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Longtime cattleman, Reese, parade marshall
Published 5/29/2010 in Beef Empire Days
By RACHAEL GRAY
From the time he was a child, Nathan Reese's family had cattle. When it came time for Reese to grow up, go out into the world and pick a line of study and a job, the obvious choice was a cattle-related career.
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Brad Nading/Telegram Kayden Atkinson, 7, passes the time by blowing bubbles Saturday morning while waiting for the Black Hills Energy Beef Empire Days Parade to begin while sitting along Main Street with his family.
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Brad Nading/Telegram Members of the Finney County Sheriff's deapartment walk behind their float entry Saturday during the Black lHills Energy Beef Empire Days Parade on Main Street.
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Brad Nading/Telegram Trevor Nokes, 4, McCook, Neb., practices his lassoing while standing in the Finney County Fairgrounds arena with his dad, Garrett Nokes, during the 2009 Beef Empire Days PRCA Rodeo slack competition.
Reese is the 2010 Grand Marshall for the Beef Empire Days Parade, which begins at 10:30 a.m. June 12 in downtown Garden City. The parade will begin at the National Guard Armory on South Main Street and will head north to Walnut Street.
This year's theme is "The Future is Beef!"
Reese, born and raised on a livestock farm near Mooreland, Okla., received a bachelor of science degree in animal husbandry from Oklahoma State University in 1960 and received a doctorate in animal science and biochemistry with an emphasis in nutrition from the University of Wisconsin.
After completing his education, Reese worked for a feed company in Texas, then was transferred to Guadalajara, Mexico.
He said when he came back to the U.S., the feedlot boom had started in the Texas panhandle and was continuing its way through the Midwest.
"It appealed to me to be directly involved in the feedlot industry. I liked the type of people that were starting and operating the feedyards. I felt comfortable with them," he said.
Reese began to work as a nutritionist for commercial feedyards in Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma, and lived in Garden City for 17 years.
He joined the Irsik and Doll Organization as CEO, and was one of the pioneers of commercial cattle feeding in Kansas. He retired in 1999 and returned to Oklahoma.
He is now a co-owner of Cimarron Feeders of Kansas. He and his wife, Patricia, also own and operate farms and ranches in central and northwest Oklahoma and northwest Kansas.
Since his first involvement in the cattle industry, Reese said there have been numerous changes in the business.
He said the first change is the type of cattle that have developed.
"Now there's more predictability in the quality of meat that the cattle can produce," he said.
Reese said the ways in which cattle are fed have changed.
He said cattle now are fed more byproducts, such as byproducts from ethanol plants.
"Cattle are a complement to the environment. They can utilize different kinds of food and byproducts and convert them to meat," he said.
He said a change in ownership also has taken place.
"We've seen a concentration of ownership at the feedlot level. We've also seen a change in the way the cattle are marketed. There have been a lot of alliances formed between feeding groups and processors," he said.
One of the difficulties in the business is finding the right type of people to work the grounds at feedlots in jobs such as cowboys and doctoring teams.
"Sometimes it's more difficult to find people to work in the feedlots doing the outside work. It's a tough job. The good feedyards reward the good employees well," Reese said.
Since the feedlot industry boom, Reese said feedlot owners and managers must pay attention to environmental issues as an increasing number of regulations to controlling feedlot waste arise.
"Feedyard managers need to recognize that those issues have to be addressed. Most are making a concerted effort to comply with regulations and to protect the environment that we all live in," he said.
Reese, who has attended numerous Beef Empire Days celebrations, said for him, the cattle industry always has been and still is an enjoyable endeavor.
He said he enjoys the cattle, and most of all the people.
"It's the type of people in the industry — they're fun to work with and are demanding — as they should be. They present a challenge to do a good job.
Reese said he visits the Kansas operations once or twice a month. Although it's quite a bit of traveling, he said he doesn't mind.
"It's enjoyable. It keeps me in contact with the Kansas people," he said.
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