CALF_News_April_May_2018

18 CALF News • April | May 2018 • www.calfnews.net When the National Park Service decided they had enough parks across the United States and gave land back to the public, they opened the area around Garden City for homesteading. The land was originally divided into smaller properties, but over time and The Great Depression, many families were forced to sell and start life elsewhere. The Reeve family took a chance and decided to buy some of the land from their neighbors, establishing a cattle ranch that is now a farm and feedyard operation. The Reeve family ranch started as an Angus operation back before Angus were “cool.” Calves were shipped to the Corn Belt to be finished, with many ending up in Chicago’s kosher trade. “In those days, Angus cattle weren’t what they are today. They were harder to manage and didn’t fare as well as other breeds in this part of the country,” Reeve says. Different breeds have different attributes that make them more suitable to certain climates. Through the years, the Angus breed has developed into a much hardier and friendlier animal than they once were. During the 1950s, Reeve’s dad, M.P. “Jack” Reeve, acquired the family ranches from his father and uncle. It was a very exciting time for Kansas agriculture. Pivot irrigation had just been developed and was proving to be an essential asset for the future of cultivation. Over the course of the next 15 years, the ranch- land was turned into pivot-irrigated farmland, and the operation constructed a feedyard. Feeding their crops to their cattle was one of the Reeves’ first steps in creating a sustainable operation. In 1982, the family opened the doors to Reeve Agri Energy, an ethanol plant adjacent to the feedyard that’s been in operation ever since. Through the years, the ethanol plant has developed an output of 17 million gallons of ethanol. The resulting wet distiller’s grain byproduct is incorporated into the ration for their 50,000-head yard, continuing the Reeves’ mission of running sustain- able operations. They have remained a privately owned and operated company. The KLA connection Graduating from Kansas State Uni- versity in 1971, Lee Reeve has been a lifelong Kansas Livestock Association (KLA) member. During that time, he has served the association in many dif- ferent capacities, including county chair- man, Water Council chairman, Feeder Council chairman and now the 2018 KLA president. A family tradition, his father was KLA president in 1975. The Kansas Livestock Association is unique in that their elected presi- dent only serves a one-year term and the organization strives to elect leaders who represent each area of the state. It’s a fast-paced year of representing the association and members in many differ- ent scenarios. The KLA president and president-elect each assist during the year as needed. Reeve is very passionate about actively supporting the state livestock associa- tion.“KLA membership is a multi-fac- eted group of individuals; they aren’t just cattle raisers,” he says.“We have many types of associated businesses involved in the organization. “We aren’t competitors. We are a pool of knowledgeable individuals working to improve each other and our industry,” Reeve asserts.“The networking oppor- tunity is really one of the best benefits of membership. We face many of the same Passionate Perseverance By Aly McClure Contributing Editor Lee Reeve takes the reins as Kansas Livestock Association president at their annual convention. In the heart of what was once a national park sits a 100-year-old family farm and feedyard in Garden City, Kan. Now called Reeve Cattle Co., the operation is a bustling hive of energy and innovation, always willing to go the next step in improving the agriculture industry. From serving on boards to testing new technologies, Lee Reeve, et al., is committed to the future. LEFT: In the family for more than 100 years, Reeve Cattle Company has been the site of many different ideas and innovations. But the goal throughout time has remained the same – to use the land to its fullest potential while preserving it for generations to come. RIGHT: The Ogallala Aquifer was once the largest in the world, but it’s declined through modern irrigation. Serious crop producers like Reeve understand the value in preserving our resources and continuing to develop sustainable operations.