November 2020 • Nebraskaland 37
said to have the nation's largest cattle feeding operation.
Historian Jim Potter researched Hord's business records
and uncovered not only the operation's large scale, but also its
innovativeness. Potter writes that Hord used "practices that
seem modern even today. Each feedlot encompassed from 10
to 15 acres and had its own windmill to water the livestock.
The cattle were fed a specifi c ration, largely shelled corn, in
an amount that they 'will eat up clean, leaving nothing to
be used for the next meal that has been slobbered over and
made unpalatable.'
"Hord also took advantage of available technology. Each
separate feeding facility was connected by telephone to the
main offi ce at Central City so Hord could keep in touch with
his foremen. His key employees participated in a company
profi t-sharing plan in addition to receiving a salary. Purchase
of grain used in the operation, only part of which was grown
on Hord land, injected an average of $300,000 per year into
the regional economy. In 1905, Hord reported shipping a
thousand carloads of cattle to market by rail, most going to
Chicago."
At a time when factory production was growing rapidly,
Hord applied an industrial mindset to the livestock business.
He has had many imitators. When he died in 1910, he was
hailed as Nebraska's most successful livestock entrepreneur.
Search "Thomas Hord" at history.nebraska.gov to fi nd Jim
Potter's complete article and more photos.
N
Visit History Nebraska's website at history.nebraska.gov.
The Thomas Hord feedlot near Neligh, Antelope County. History Nebraska RG4232-2-20
the Modern Livestock Industry
Mike Shonsey at Central City, probably soon after the
Johnson County War. History Nebraska RG4232-5-11
