,” Hibler says. “When I was a kid, you were either a farmer, or you went to work in the feedyard — and I don’t like farming.”

With a career in the cattle feeding industry spanning since 1971, Hibler’s dedication was celebrated Feb. 4 when he received the 2026 Arturo Armendariz Distinguished Service Award. The award is presented annually during the Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame banquet. Named for a long-time, devoted employee of Poky Feeders, the award recognizes feedyard employees who go above and beyond to improve the cattle-feeding industry and the beef feeders provide to American families.

A Feedyard Cowboy

Hibler started working as a vet’s helper at Masters Feeders, now Cobalt Cattle Co., in Garden City as a pen rider for five years.

He then took a brief detour going to Kansas State University for a year for wrestling. Following his time in Manhattan, he moved to Wichita for about a year, building airplanes for Cessna.

The cattle industry was his true calling, so he moved back to southwest Kansas and went to work at several feedyards (Sublette Feeders, S Bar Feedyard, Gigot Feeders, Gotcha and Sagebrush Feedyard) before finding his home at Beefland.

He began working for Irsik & Doll in 1995 as a pen rider and has worked his way up to assistant manager in his 30 years there.

Today, Hibler explains his role is to make sure no sick calves are missed.

Adam Peterson, Beefland Feedyard general manager, says Hibler’s exceptional cattle care, consistency and work ethic are what truly distinguish him.

“He cares about the cattle,” Peterson stresses how Hibler makes sure the cattle are handled in the way that they ought to be. “I think that sets him apart, because of the time and effort he puts into and works at it each and every day. He keeps everybody on their task.”

When he isn’t at the yard, Hibler spends his time with his wife of 39 years, Gwen, their five children and stepchildren, and their 17 grandchildren. But even in his free time, his passion for the outdoors and cattle remains clear.

“I don’t like working inside. I don’t like driving tractor,” Hibler summarizes “I like riding horses and taking care of cattle. I like keeping cattle alive.”

A Life Built on Cattle, Grounded on Family and Rooted in Service

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 22:33:01 GMT

From his earliest days in northeast Colorado, Kent Bamford has been rooted in cattle and agriculture. He built a life defined by cattle feeding, family and service to the beef industry.

“Kent has loved the cattle business and agriculture his entire life,” says his wife, Naida. “He dedicated a lot of his personal time to being on various state and local and even national committees to try to be sure that laws and policies were favorable to our industry.”

Bamford’s impact on the cattle-feeding industry was celebrated Feb. 4 when he was inducted into the 2026 Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame during CattleCon in Nashville, Tenn.

Kent Bamford with Eric Farmer.

(Bamford family)

From 4-H to Feedyard Owner

His journey began with 4-H projects, where “the cattle industry got a hold of” him. That early interest led him to Colorado State University (CSU) in Fort Collins, where he earned a degree in agricultural business in 1974.

“The best thing that happened to me in college was meeting my wife, Naida,” Bamford says. “We’ve been married ever since.”

After college, the couple returned home to Haxtun, Colo. Kent and his brother bought their parents cattle and farming operation, expanding the business to include a feedyard in northeast Colorado.

Bamford Feedyard was started as a small yard, growing to 15,000-head capacity. Growth included utilizing additional feedyards, stocker operations in Colorado and Wyoming, a diversified farming and trucking operation and a feed additive company.

Over time, the brothers separated their interests, and he continued to build the Bamford operation into a family-run, diversified enterprise that includes a substantial farming component.

Kent and Naida Bamford

(Angus Journal)

Family is central to Bamford’s story. His wife has played an integral part of the business, serving as office manager. Their two sons, Chad and Cody, are both now involved in the family businesses.

A Servant Leader

Early in his feeding career, Bamford joined the board of the Colorado Cattle Feeders Association, where he realized the need to reach beyond the industry.

“Dad was very passionate about industry advocacy and leadership,” explains his son Chad. “He wanted people to understand the story of the cattle industry.”

That conviction and passion helped inspire the creation of the Colorado Livestock Association (CLA), bringing together all species. He eventually became president of CLA, using that platform to promote and protect livestock producers statewide. His vision for the CLA was ahead of its time, recognizing that a unified voice for all livestock species would be a more powerful tool for the industry.

He also served on the Colorado Beef Council and then the Cattlemen’s Beef Board, where he spent two terms “promoting beef on a national level.”

In 2012, he served as president of CattleFax. He is a longtime National Cattlemen’s Beef Association member, serving as a committee chairman and a participant in Young Cattlemen’s Conference.

He has served on several CSU committees and Colorado governor-appointed committees, being chairman of one. He is presently president of his local hospital board and scholarship chairman of the Haxtun Methodist Church.

He was a 4-H leader for years along with serving on the Phillips County Fair Board and eventually as president. In addition, he helped coach numerous FFA livestock and horse judging teams.

