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Willard R. Sparks: The Economist Who Built a Top-Ten Cattle Feeding Company

Raised on a Dibble, Oklahoma, farm, Willard Sparks became a leading ag economist and a major cattle feeder.

Who was Willard R. Sparks?

Willard R. Sparks combined two careers that do not often meet: commodity economics and cattle feeding. Beef magazine's coverage of his induction describes him as one of the nation's leading agricultural economists and an internationally recognized authority on commodity research. The Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame lists him as a 2012 inductee, tied to Cattico, LLC, in Dibble, Oklahoma, though the magazine spells the company Cattlco.

He died in 2005 at age 68, so his induction was posthumous. The hall's short biography says his passion for livestock and grain laid the foundation for his life in American agriculture.

Growing up in Dibble, Oklahoma

Sparks grew up on his family's grain and livestock farm in Dibble, where he raised and showed livestock at local fairs. That early work with animals and crops is the thread that the hall biography points to.

He studied agricultural economics at Oklahoma State University, earning bachelor's and master's degrees, and went on to a doctorate in statistics at Michigan State University.

The Cook Industries years

In 1963 he joined Memphis-based Cook Industries as director of economic research and later rose to senior executive vice president. He spent 14 years with the company. According to the Beef magazine report, he helped arrange the first large U.S. grain sale to Russia.

Fourteen years from 1963 leads to 1977, the year he founded his own firm; the sources do not describe the move in detail.

Sparks Commodities, Cattlco and other ventures

In 1977 Sparks founded Sparks Commodities, later renamed Sparks Companies, Inc. He became majority owner of Cattlco, LLC, which the magazine says grew into one of the ten largest cattle feeding operations in the United States.

He also co-owned the securities firm Vining-Sparks, held a minority stake in Refco, LLC, and had farming and ranching interests. The sources do not give feedlot locations, herd sizes or revenue, so we do not.

The Key to Sparks's Success

Sparks's record points to expertise first and capital second. He built credentials in economics and statistics, used a major grain company to learn how large markets actually move, and then started businesses around that knowledge.

The sources do not say how he ran the feeding side day to day.

  • He earned advanced degrees in agricultural economics and statistics.
  • He spent 14 years inside Cook Industries, a large grain trading company.
  • He founded his own firm, Sparks Commodities, in 1977.
  • He owned Cattlco as a majority owner and built it into a top-ten feeder, per Beef magazine.
  • He spread his interests across securities, farming, ranching and commodities.

Philanthropy and teaching ties

The hall describes him as a modest donor to charitable causes. Beef magazine says he supported education, sports and the arts, and established the Sparks Family Chair of Excellence in International Business and the Sparks Family Marketing Center at the University of Memphis.

He chaired the Public Building Authority of Memphis and Shelby County, helped found Oklahoma State's 21st Century Center for Agriculture and Renewable Natural Resources, and served on the OSU Foundation Board of Governors.

Hall of Fame honor and legacy

The Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame inducted Sparks in 2012, seven years after his death. The public sources do not describe how the Cattlco business changed after he died, and we leave that open. The hall's full list is on its inductee page.

For more on cattle feeding and the people behind it, the ranching pages on farm.FM are a good starting point, and a farm.FM story about cattle feeding covers related ground.

Timeline

  1. 1963Joins Cook Industries in Memphis as director of economic research
  2. Before 1963Earns degrees at Oklahoma State and Michigan State
  3. 1963-1977Spends 14 years at Cook Industries
  4. 1977Founds Sparks Commodities, later Sparks Companies, Inc.
  5. 2005Dies at age 68
  6. 2012Inducted into the Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame

Frequently asked questions

Who was Willard R. Sparks?

Willard R. Sparks was an Oklahoma-raised agricultural economist, commodity analyst and businessman who owned Cattlco, a top-ten U.S. cattle feeding operation, and founded Sparks Commodities in 1977.

When was Willard Sparks inducted into the Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame?

He was inducted in 2012. He had died in 2005, so the honor was posthumous.

What was Cattlco?

Cattlco, LLC was a cattle feeding company, spelled Cattico on the hall site, that Beef magazine says became one of the ten largest feeding operations in the United States, with Sparks as majority owner.

What did Willard Sparks do before cattle feeding?

He joined Cook Industries in Memphis in 1963 as director of economic research, rose to senior executive vice president and helped arrange the first large U.S. grain sale to Russia.

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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