Driving by the old Joplin yards one day, Moore says the idea came to him to buy the operation. That's how his inspirations usually come, he adds, by stewing on the multitude of informational bits he picks up in his non-stop contact with business associates, clients and contacts. In 1986, he partnered up with other family members to buy the old Joplin yards, which at the time marketed 90,000 head per year. The partners built the current JRS facility in Carthage in 1995, which is today the nation's largest cow-calf auction. Moore bought out the other family interests in 2017. Bailey, Skyler and Dustin Eldridge and their wives took ownership along with Jackie.

Today, the JRS operation is one big extended family. With sons Bailey and Skyler doing the auctioneering and order buying and Dustin Eldridge, brother-in-law, working on the financials. "I pretty much have always handled the customers," Moore says. "I'm just a cowman and people person, and I've known most of the people we do business with all my life."

"I'm the visionary, the idea man. I dream up the programs and it's the great partners and people I work with who figure out how to get them done," Moore says, "I spend zero time in the office, and don't carry a calculator or a computer. I rely on business cards, buyers' cards, a cell phone and my good memory."

About 40 full-time and 60 part-time employees, with an average time of service between 15 to 20 years, are employed at the Carthage facility. It features 10 acres under roof with pipe fences that can hold approximately 3,500 head, with feed and water pens. In addition, 51 outside traps with feed, water and shade have capacity for an additional 7,500 cattle. A total of 527,000 head of cattle in 2022, mostly 300-900# calves, for $549 million in volume, sell annually though JRS from a client base of 10,000 sellers. "He was young, hard-working," Joe Day longtime order buyer says with a chuckle as he recalls the frenetic energy Moore brought to the area with the 1986 purchase. "Jackie was out beating the bushes. He wasn't afraid to take chances, and he ran the wheels off his truck calling on people. The commission men in the old stockyards didn't know what hit them," Day adds.

"I don't know a single person involved in Missouri's cattle industry that reaches more people in a given year than Jackie Moore," said Mike John, past MCA and National Cattlemen's Beef Association president. "Thousands of cattle producers from Missouri and bordering states do business with him. He has had and continues to have a profound impact on the cattle industry throughout the state and the country."

Moore admits he sets a torrid pace. "My philosophy has always been to go faster than anyone else. My deal is if they're asleep, I'm awake and trying to get their customers," Moore says. He says his drive comes from growing up, on small farms in Stotts City, a little town not far from Carthage. "I know how important these cattle and the income from them is to these folks," Moore says.

John contends that Moore is one of the most producer-oriented market managers he's ever known. "He honestly believes his mission is to keep small producers in business and to help them adapt to change," said John. "He invests and takes time to adapt and provides his customers with opportunities.

"Our job is to work as hard as we can for our customers to make them aware of industry trends and opportunities," Moore says. "We're not out to tell them how to run their operation. We want our customers to make all they can but it's up to them to participate. In most cases JRS doesn't make any more money, and I tell them that," Moore adds. "Because of that, I think the producer regards us as a more honest source of information."

Jackie always said: "As the population grows everyday the cow herd shrinks, but it's the best time in your life to be in the Cattle Business."

Jim Santomaso
Sterling Livestock Commission Co
Jim Santomaso started working for Bud Van Berg at Sterling Livestock Commission Co. in 1971. He taught himself to auctioneer by listening to Bud Van Berg, Damon Koch and Wayne Kruse as well as many others. He was working full time at the auction and would come in at night for extra practice time behind the microphone in the auction ring.

Jim worked outside unloading trailers and sorting cattle and eventually worked his way up to lead auctioneer. Jim also worked the country visiting with customers and learning how to market their cattle in the best way possible.

In 1973 he married Becky Van Berg. In 1974 their daughter Jenny was born. In 1977 their son Jason was born. Both children grew up in the livestock market learning the family business from their dad.

Jim has served on numerous committees for the Livestock Marketing Association. Jim also served as the President of the Livestock Marketing Association form 2007-2008.

Jim served on the Colorado Beef Council for 2 terms and is presently serving on the Colorado Cattlemen's Association Board.

Jim was the livestock manager for the Logan County Fair board from 2011-2016.

Jim is tirelessly looking at market trends and new ideas to continue improving his auctions' ability to market cattle at the highest level.

Jim has recently been named the Elk's Distinguished Citizen of the Year for his outstanding service to everyone in his community. If someone needs help, he is the first one to step up and lend a helping hand.

Jim continues to help many auction owners with questions they have about the livestock marketing business.

Robert "Bob" Rodenberger
Oklahoma City, OK
Robert "Bob" Rodenberger was born January 20th, 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 stockers 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 at the Oklahoma National Stockyards where he continued to buy and sell cattle.