“Everybody talks about beef and agriculture in general, the need to advocate for what we do, but that’s all they do,” says son Cody. “They don’t actually do anything about it. And Dad, he did do something about it. And I think that this award is a huge testament to the fact that he did.”

After 47 years in the cattle-feeding business, Bamford sold the feedyard to slow down and enjoy his grandchildren. Even then, his passion never wavered.

“I love what I do, and I probably never will completely retire,” he says.

The family now operates two businesses — a farming operation managed by Chad and Inco Digestive, a feed company led by Cody.

Bamford’s legacy is a lifelong passion for cattle, a family-centered operation and decades of leadership and advocacy at the state and national levels.

Ambition, Vision and Grit: How Bob Foote Built a Cattle Feeding Legacy

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 22:31:22 GMT

Bob Foote loved cattle. He knew how to find a good one, but more importantly, he knew a bad one. He loved negotiation and was the best at it.

Foote began his marriage to the love of his life, Gail, as well as his cattle business journey, in 1975. He worked early on, and throughout his time, to perfect his craft and his passion — the cattle business. Countless cattle-deal negotiations helped Foote become comfortable with taking on significant risk.

“Dad grew up loving cattle and really enjoyed working with the dairy cattle on the dairy farm,” explains his oldest son, Scott. “He also realized that he wanted to explore his love for the cattle industry, and so Dad made the leap to jump into the cattle industry and start Foote Cattle Co. in 1985.”

He loved the game of business and negotiation. These traits proved to work well together and became the foundation for his business career.

“What he tried to team up was his love for cattle and also his love for dealmaking,” Scott recalls. “He was really a dealmaker at heart.”

In 1985, when the couple founded Foote Cattle Co., it encompassed farming, order buying and cattle feeding. Hoxie Feedyard became a part of Foote Cattle Co. in 1997 with an initial capacity of 10,000 head. Today, Foote Cattle Co. has grown to a multi-location family-owned cattle operation with a 285,000-head feeding capacity as well as land, farming, ranching, banking and other investments across Kansas and Nebraska.

Foote passed away in 2022, but his legacy lives on through his three sons – Scott, Brad and Greg.

Foote’s impact on the cattle feeding industry was celebrated Feb. 4 when he was inducted posthumously into the 2026 Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame during CattleCon in Nashville, Tenn.

Bob Foote

(Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame)

Evolution of Foote Cattle

He started his cattle career trading dairy and beef cows and calves out of the back of a 2-ton truck with stock racks. As his business matured, Foote transitioned from cattle trading to cattle buying. He began buying country cattle and attending local auctions. He developed a customer base selling cattle to feeders in Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas.

“He had a great eye for cattle,” Brad says. “He understood value … there might be days he didn’t buy a single hoof at a sale, and there’d be times he might buy three-quarters of them … he understood the value and he understood the market.”

Bob Foote and Wayne Tilly, a good friend and Bob’s original business partner when they bought Hoxie Feedyard.

(Foote Family)

In 1989 at the Kansas City Stockyards, Foote bought three loads of steers. He had developed a friendship with Wayne Tilly in the seats at the auction. After that purchase, Tilly asked him what he planned to do with those steers. Tilly convinced Bob they should partner on the set and send them to the feedyard and feed them. This was the beginning of a great partnership.

After a few years, they were feeding so many that they decided they should consider buying their own feedlot together. After a search that took a couple of years, they bought the Hoxie Feedyard in 1997.

Another key purchase was the ranch near Manhattan in 2003. Their late daughter, Coleen, loved the rolling hills and green grass on the ranch, and passed shortly after the purchase. Foote’s family says he loved buying a good farm and making it better; they bought several farms and ranches through the years.

Foote worked with his sons to grow the business. Buying Imperial Beef in 2007, followed by Lane County Feeders, Pioneer Feedyard and then Decatur County Beef. In 2019, the family purchased a bank. The Foote family has always stayed aggressive and bullish in business.

His family says he always loved corn planting, good equipment, hard-working truck drivers and driving through any of the feedyards to look at a good pen of fat cattle, simultaneously judging the feeder cattle buyer.

Above all, his family stresses, faith was the most important thing in his life and became the foundation for his teachings to his kids, then to his grandkids.

“He truly worked to do business with faith in his mind and held the strong belief that his God-given talent was doing business,” they say. “He knew that it was his duty as a good, Catholic man to fully use the talents that God gave him to the best of his ability each and every day.”

Bob Foote and his three sons — Scott, Brad and Greg.

(Foote Family)

A Family Man and Businessman

Foote had an aggressive business nature as well as an unassuming soft side that people who truly knew him had the opportunity to connect with. He conducted business, and his life, in his own way. He used the talents given to him by God to the best of his ability.

His family says he was most proud of his Catholic faith, his family and the Foote Cattle brand. Foote was respected by everyone who knew him and is quoted by many for the motto he lived by, “GET IT!”

Kansas Rep. Tracey Mann recognized Foote on the House floor following his passing.

