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Don Biles and the Beefmaster Hall of Fame Class of 2010

A 2010 Beefmaster Hall of Fame inductee, placed in the context of the breed and the three-honoree class that included him.

Who is Don Biles?

Don Biles is listed on the Beefmaster Breeders United Hall of Fame page as a 2010 inductee. The page shows his name, the year and a photograph, and nothing more. No biography, ranch name or herd history appears there, and the association's news archive surfaced no separate profile in the searches run for this entry.

That leaves a short but firm record: a breed association, whose selection committee chooses its honorees, decided that his service to Beefmasters belonged on the roll.

The class of 2010

Three entries appear for 2010: Don Biles, Lee Adair, and the couple Bill and Dusty Carr. The Carrs have a fuller public record. A 2021 BBU awards report says they have been active in the association and its satellite groups since the mid-1970s and rely on performance data and visual appraisal of their cattle.

The Carrs also earned the 2010 Live Oak Legend Award, the same year as their hall induction. Biles was inducted in that company, which suggests a class chosen for long, steady service rather than a single headline achievement, though the roster does not state the committee's reasoning.

Why It Mattered

Beefmaster breeding depends on cooperation. The association collects performance data, registers cattle, holds sales and organizes conventions. Halls of fame in breed groups recognize people who did that work over decades, often alongside running their own herds.

For a reader trying to learn about Biles, the honest summary is that the honor is verified and the details are not. A breeder in this position is typically documented in sale catalogs, association minutes and local newspapers.

  • Verified: inducted into the BBU Hall of Fame in 2010.
  • Verified: part of a three-entry class with Lee Adair and Bill and Dusty Carr.
  • Not published: birth year, home state, ranch name and herd size.
  • Best leads: BBU member directories, sale catalogs and regional association records.

What the Hall of Fame is

The BBU roster lists 22 inductees, with 1986 as the earliest year and 2024 as the latest. The 1986 class has three names, Homer Herring, Wallace Harrell and Jack Dunn, and later classes added couples, ranchers and a baseball pitcher.

Inductees range from Colorado to Kentucky to South Texas, a reminder that the breed spread far beyond its birthplace. The 2017 convention report profiles Dale and Laurie Lasater, sons of the breed's founder, and shows how detailed a full profile can be when the association writes one.

The breed behind the honor

Tom Lasater developed the Beefmaster in the early 1930s by crossing Hereford and Shorthorn cows with Brahman bulls. His goal, according to the Beefmaster article, was cattle that could be profitable in the harsh conditions of South Texas.

The breed has no color standard, though brownish-red is most common. Selection focuses on weight, conformation, milking ability, fertility, hardiness and disposition. The USDA first recognized Beefmaster as a breed in 1954.

Keep reading

To explore the wider world of cattle breeding, farm.FM has ranching coverage, including a farm.FM story on Beefmaster breeding. If you know more about Don Biles and his herd, documents and family recollections would help fill out this entry.

Timeline

  1. 1930sTom Lasater develops the Beefmaster
  2. 1954USDA first recognizes Beefmaster as a breed
  3. 1986Earliest class on the BBU Hall of Fame roster
  4. 2007Nolan Ryan inducted
  5. 2010Don Biles, Lee Adair and Bill and Dusty Carr inducted
  6. 2017Dale and Laurie Lasater inducted

Frequently asked questions

Who is Don Biles?

Don Biles is a Beefmaster Breeders United Hall of Fame inductee from the class of 2010. The BBU roster gives his name and year but no biography, so other details are not documented.

Who else was inducted into the Beefmaster Hall of Fame in 2010?

Lee Adair and the couple Bill and Dusty Carr were inducted the same year, according to the BBU Hall of Fame roster.

How many people are in the Beefmaster Hall of Fame?

The BBU roster lists 22 inductees or couples from 1986 through 2024, with a selection committee choosing honorees.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

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