2015 Maverick County Junior Livestock Show dedicated to Jim Peters

By: Ricardo E. Calderon, Copyright 2015, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc.

The 2015 Maverick County Junior Livestock Show and Sale was dedicated to Texas Cattle Feeders Association Chairman Jim Peters for his extraordinary leadership and contributions to the Texas Cattle industry and the youth of Maverick County, Texas, announced Tim Hardt, President of the Maverick County Junior Livestock Show Association.

Hardt presented Peters with a plaque of recognition immediately before the start of the Maverick County Junior Livestock Show Sale on Saturday, January 31, 2015, receiving a standing ovation by the audience.

Although he was born in the Alamo City-San Antonio, Texas, Peters grew up in the heart of Texas Cattle Country-Cotulla, La Salle County. While his parents were not in the cattle industry, young Peters was attracted to the cattle business since a young age, working for La Salle County Cattlemen. At the ripe young age of 12, Peters jumped into the cattle industry by saving enough money to purchase his first calf. He successfully raised and sold his first calf. leading to the purchase of three more calves and the rest is history.

Peters continued working and learning in the cattle industry through high school, graduating from Cotulla High School and attending Texas A & M University-College Station. He majored in Animal Science at Texas A & M University. Upon graduating from Texas A & M University, Peters took a job with the Beef Cattle Research Center developing artificial insemination and crossing five different breeds. His research knowledge at the Beef Cattle Research Center inspired and motivated him to found his own ranching and cattle business after four years.

Peters started with leasing ranch land and steers from Mexico. In 1984, he founded Runnells Peters Company and began buying and feeding up to 50,000 head of cattle a year.

Peters purchased the former Alta Verde feed yard in Quemado, Texas, and has successfully run the Runnells Peters Company from his home in Quemado. Since coming to Maverick County, Peters has been a strong supporter of the Maverick County Junior Livestock Show and the youth of Maverick County.

Peters leadership in the Texas Cattle industry is well-respected and recognized, leading to his selection in 2012 as the Chairman of the Texas Cattle Feeders Association.

He has two sons, Stan Peters and Jay Peters, and four grandchildren. Stan Peters runs the Runnells Peters Company stockyards in Laredo, Texas while Jay Peters is a broker in San Antonio, Texas, hedging on cattle and feed programs.

Peters’ dedication and commitment to the Texas Cattle industry led him to fulfill his childhood dream of becoming an industry leader and successful cattleman. He enjoys supporting the youth in Maverick County and Texas with their dreams and aspirations of becoming successful cattlemen in the future. He is a strong supporter and advocate for leadership and education in the Texas Cattle industry.

Peters exemplifies the Future Farmers of America (FFA) motto best: “Learning to Do, Doing to Learn, Earning to Live, Living to Serve.”