Kent Bamford with Bamford Feedyard in Haxtun, Colo., and Bob Foote with Foote Cattle Co. in Bucyrus, Kan., are the 2026 inductees in the Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame. Honorees will be recognized at the 17th annual banquet on Feb. 4 during CattleCon 2026 in Nashville, Tenn.

“The cattle-feeding industry has been built by leaders such as Bob Foote and Kent Bamford,” said Dustin Johansen, senior vice president at Farm Journal and Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame board member. “Their legacy is the ongoing success of our industry.”

Bamford Feedyard started as a small yard, growing to 15,000 head capacity and further diversifying into a farming and trucking operation as well as a feed additive company. Foote, who is being inducted posthumously, developed a multilocation family-owned cattle operation with 285,000 head feeding capacity among other businesses across Kansas and Nebraska.

Additional honorees include Greg Henderson of Kansas, who will be recognized posthumously with the Industry Leadership Award for his award-winning journalism and being a voice of the beef industry. Rick Hibler with Irsik & Doll Beefland Feedyard in Garden City, Kan., will receive the Arturo Armendariz Distinguished Service Award for his contributions to improving the cattle-feeding industry. 

Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame banquet attendees are invited to participate in CattleCon 2026, the largest cattle and beef industry event of the year. The annual convention features industry meetings, speakers, education, entertainment, a large trade show, producer recognition and more.

Established in 2009, the Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame honors the visionary men and women who have made lasting contributions to the cattle-feeding industry.

Source: National Cattlemen's Beef Association