The Humble Hall-of-Fame'r

Humble must be in the cowboy code because longtime cattleman, Bob Rodenberger, is the embodiment of such a descriptor.

Though he will never boast or brag, the Oklahoma National Stockyards is pleased to announce our own, Rodenberger, has been inducted into the Cattle Marketing Hall of Fame. The third inductee from the stockyards, he was inducted July 29 in Pratt, KS.

According to the Hall of Fame, “The Cattle Marketing Hall of Fame recognizes individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to competitive marketing and true price discovery.”

Rodenberger was born January 20, 1958 to Robert Sr. and Tommie Lou Rodenberger in Paris, Texas. He was raised on a small farm in Antlers, Oklahoma and graduated from Antlers High School in 1976. Bob attended Oklahoma State University and obtained a Bachelors Degree in Agriculture Economics in 1982.

Bob began working for Cooper Livestock at the Oklahoma National Stockyards in 1983, which was the first step in a lasting career in the cattle industry. Not only did Bob begin a cow-calf operation, he also started grazing his own stocker cattle and placing cattle in feed yards. He then became a partner in Cooper the following year and worked with them until 1988, at which time he began buying and selling cattle for Sparks Cattle Company. In 1989, Bob purchased Ralph O. Wright Commission Company at the Oklahoma National Stockyards where he continued to buy and sell cattle.

In 1991, Bob was presented an opportunity by Tom Gilliam and Bill Griffeth to lease Stockman Oklahoma Commission Company at the Oklahoma National Stockyards and Apache Auction Market in Apache, Oklahoma. While managing and growing both of these organizations, Bob cultivated long lasting relationships not only with his shipping customers, but his order buying customers as well. Major feed yards such as Cactus, Caprock, Friona and JBS have been the recipients of thousands of cattle over the years purchased by Bob. His longtime friendship with Robert Nichols of Nichols Cattle Company also allowed him to assist customers and buyers in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, Kansas, North and South Dakota, Wyoming and Nebraska.

As the industry began to change and additional options were introduced to market cattle, Bob realized a need for his customers to reach a larger buying audience and thus formed Apache Video in 2004. This video auction was held in addition to the traditional weekly market at Apache. Utilizing his extensive contacts, Bob was able to assist customers and put additional dollars in their pockets while moving quality cattle to a wider audience. Two years later, he and his partners formed Apache Order Buying to assist in streamlining the buying operations between Oklahoma City, Apache, and other states, making them a one-stop shop in handling your cattle marketing needs.

Bob has previously served as the Southwest Director for Oklahoma Livestock Marketing Association, and he is proud to have raised his kids and provided for his family in the cattle industry.