CALF_News_April_May_2019

20 CALF News • April | May 2019 • www.calfnews.net Foxley thanked the many people who helped make his company a success and didn’t mind mentioning some who he classified as “lacking character.”“Again, timing was really important,” he said.“I worked with good people who were not crooks. I was very fortunate.” JAMES HERRING Risk taking has also been in James Herring’s blood ever since he sold his first cattle in the 1960s. He was introduced at the CFHOF ceremonies by Texas Cattle Feeders Association CEO Ross Wilson, who described Herring as someone who “has spent his entire career connecting beef producers with consumers.” Texas A&M University and New Mexico State University to establish the Ranch to Rail program to help ranchers learn more about their calf crops. Herring paid attention to the closeouts. “We were shocked at what we discov- ered,” he said.“Ranchers would send us a set of calves and there would be a $450 per head difference in the ultimate values. Genetic and production disparity made the $450 difference.” Ranch to Rail helped establish value added calf (VAC) programs, with VAC 45 becoming the standard for ranch precon- ditioning programs. Herring took note of the VAC programs and began exploring the potential for branded programs. “We got lucky in ’95 when we got the opportunity to partner with McDonald’s and Cargill,” he said.“It was the Beef Advantage Project, and it helped us learn more about production and carcass value. It allowed us to start thinking about beef as a brand vs. a commodity. “We found that consumers valued ten- derness and they were not getting that in many cases. We helped create a branded product based on tenderness. Now, FI has eight feedyards that finish 1.3 million cattle a year and a proven branded prod- uct [Rancher’s Registry] that goes into 3,000 stores.” Herring said it was a “supreme honor” to be inducted into the CFHOF beside the likes of Ladd Hitch, Paul Engler and others.“Paul Engler taught me that the packer should be considered a friend rather than an adversary, that being close to the packer was a good thing for our industry,” he said. “I knew Ladd Hitch well. He once said, ‘I’ve been broke three times. The first time everyone knew. The second time just my banker and I knew. The third time only I knew.’ There is a long list of entrepreneurs and real characters who built the industry and built our business.” Herring has served on many boards and committees with NCBA and the Texas Cattle Feeders Association (TCFA), and was a TCFA chairman. He has received many other honors, including the Golden Spur Award from the National Ranching Heri- tage Foundation. Wilson said Herring is a visionary businessman and industry leader.“He has an uncanny ability to foresee and capital- ize on opportunities in the beef industry,” Wilson said.“The supply and demand chain model he created and success- fully implemented at Friona industries, combining the power of a brand with a reliable supply of consistently high-qual- ity beef was the first of its kind at such a large scale. “It has been replicated by others and studied at the Harvard School of Busi- ness, a testament to the true value of his vision.” JIM ODLE Jim Odle received the CFHOF Leader- ship Award. Betty Jo Gigot introduced Odle, quoting his motto,“If you do things right, it will always come back and be right for you.” He is a rancher-turned-auctioneer and has been successful in both professions. By the early 1960s, Odle has polished his auctioneering skills (much of it done from practicing while driving a tractor) and purchased Weld County Livestock Commission Co. He sold it a few years later and joined Brush (Colorado) Live- stock Commission Co., which he owned until 1976. CATTLE FEEDERS HALL OF FAME Continued from page 18 Jim Odle, founder of Superior Livestock, was named Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame Leadership Award winner. He was introduced by CALF News Publisher Betty Jo Gigot, also an HOF Leadership Award winner. Former Friona Industries CEO James Herring was inducted into the Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame. He was introduced by Ross Wilson, CEO of the Texas Cattle Feeders Association. Herring was president and CEO of Friona Industries (FI) for 25 years before retiring in 2016. He grew up in the stocker business around Amarillo. After graduating with a business degree from the Univer- sity of Texas at Austin, he took a job with Mesa Petroleum to build a cattle feeding operation in Amarillo. He also thirsted for knowledge and attended the Harvard Busi- ness School, earning an MBA. Herring got involved with Friona in 1989 and was able to turn the failing company around. In the early 1990s, a Friona Industries feedyard worked with LF e s • April | ay 2019 • .calfne s.net