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Feeders, Packers and Industry Leaders

Ed Barrett: Six Decades Feeding Cattle, From Emporia to Hereford

A Kansas-rooted feeder who built yards in Emporia and Hereford and handed a 135,000-head family business to his sons and grandsons.

Who Was Ed Barrett?

Ed Barrett spent his working life in cattle feeding. The Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame biography says he worked full time in the industry for more than 60 years, running yards in Texas and Kansas and finally helping to found Barrett and Crofoot Feedlots in Hereford, Texas. The Hall page headline uses the spelling Feedyards, while the body text says Feedlots, so both forms appear in print.

He was inducted in 2023 as part of the Hall's 14th class. Beef magazine reported that the honor came posthumously and that Barrett died in 2020. The documented record about him is short, which is why this profile also explains the setting in which he worked.

From Lubbock Feedyard to Flint Hills Feedyard

According to the Hall of Fame, Barrett began by running Lubbock Feedyard, one of the commercial yards on the Texas South Plains. In 1968 he moved back to Emporia, Kansas, where he built and operated Flint Hills Feedyard.

The phrase moved back suggests Emporia was home ground, and the Flint Hills around it are some of the best grass country in Kansas. The sources do not describe the size or ownership of either early yard, so those details are left out here.

Barrett and Crofoot Feedlots in Hereford

In 1975 Barrett worked with the Crofoot family to establish Barrett and Crofoot Feedlots in Hereford, Texas. The Hall bio says his sons and grandsons now own and operate the business, which it describes as the fulfillment of a lifelong dream for him.

Beef magazine says he grew the operation into three yards with a combined capacity of about 135,000 head. The reports do not list the yard names or how capacity is divided among them.

Hereford and the Feeding Boom of the South Plains

Hereford is one of several Texas Panhandle towns where commercial feeding grew into a major industry. Other Hall of Fame feeders worked there too. Drovers wrote about Johnny Trotter, whose Bar-G Feedyard in Hereford holds 125,000 head, and Bob Josserand moved to Hereford in 1971 and later led his own cattle company there.

Feedyards cluster where grain is grown and where cattle can be bought and shipped efficiently. Barrett's 1975 start in Hereford was a partnership with the Crofoot family, a pattern that appears across the Hall of Fame's feeders.

The Key to Barrett's Success

The record supports a few clear patterns rather than any dramatic story: long tenure, partnerships and family continuity.

The Hall bio credits his "continuous resilience" and a lasting legacy through the family business, and the only business risk the sources name is the long climb itself.

  • Stayed in cattle feeding for more than 60 years, through changes in markets and ownership.
  • Built or ran yards in more than one region, including Lubbock, Emporia and Hereford.
  • Partnered with the Crofoot family in 1975 rather than building alone.
  • Reached about 135,000 head across three yards.
  • Passed ownership to his sons and grandsons, who run the business today.

The Hall of Fame Class of 2023

The 2023 induction ceremony took place January 31, 2023, in New Orleans, ahead of the Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show, Beef magazine reported. Barrett went in with Jerry Adams of Adams Land and Cattle in Broken Bow, Nebraska.

The Hall launched in 2009 with Merck Animal Health, Osborn and Barr, and Drovers as founding partners. For more on the people and places behind American beef, browse farm.FM's ranching coverage or read a farm.FM story on Texas cattle feeding.

Timeline

  1. Date not givenRuns Lubbock Feedyard in Texas before returning to Kansas.
  2. 1968Moves back to Emporia, Kansas, and builds Flint Hills Feedyard.
  3. 1975With the Crofoot family, establishes Barrett and Crofoot Feedlots in Hereford, Texas.
  4. 2009The Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame is launched.
  5. 2020Barrett dies, per Beef magazine.
  6. 2023Inducted into the Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame on January 31 in New Orleans.

Frequently asked questions

Who was Ed Barrett?

Ed Barrett was a cattle feeder who spent more than 60 years in the business, running yards in Texas and Kansas and co-founding Barrett and Crofoot Feedlots in Hereford, Texas. He was inducted into the Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame in 2023.

How big was Barrett and Crofoot Feedlots?

Beef magazine reported that Barrett grew the operation to three yards with a combined capacity of about 135,000 head. His sons and grandsons now own and operate the business.

When was Ed Barrett inducted into the Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame?

Barrett was inducted in the 2023 class, the Hall's 14th, at a ceremony in New Orleans on January 31, 2023. The induction was posthumous, since Beef magazine reports he died in 2020.

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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