The cattle feeding industry in the Panhandle of Texas is a fairly new business. It was not until the early 1960's that cattlemen started taking advantage of the ample supply of grain and feeder cattle, and the moderate climate, which made feeding cattle in this area ideal. One of the individuals at the forefront of developing the cattle feeding industry in Texas is Walter Lasley.

The Lasley family moved to Texas from Missouri in 1905. At this time, Walter's grandfather purchased 640 acres of land in Sherman County and immediately started dry land farming. Walter Lasley was born fifteen years later on September 23, 1920. He was raised on this farm, which was located 14 miles East of Stratford. Upon graduating from Stratford High School in 1938, Walter left his family and his hometown to continue his education. He majored in animal husbandry at Texas A&M University and graduated as one of the top students in agriculture in 1942. The day after graduation, Walter received orders from the military to go to Fort Sill in Lawton, Oklahoma. He was in the military for less than one year when his father passed away. Walter then returned home to manage the farm and commercial ranching operation.

While Walter was getting an education at Texas A&M, he became interested in the cattle feeding industry after taking a course in marketing which was taught by A.K. Mackey. He pursued his interests by talking to Morris Freeman of Freeman Feedyard in Texhoma, TX, in addition to other individuals about the feasibility of feeding cattle. He was told that many of the early cattle feeders had experienced hard luck, but Walter was a hard worker and wanted to give it a try.

Walter started feeding cattle in 1953 by putting 150 steers of his own on feed. He received the majority of his feeding information from Morrison's Feeds and Feeding handbook. To make the ration, he used an old hammer mill and grinder powered by a Ford motor. The ration was then put into a Farm Hand Feeder from the back of a truck. This proved to be a profitable venture for Walter. In the years following, he increased the size of his facility to accommodate about 2,000 head.

Walter Lasley was always an individual that was eager to learn. In 1959 the West Texas Chamber of Commerce sponsored the first of three tours to different cattle feeding areas of the United States. Walter took advantage of an ideal situation and attended all three. He had the opportunity to witness an area that was already established in the business of feeding cattle and take that knowledge with him to expand on his own business. Walter started feeding cattle commercially in 1967. He expanded his pen capacity to hold 10,000 head and built a new feed mill. From then on, there was no looking back.

Walter Lasley was also one of the 11 founding members of the Texas Cattle Feeders Association, established in 1967. He has since supported the TCFA in numerous ways by serving on the board of directors, arbitration panel, and membership committee. Additionally, Walter has represented TCFA by serving on the National Cattlemen's Association's private land and water, private lands and environmental management, and foreign trade committees.

In 1970, Walter's oldest son, Walter Eugene, graduated from Texas A&M University. He followed in his father's footsteps and took a big interest in the cattle feeding industry. Following graduation, Walter E. went to work for his father and was in charge of their wheat pasture program. The same hard work and desire to succeed that his father possessed led Walter E. up the ladder of success and into his current position of Vice President and Manager of Walter Lasley & Sons, Inc.

In the 30 years that Walter Lasley & Sons, Inc. have been custom feeding cattle, they have sought to provide the customers and their cattle with TLC, tender lovin' care. This attention to the details have kept their customers coming back year after year and has allowed Walter and his son to expand their feedyard to the current capacity of 20,000 head. The size of their operation allows them to give specialized attention to each customer and their cattle's individual needs, and at the same time, allows them to be a strong competitor in the beef market.

On March 11, 2002, Walter Lasley Senior passed on. Though he is no longer with us in body, his spirit, his perseverance, and his vision live on. We will continue to strive to live up to his ideals, in honor of the legacy he left behind.