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Pioneer
of Commercial Cattle Feeding
Louis Dinklage pioneered the cattle feeding business in 1923 with the
establishment of a 3,000-head operation near Wisner, Nebraska. By the
late 1960s Dinklage was considered the largest cattle feeder in
the country. When a former partner moved to the western part of the state,
he reported that he had found an excellent location to feed cattle. Louis
was quick to recognize the attributes of the drier, more arid region,
its abundant feed sources and water supply. He envisioned the panhandle
as a major feeding area.
His vision was correct, for today, Dinklage Feedyards is one of the largest
and most successful commercial feeding operations in the nation.
By the summer of 1969, Dinklage, along with other investors built the
initial western yard at Sidney. Under the guidance of Louis, his nephew
Herman, and 28-year manager Benny Von Seggern, Dinklage began an expansion
program that today encompasses six strategically located feed yards with
a one-time capacity of 170,000 head.
Carrying on the legacy that the Dinklage name portrays is an important
point of pride in today's organization. In 1997, Von Seggern retired handing
the reins to Tom OConnell, Jr. A business graduate of Colorado State
University, OConnell came to the company as office manager in 1976
and today serves as the CEO of the vast feeding enterprise.
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