Courtesy photo Hendricks Cattle Company won this year’s Hoyt Hendricks Memorial Ranch Rodeo at the Perkins County Fair. Members of the team were Darren Sellers, CJ Pankonin, Taylor Hendricks and Levi Tyan. Pictured are (l-r): Pankonin, Tyan, Shawnda (Hendricks) Ducker, Bev Hendricks, Cecil Hendricks, Sellers, Tim Hendricks, and Taylor Hendricks holding son Tripp Hendricks with his daughter Emery Hendricks standing next to him. Hendricks Cattle Co. wins Ranch Rodeo Top Horse is awarded to Zane Powell, who won a custom breast collar
Courtesy photo Zane Powell (left) receives a breast collar made by Tim Hendricks (right) to honor his award-winning horse at the 2022 Hoyt Hendricks Memorial Ranch Rodeo at the Perkins County Fair.
Hendricks Cattle Co. wins Ranch Rodeo
The 2022 Ranch Rodeo at the Perkins County Fair was held in honor of the Hoyt Hendricks Family. So, it was only fitting that the Hendricks Cattle Company was the winner of the of the event. Winning top horse for the event was Zane Powell, who received a breast collar made by Tim Hendricks in honor of his award-winning horse.
The story of the Hoyt Hendrick’s family, which was printed on the front of the programs for this year’s Ranch Rodeo, follows below.
Hoyt Hendricks Family Legacy
Floyd and Elsie Hendricks moved to the ranch southwest of Grant in the late 1920’s where they raised Angus cattle and horses. To this union 4 children were born. Three girls and Hoyt, who was the youngest. He was born July 1, 1930.
In 1950, Hoyt married Turzah Knotwell. Cecil and Tim soon joined the family. Hoyt was a father, brother, and mentor to a lot of people. Their home was always full of friends, neighbors, cousins, and lost boys. Hoyt was an inventor, innovator, cattleman, feedlot owner, and pilot.
Hoyt drilled the first irrigation well in 1964 to raise feed for the cattle. The first well watered with a Vermeer sprinkler. This sprinkler watered three acres at a time. This sprinkler was moved twice a day at 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Alfalfa hay was grown under this sprinkler.
Hoyt and Floyd prided themselves with making 80 to 90-pound tight bales for the neighbor boys to pick up, haul, and stack. There were three cuttings a year. The young men who handled bales did not need to lift weights for football and Hoyt said he helped them be state champs in all sports.
The next well was drilled in 1966 and was a water drive Valley pivot which had trouble on hilly ground. Hoyt thought there had to be a better way. That is when in 1968 Hoyt and local farmers and electricians started making an electric drive rubber-tired pivot that would water and go over hilly land.
The first 10 pivots were built at the ranch in a 40 x 80 Quonset and with the ranch brand being a walking seven. The pivots were called Walking Sevens. The manufacturing was moved to Grant to a larger building where 14 more pivots were built and sold in several states.
In 1971, the business was sold to Valmont Industries, which held the Patents on some other pivots. Over the years, improvements were made to them and they are now sold world-wide.
At the time of his early, unexpected death in 1973, at the age of 43, Hoyt and his family had 13 wells and pivots, and a feedlot full of cattle.
Hoyt and Turzah’s children, Cecil and Tim, were present at the rodeo along with their children and grandchildren.
Their grandchildren are the 5th generation to have attended the Perkins County Fair this year.