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Hitch Enterprises is
owned and operated by the Hitch Family of Guymon,
Oklahoma, and has been for over 110 years. In 1884 James K. Hitch drove a
herd of longhorns from Kansas to the Panhandle region,
settling near what is now Guymon, Oklahoma. Ranchers
made their own rules in the Panhandle. A man could graze
his cattle half-way to the nearest water in any
direction and could operate as much land as he could
claim and defend.
ABOVE LEFT: James K. Hitch
LEFT: Henry C. Hitch
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For nearly 70 years, James K.
Hitch and his son Henry C. Hitch grazed cattle over the
same ranges. Then in 1953, James' grandson, H.C. 'Ladd'
Hitch Jr., opened one of the Southwest's first
large-scale cattle feeding operations; a 2,000 head
facility near the original homestead. The facility,
known as the Henry C. Hitch Feedlot, has grown to its
present capacity of 52,000 head.
LEFT: H.C. "Ladd" Hitch, Jr.
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Today, Paul Hitch oversees the
day-to-day operations of the three feedyards. Henry C.
Hitch Feedlot, the original yard, is located eight miles
southeast of Guymon and has a 52,000-head capacity.
Hitch Feeders I, located 17 miles northeast of Guymon,
has a capacity of 59,000 head and Hitch Feeder II, 28
miles southwest of Garden City, Kansas, has a capacity
of 48,000 head, and is one of the largest feedlots in
Kansas.
LEFT: Paul H. Hitch
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Hitch Enterprises has expanded into many
phases of the cattle and agriculture industries: Hitch Farms Inc., a
10,000-acre farming operation; Hitch Cattle Co. Inc., our cattle
buying operation; Hitch Commodities, hedging and risk management;
Hitch Ag Credit Corporation, feedyard cattle financing; our own
900-head commercial cow herd; and most recently our pig production
facility.
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The Hitch companies
and the Hitch family are still headquartered in Guymon,
Oklahoma, the heart of the most concentrated cattle
feeding area in the United States. Because of Guymon's
climate, accessibility of replacement feeder cattle,
proximity to massive supplies of feed grains and silage,
and the good people of Guymon, the Hitch companies and
the Hitch family have matured and thrived in this area
for more than 110 years. |
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