CALF_News_December_2021_January_2022

41 CALF News • December 2021 | January 2022 • www.calfnews.net Letter to the Editor Trail’s End  CALF COMMUNITY On the Human Side PHYLLIS ELLEN NICHOLS , 77, of Bridgewater, Iowa, passed away Sept. 23, 2021. Phyllis was a co-owner/manager of Nichols Farms along with her husband, Dave, and sister-in-law Lillian. She is sur- vived by her husband and two children. ROBERT “PAUL” CLAYTON , 64, of Roeland Park, Kan., passed away Sept. 24, 2021. Paul spent his entire career serving the beef industry. He worked for Monfort/ConAgra in Greeley, Colo., for more than 17 years, beginning his career as a quality assurance supervi- sor and eventually becoming the vice president of technical services. While at Monfort, he was co-inventor on four U.S. patents. Paul worked as vice president of export services at the U.S. Meat Export Federation in Denver, Colo., for 19 years. For the last two years, Paul was the vice president of food safety/quality assurance for Seaboard Triumph Foods. Paul is survived by his wife, Cheryl, and two children. CHARLES “CHARLIE” THOMAS SELLERS, SR. , 68, of Ama- rillo passed away Sept. 28, 2021. Known for his unmistakable, booming voice and larger-than-life demeanor, Charlie lived and breathed the auction and cattle trading life since he was a young child. When Charlie was 12 years old, he began driving to the San Antonio Stockyards. In 1971, Charlie enrolled in Texas Tech with the intention of returning to Hamlin to go into busi- ness with his father. The Sellers have been members of the Texas Cattle Feeders Association (TCFA) since it started in 1967. Charlie served as TCFA President in 2005 and served on the National Cattlemen’s Association Board for 12 years. Charlie is survived by his wife, Laura, and two children. MARY BRUNING , 92, of Bruning, Neb., passed away Oct. 5, 2021. Mary and her husband, Frank, started a registered Herford herd in 1950 and, in 1961, created Feedlot Fencing, Inc., a unique business that grew out of the innovative use of oilfield pipe and rods. Mary’s business aptitude and dedi- cation to running a successful business helped Feedlot Fencing grow exponen- tially. She was a “hard working, not- afraid-to-get-dirty woman” whose thumbprint can be found surrounding pastures, feedlots and fields in all directions from Bruning. Mary is survived by her two children.  Phyllis Ellen Nichols Paul Clayton Charlie Sellers, Sr. Mary Bruning Betty Jo, I started feeding cattle when Gary Battle started as manager of Floyd Fairleigh’s Scott City feedyard. That means I’m 92, and for some of that time I have enjoyed the Gigot family doin’s and especially Betty Jo’s CALF News . It’s time to say so.  PAUL MCKIE Tailgate Ranch Tonganoxie, Kan. National The American Angus Association elected the following officers to their board of direc- tors during their conven- tion in Novem- ber: Jerry Connealy , Whitman, Neb., president and chairman of the board; Chuck Grove , Forest, Va., vice president and vice chairman of the board; and Barry Pollard , Enid, Okla., treasurer. Texas Texas Tech University College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources received a $500,000 grant to develop a laboratorian training program for animal disease research. The pro- gram is in cooperation with the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service veterinary services division. The grant will be used to train students with an interest in working at the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility in Man- hattan, Kan., with the specific technical skillset required to develop and imple- ment USDA scientific programs at the facility. Company Green Plains Cattle Company LLC announced its new company name – Cobalt Cattle Company LLC – a stand-alone company focused solely on feeding and growing cattle. Cobalt Cattle is the fourth-largest cattle feeding operation in the United States, with more than 250 employees across seven locations. Headquartered in Garden City, Kan., the company has feedyards at Eckley, Colo.; Kismet, Kan.; Leoti, Kan.; Sublette, Kan.; Hereford, Texas; Tulia, Texas; and Cimarron Grain in Kismet, Kan. Cobalt Cattle was previously a sub- sidiary of Green Plains Inc. , a biorefin- ing company based in Omaha, Neb. 