Betty Jo Gigot, Editor and Publisher

Sitting in his upstairs office, surrounded by pictures and souvenirs of five generations of the Cluck family, Monte Cluck introduced the team that makes his organization work: Chip Newell, who manages the yard; John Oringderff, who markets finished cattle; and Katsy, his wife and partner in the highly diversified company. As we visited, Cluck constantly got up to share pictures of his dad, Dean, who passed away in 1999, and Colt, his 17-year-old son who was killed in a car wreck last year. One of the last pictures of Colt was taken at the spring branding. In it he’s driving a team and wagon. “He spent the last night of his life sleeping under the stars in a tepee,” Cluck said.

Bittersweet memories brought a touch of a tear as well as a feeling of pride for the history of the Cluck family.

Fifth generation
Dean Cluck Feedyard started with five pens in 1962 (which still hold cattle today), when Dean had to make a choice whether to buy a small ranch in New Mexico or stay in the Panhandle where he was born and raised. By 1969, the yard held 12,000 head, and that year, Dean and other members of the family built two other feedyards in the area, which they named Caprock. They operated those yards until 1974 when they were sold. Today, those yards are still in operation under the names Hansford County Feeders and USA Feedyard LLC.

“My dad was a farmer,” Cluck said. There are 14,000 acres of adjacent farm ground where they raise wheat, corn for silage and grass, all of which are used at the feedyard. Second- and third-generation farmers farm those acres today.

Cluck considers the wheat pasture his “captive supply,” allowing the staff to move cattle into the feedyard to hit specific markets. Sometimes, two different sets of cattle will consecutively graze a single circle. Although, with favorable weather this year, some of the circles will be harvested.

Expert team
Having successfully assembled a team of people who compliment each other, Cluck touts the experience and expertise of what he calls – tongue in cheek – his “mature” team at the top. Chip Newell says that his job is to keep the employees smiling and working well together.

“This is the nicest organization I have ever been involved with,” Newell said. “We all have our strengths and we appreciate each other. I appreciate our association’s integrity and honesty.”

John Oringderff sells all finished cattle and takes care of risk management. Oringderff had always been one of Cluck’s heroes. Cluck considers the company blessed to have Oringderff on staff. Oringderff, in turn, is delighted to be a part of such a talented and progressive team.

“We can and will market cattle any way the customer wants,” Oringderff said. Newell added that they could sell cattle with the best.

The main feedyard has a capacity of 32,000 head. The company also runs DGC, a small yard down the road, Monte Carlo, a beautifully designed calf-backgrounding yard, and a cow-calf h erd. Cluck Feedyard preconditioned over 20,000 head last year.

Customers from Florida, Montana, Arizona and Mexico supply 60 percent of Cluck’s cattle. The balance is owned by the company itself and other partnerships. Cluck contends his customers are, for the most part, seasoned cattle feeders who understand the industry and the ups and downs that go with it.

“We constantly stress the fact that we are a food-producing company,” Katsy Cluck said. Katsy, who managed her family’s ranch in the Osage of Oklahoma before marrying Monte, does her part with the management team, enjoying the flat, productive country that she has grown to love.

“What I value most are my family (two older daughters, Kaysha and Kallie, and five-year-old son, Monte), my employees (some of whom have been with them for 35 years), and the ongoing relationships we have with our vendors,” Cluck said. One of those vendors he considers a treasure is Jim Schwerther of Capital Land and Livestock, who supplies a number of the company’s cattle.

With an eye to the future and an appreciation of the past, Dean Cluck Feedyard works every day to be a credit to the industry it serves.