The 101st celebration of Greenwood County Cattlemen’s Day will be held next Friday and Saturday, Nov. 6 and 7. The annual tradition kicks-off on Friday with a Glow Fun walk/run and will continue on Saturday with a pancake feed, hot rods, silent auction, King of the Prairie contest, historical exhibits, cowboy trade fair, kids activities, a cattlemen’s steak cook-off, food vendors, the annual parade and the cattlemen’s banquet.
This year, the organization has selected Jeff and Cheryl Sowder as this year’s Grand Marshals for the annual parade. The Sowders grew up in the Toronto and Eureka communities and graduated from Eureka High School in 1972. They were married in 1974 and will celebrate their 52nd wedding anniversary on Nov. 24. After getting married, they lived at ranch headquarters located 7 miles northwest of Toronto until moving to Eureka in 2020.
Black Gold Cattle Co was established in 1980 and consists of a commercial cow/calf operation with Angus and Simmental genetics. Son-in-law Jamie Nelson, daughter Stephanie, and grandchildren Corinne, Sutton, and Reid manage the ranch day to day. The ranch was awarded the 2017 Grassland Award for grassland stewardship.
Jeff and Cheryl purchased Sowder Seed Co in Toronto from his parents in 1989 and immediately changed the focus of Sowder Seed Co from a small town grain elevator/feed store that served local clientele to one that served the farmers and ranchers locally and throughout the Flint Hills of Kansas with their cattle feed and mineral needs.
(Courtesy photo) Today Sowder Seed Co includes “feed partners” in Madison, Burns and Strong City.
In 1984, they started Min Mix Products with a line of quality cattle minerals that are sold throughout the Flint Hills and in surrounding states. They purchased CW Feed Products in 1999, expanded its wholesale business to multiple states and, after moving to a different location, increased its retail trade base making CW Feed one of the leading retail dog and horse feed companies in the Wichita area.
Cheryl worked for Emprise Bank for 20 years before changing careers. She became a Farm Bureau Insurance agent in 1997 and served her many clients as their Farm Bureau agent for 24 years before retiring in 2020.
Both Jeff and Cheryl have been involved in national leadership roles with Shriners Hospitals for Children for many years. Locally, Cheryl has served and held many offices in the Greenwood Co Cattlewomen, PEO, Entre Nous, Garden Club, and the Greenwood County Extension board. Jeff served as President of the Greenwood County Cattlemen’s Association in 1993 and served as Secretary for ten years. He belongs to NCBA and the Kansas Livestock Association.
Additional details regarding this year’s annual event can be found on page 5, as well as in next week’s edition.
