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Feeders, Packers and Industry Leaders

Kent Bamford: The Haxtun Feeder Who Grew a Small Yard to 15,000 Head

From 4-H projects to the CattleFax presidency, Bamford spent 47 years feeding cattle in northeast Colorado and as much time serving the industry.

Who is Kent Bamford?

Kent Bamford is a cattle feeder from Haxtun, Colorado, and a member of the 2026 class of the Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame. Drovers' profile of his career describes a man rooted in cattle from his youth in northeast Colorado, whose interest began with 4-H projects.

The hall inducted him on February 4, 2026, during CattleCon in Nashville, Tennessee, and lists him on its 2026 inductee page. Drovers titled its profile of him as a life built on cattle, grounded on family and rooted in service. Bamford spent 47 years in cattle feeding before selling the feedyard, and his service to national industry groups ran in parallel with his business.

Haxtun, 4-H and Colorado State University

Bamford's early interest in cattle came through 4-H. He earned a degree in agricultural business from Colorado State University in Fort Collins in 1974, then returned to Haxtun, a farming town in Phillips County.

Back home, he and his brother bought their parents' cattle and farming operation and expanded into a feedyard in northeast Colorado.

Growing Bamford Feedyard to 15,000 head

Bamford Feedyard started as a small yard and grew to a 15,000-head capacity. According to Drovers, the growth included additional feedyards, stocker operations in Colorado and Wyoming, a diversified farming and trucking operation, and a feed additive company.

After the brothers separated their interests, Bamford built a family-run diversified enterprise with a substantial farming component. The farming operation is managed by one son, and the feed company, Inco Digestive, is led by another, as Drovers describes. He sold the feedyard after 47 years in cattle feeding.

Building Colorado's livestock organizations

Early in his feeding career Bamford joined the board of the Colorado Cattle Feeders Association. He helped create the Colorado Livestock Association, which brings together all livestock species, and later served as its president.

He served on the Colorado Beef Council and then the Cattlemen's Beef Board for two terms, promoting beef at the national level. The Colorado Livestock Association's announcement of his induction also covers his career and service.

The Key to Bamford's Success

Bamford's record shows a feeder who diversified. His business did not stop at the feedyard, and it grew through stockers, farming, trucking and a feed additive company.

After the brothers separated their interests, he built a diversified, family-run enterprise with a substantial farming component, and the yard was sold only after 47 years in cattle feeding. He also invested in the industry's institutions. He served at the local, state and national levels, from a county fair board to the Cattlemen's Beef Board and CattleFax.

  • Start with the family operation: he and his brother bought their parents' cattle and farm business.
  • Diversify around the yard: stockers, trucking, farming and a feed company added resilience.
  • Grow in stages: the yard started small and reached 15,000 head.
  • Serve the industry: Colorado Livestock Association, Beef Council, Cattlemen's Beef Board and CattleFax.
  • Keep the family involved: sons manage the farming operation and the feed company.

CattleFax, NCBA and community service

Bamford was president of CattleFax in 2012 and has long been a member of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, where he chaired a committee and took part in its Young Cattlemen's Conference. He served on several Colorado State University committees and on Colorado governor-appointed committees, chairing one.

At home he has been president of his local hospital board and scholarship chairman of the Haxtun Methodist Church. He was a longtime 4-H leader, served on the Phillips County Fair Board, eventually as its president, and helped coach FFA livestock and horse judging teams.

Hall of Fame recognition and more reading

The American Angus Association's Angus Beef Bulletin item reported that Bamford and Foote were named to the Hall of Fame in the 2026 class.

Beyond the feedyard, Drovers lists his Colorado State and governor-appointed committee work, his hospital and church roles and his years of 4-H leadership as part of the fuller picture of his career. For more on Colorado feeding country, browse the ranching section of farm.FM, or read a farm.FM story on a Colorado cattle feeder.

Timeline

  1. 1974Graduates from Colorado State University in agricultural business
  2. After 1974Returns to Haxtun; with his brother buys the family cattle and farming operation
  3. 2012Serves as president of CattleFax
  4. 2025Named to the 2026 Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame class (announced late in the year)
  5. 2026Inducted into the Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame on February 4 in Nashville

Frequently asked questions

Who is Kent Bamford?

Kent Bamford is a Haxtun, Colorado, cattle feeder who built Bamford Feedyard to 15,000 head over 47 years. He led CattleFax as president in 2012 and entered the Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame in 2026.

How big was Bamford Feedyard?

Drovers reports that Bamford Feedyard grew from a small yard to a 15,000-head capacity. The operation also included more feedyards, stockers, farming and trucking before the feedyard was sold.

When was Kent Bamford inducted into the Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame?

He was inducted on February 4, 2026, during CattleCon in Nashville, Tennessee, in the same class as fellow Hall of Fame honoree Foote.

What industry groups has Kent Bamford led?

He was president of the Colorado Livestock Association and of CattleFax in 2012, served two terms on the Cattlemen's Beef Board and was active in the Colorado Beef Council and NCBA.

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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