“Our state has lost a tremendous Kansan,” Mann says. “Bob Foote passed away on March 25. He was a man of many talents and leaves behind a strong legacy in the Foote Cattle Co. for future generations of his family. I am hard-pressed to think of any ag producer who had such an impact on Kansas agriculture.”

For Gail, his impact is measured not just in cattle or acres, but in joy, faith and love.

“My life with Bob was never boring, ever … that laugh, that smile, his joy of life and everything he did, he did deeply and with passion,” she says. “God has given us more gifts and blessings than there are stars in the sky. All this would never have been possible without God, without our three sons… It’s a miracle.”

Through his work, his family and his faith, Foote created a legacy that continues to shape the cattle industry and the lives of those who knew him.

Greg Henderson's Lasting Legacy: A Champion of Information, People

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 22:01:28 GMT

From feedlots to board rooms, Greg Henderson devoted his life to listening to beef producers, elevating their stories and championing the people in the trenches every day. An award-winning journalist and revered voice for the beef industry, Henderson provided timely information and in-depth analysis on all segments of the business, including cattle-feeding margins, market trends, genetic advancements, emerging technologies and the impacts of economic factors on beef prices and production.

Only the fourth Drovers editor in history, he worked as a writer and editor for Drovers for nearly 40 years . He was also an advocate for the industry by leading and participating in panel discussions to address tough issues and helping farmers and ranchers understand current trends and challenges.

Henderson’s impact on the cattle feeding industry was celebrated Feb. 4 in Nashville, Tenn., when he was recognized with the 2026 Industry Leadership Award . The award is presented annually during the Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame banquet to a distinguished individual who demonstrates outstanding leadership, provides exemplary service and contributes to the advancement of the cattle-feeding industry.

Henderson unexpectedly passed away on Aug. 16, 2024, leaving behind a legacy in agricultural media and significant contributions to the advancement of beef production. His years of knowledge and expertise allowed him to serve as a moderator and speaker on many local, regional and national stages, representing the interests of U.S. cattle producers.

More Than a Career

His work was never just a career — it was a calling. His wife, Ruth, remembers how naturally he fit into the world he covered.

“Greg was very passionate about the industry and going out and actually meeting the ranchers, and being in the feedlots and face-to-face with people was Greg’s deal,” Ruth says. “He loved it. He never met a stranger.”

His personal connection to people shaped everything he did. Henderson didn’t simply gather information; he worked to understand it and then translate it into meaningful insight for his readers.

“He loved to take the information he got, do some extra research with it and then turn it into information that other leaders in the industry would look at,” Ruth recalls.

Dan Thomson, veterinarian and managing partner of PAC, says Henderson’s focus was always the beef producer.

“It wasn’t about Greg. It wasn’t about his magazine,” Thomson explains. “It was always about what can he do for the producer? What can he do for the feedlot operator? What can he do for people that are in the trenches every day? And that’s what set him apart.”

Thomson describes Henderson as the definition of a servant leader — grounded, hardworking and motivated by a desire to help others succeed.

“Some people think it; some people talk it. Greg Henderson walked the walk, and Greg Henderson got it done for all of us that are out there every day,” Thomson summarizes.

Greg Henderson joins former LPC President Kathy LaScala to hang his plaque in the LPC Hall of Fame.

(LPC)

Recognized for Leadership and Service

Henderson’s influence extended far beyond his loyal Drovers readers. He immersed himself in organizations that shape the beef and livestock sectors. Ruth says he believed it was his responsibility to stay informed and involved.

His peers recognized that commitment. Over the years, Henderson received the Ed Bible Distinguished Service Award, was inducted into the Livestock Publications Council Hall of Fame and earned the prestigious Jesse H. Neal Award for business journalism — even being named a finalist the year he passed away.

Industry leaders saw Henderson not just as a reporter, but as a champion of knowledge. Mark Gardiner of Gardiner Angus Ranch, Ashland, Kan., credits Henderson for elevating the beef industry.

“That thirst and that quest to get better, to help others and to make it all better than it was before, is Greg Henderson. He was such a champion of information and knowledge for our industry,” Gardiner says.

(Henderson Family)

Passionate About Family and Telling the Story

For beef industry consultant and former Drovers writer Nevil Speer, Henderson stands among the last of a rare breed in agricultural journalism.

“To me, Greg is one of the last true great journalists in our industry,” Speer says. “He’s a man of great character, and one of the things that I appreciate about him and respect about him most is his No. 1 priority over everything was his family.”

Family was everything to Henderson. He and Ruth had two children, Lisa and Jared. Prior to his passing, if you had a chance to spend time with him, you knew one of his greatest loves and joys was spending time with his grandchildren, Charlie and Amelia Suellentrop.

In the corrals, at the conferences and across the pages of the publications he shaped, Henderson leaves a legacy of service, humility and enduring impact on the beef industry he loved.

Photos from awards ceremony

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