By Larry Stalcup Contributing Editor
Terry Caviness, whose father, Pete, started Caviness Beef Packers in 1962 in Hereford, Texas, recently received an honorary doctorate from West Texas A&M University (WTAMU) in Canyon. It recognized him as a worldwide leader in the meat-packing industry and for the Caviness family’s long-time support of WTAMU and its agriculture education program.
CALF News has covered Caviness Beef Packers since it was established as a major market for cows and bulls in the Texas Panhandle and beyond. We’ve followed the Caviness growth from 1,200 to 1,800 head per day slaughter capacity in 2005 through its expansion in 2018 to 2,900 head, and a new, streamlined ground beef and patty facility in Amarillo. Caviness is also joint operator of 1,700-head-capacity CS Beef Packers in Kuda, Idaho, that began operations in 2017.
“I am most humbled by this extremely fine honor,” Caviness said. “WT is such an important institution not only for students but also for the quality of life in the Texas Panhandle. The (WT) Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences has very strong leadership, and the school’s mission and values are very much aligned with our family’s.”
WT’s communications department notes that Caviness has been a major supporter of WT and its agricultural department, including the state-of-the-art Caviness Meat Science and Innovation Center inside WT’s Agricultural Sciences Complex. There is also the Caviness Davis Distinguished Chair in Meat Science.
Caviness has served in numerous leadership roles in local, state and national organizations. He is the past chair and director of the National Meat Association, from which he received its most distinguished award for service in 2009, the E. Floyd Forbes Award. He has led the boards for FirstBank Southwest, the Amarillo Area Foundation, the Presbyterian Home for Children and the Maverick Boys & Girls Club. His family has been instrumental in helping support the Spicer Gripp Memorial Roping, a Hereford and regional event that has raised more than $1 million toward scholarships at WT.
Earlier in 2024, Caviness was inducted into the Meat Industry Hall of Fame, and he and his sons, Trevor and Regan, were given the Pinnacle Award by WT at the annual Celebration of Donors.
“Terry’s leadership and expertise in growing and evolving the beef packing industry in the Panhandle is worthy of recognition and distinction,” WT President Walter V. Wendler said. “The honorary doctorate is the university’s way of not only recognizing Terry, but also of drawing attention to the vital role the cattle industry, and beef packing in particular, plays in our region. WT is proud to be a regional research institution.”
Kevin Pond, Ph.D., dean of the Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, said Caviness “has always given of his time and talents to the agricultural and food industries, to West Texas A&M University, and to the community. We are excited to award him with the most prestigious honor an individual can receive from the university.”