In 1991, Bob was presented the opportunity by Tom Gilliam and Bill Griffeth to lease Stockman Oklahoma Commission Company at the Oklahoma 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, Wyoming, Nebraska, North and South Dakota.

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 in 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 cattle marketing needs.

In 2015, Bob was sought out to facilitate a cattle auction partnership in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, located in the United States but on the border of Mexico. Bob's expertise in running a successful auction facility, along with providing excellent service to customers, would prove valuable to the success of the market and provide a way for cattle producers to obtain true value for their cattle. The auction, which officially opened in January 2017, only sold cattle from Mexico and provided a more competitive market versus selling cattle to 'border brokers' at a pre-arranged price. Located 25 yards from the import/export USDA inspection station, the auction facilities were owned by the Chihuahua Cattleman's Association and drew buyers from Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, California and Nebraska. Even though Bob ended his partnership with Santa Teresa in the spring of 2020, his vision and industry contacts helped provide a breakthrough in the cattle import market.

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

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John E. "Cowboy Jack" Steinmitz
Dodge City, KS
John E. "Cowboy Jack" Steinmitz was born in Hertha, KS to John E. and Anna Elizabeth (Torreyson) Steinmitz on October 21, 1920. At the age of 12 he began his career in the cattle industry. Jack started as a check-in boy after school at the Parsons auction market where he continued until 1945 when he moved to Kansas City. Jack began traveling the state with Walter Jarbo. Walter bought cows and bulls for a meat packing plant and some light cattle for himself or on order. Jack was attracted to Walter because he did "big business," Walter handled lots of cattle and that meant lots of money. Jack began buying killing cows and bulls for Walter and trading an occasional load of calves for himself.

Jack was convinced early in life that the auction market was the best way to sell cattle. Large numbers of cattle sorted into uniform bunches, and offered to many different buyers which would ensure the highest possible prices. Two of the auction markets he found most intriguing were those of Amarillo, Texas and Dodge City, Kansas. He chose Dodge City because that was as far as his ride would take him. Jack bought his first car after starting to work at McKinley-Winter. A $100 bill and a personal check for $1,400 put Jack behind the wheel of a 1947 two door Chevy Deluxe. Not a Lincoln he later became accustom to, but, that Chevy allowed him to see lots of cattle that first year.

While on a return trip from La Junta, Colorado, Ted McKinley and Jack Steinmitz strike a deal that will have a major influence on the livestock industry in the midwest for the next 40 plus years. For the sum of $100 per week, Jack was hired as sales manager for McKinley-Winter Livestock Commission Co., Dodge City, Kansas. By today's standards, $5,200 a year may not sound very appealing, but in 1947 things were different. You could by a three-bedroom home for under $7,000, a new Ford for $1,000, gas for that car at $0.23 a gallon and the average income was $3,031 a year. Since that day in 1947, Jack, soon known as "Cowboy Jack" oversaw the marketing of 11 1/2 million cattle which represents over $2.5 billion in gross sales. Not bad for a young man that started as a dock boy in a small southeast Kansas auction in 1932.

Throughout Cowboy Jack's tenure Winter Livestock grew to be the largest independent cattle auction in America. By his example of hard work and dedication to true market discovery he led his team from selling an average of 175,000 cattle per year (1946-1955) to over 342,000 per year (1976-1985) and in 1986 sold 374,321 head of cattle. That takes teamwork, men and women working together following Jack's lead, putting the customer first and working hard to see that the customer and his cattle are taken care of.

However, most people knew Jack from his popular KGNO-AM daily 7:30 morning radio show, "Cowboy Jack's Market News and Views." Even after he retired, he wrote "Cowboy Jack Sez" for the regional High Plains Journal agricultural newspaper. When Jack's report came on the radio, the morning bustle across the listening area stopped and everyone paused to hear what Cowboy Jack had to say. He was an integral part of morning routines for decades.

Jack was a member of the Kansas Livestock Association and, in the 1950's, was a strong advocate in the effort to have the National Cowboy Hall of Fame located in Dodge City. Cowboy Jack was truly an ambassador for Dodge City and the cattle industry. He served as a member of the "Marshal's Posse" which rode in President John F. Kennedy's inaugural parade in 1961. In the early 1970's Jack was named Honorary Marshal of Dodge City. Jack was known for his kindness and contributions to the community. Neighborhood kids knew him as Santa Claus and he bought coats and shoes for children in need.

In 1943, he married Virginia Marie Graham of Parsons, Kansas. They had two children, John Steinmitz, Los Angeles and Lana Ross, Dodge City. He was also the proud grandfather of two, Tyler Ross and Sara Ross Kimbrel.

John E. "Cowboy Jack" Steinmitz died on June 6, 1999 in Dodge City, Kansas.