Country Lifestyles
Generations of Loyalty— Kerr Feed & Grain, Wade Bryant
By Jessica Crabtree
The rural town of Henrietta is the county seat of Clay County. Boasting a population of more than 3,000 people, the majority of its residents are made up of farmers and ranchers or decedents thereof. With the foundation based around pioneers settling the territory, famers growing crops and ranchers raising cattle, the rural town has gained recognition for its agricultural prominence and for the town’s feed mill known as Kerr Feed & Grain.
A multi-generation operation, Kerr Feed & Grain was the brain child of Louis Wilton Kerr, Sr., a Clay County native hailing from Joy, Texas. As a young man his interests were in agriculture, which shifted specifically to feed. In 1930 Kerr purchased the Cash Feed Store on Main Street in downtown Henrietta where he sold coal, wood, feed, and farm supplies to locals. That location was moved in 1934 to Bridge Street when Kerr started selling groceries. Two years later in 1936 Kerr purchased 30 acres to the east known as the Worsham on East Omega, offering Ful-O-Pep feed and farming supplies to the public as well as livestock hauling. There, Kerr Feed & Grain found its permanent home.
In 1948 Kerr’s son Louis Wilton Kerr, Jr., returned home from the U.S. Navy, and a partnership between the father and son was formed, renaming Cash Feed Store to Kerr Feed and Grain. With the addition of his son, the father-son duo worked great lengths, 10 and 12-hour days, to build grain elevators for storage to accommodate local wheat farmers.
The 1950s saw the Kerr family manufacturing a complete line of livestock and poultry feed under a private name and label. That addition increased service and advanced Kerr Feed and Grain’s customer base to a radius within 100 miles of Henrietta, especially during the 60s and 70s for local dairies.
The patriarch, Louis Wilton Kerr, Sr., passed away in 1968, leaving his son Wilton to manage Kerr Feed and Grain. During that time, Kerr Feed and Grain developed and grew into a full-line feed manufacturer and retailer with multiple employees and a small dealer network. Once Louis Wilton Kerr, Jr., passed away in 1999, his son-in-law’s Bill Bryant and Jeff Fitts, stepped into the managing role, although they had been working with their father-in-law many years, milling, marketing and developing relations with customers.
To read more pick up a copy of the June 2018 NTFR issue. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
From left to right, Trish Bryant, daughter Kaitlyn age 10, son Scott age nine and Bryant. (Photos courtesy of Trish Bryant)
Aerial shot of Kerr Feed & Grain. (Photo courtesy of Trish Bryant)
Pictured is Louis Kerr, Bryant’s greatgrandfather and Wilton Kerr, Bryant’s grandfather.
By: Martha Crump
Most cattle producers can tell you quite a lot about balancing cattle diets for energy, protein, vitamins, and minerals based on the specific needs for their herd and type of operation.
A key factor, and one that is often overlooked, is that how your animals perform is also directly affected by their water intake.
Now many of you may already be thinking “well of course water is necessary, anybody knows that!”
In many years, as September marches into October, we are beginning to experience some return of rainfall. But as many of us know, that is not always the case. Often we are still experiencing hot and dry weather, and water supplies are dwindling.
When we find ourselves experiencing those types of fall conditions, it is critical to not only understand the daily water requirements for cattle, but also the impact that the quality of water can have on herd health and development.
To read more, pick up a copy of the October edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By: Annette Bridges
A friend and I were recently talking about our husbands. She made a comment that I felt also perfectly described me and my hubby.
“He slows me and I hurry him. I’m sure that is why we do well together,” she said.
“Precisely!” I thought. Why?
Because when two different worlds collide, it can be magical.
No matter what those two different worlds are- a man and a woman with very different personalities, beliefs, or backgrounds, two partners with contrasting passions, strengths, or talents, or when a country boy marries a city girl.
To read more, pick up a copy of the October edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
Watauga, Texas, a suburb of Fort Worth, is known for its rich history as a railroad stop, but over the course of the last year, one teen girl has put it on the map for agriculture as well. Emma Harvey has lived in Tarrant County her entire life. Despite being highly involved in her local 4-H chapter, she still felt there was more she could do. In the spring of 2023, she stepped up to the plate to take over the title of Tarrant County Teen Miss Agriculture USA.
“It all started when I put in an application for the teen title here in Tarrant County,” explained Harvey.
The Miss Agriculture USA program is a national non-profit, age-inclusive pageant program that offers both competition and non-competition titles to women dedicated to the promotion of agriculture.
Read more in the October issue of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available online and in print. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive NTFR in your inbox each week.
Photo by Hannah Claxton.
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