The Brand
Meet the people behind The Brand
- know the brand -
Robert
Robert's Grandfather and father ran cattle out of Hempstead, Tx when he first fell in the love with the idea. He would spend every summer there with August (his grandfather) and even had his first cow at age 12, from there his love continued to grow. By the time he was in high school he had amassed 40 head of cattle. As high school came to a close and graduation loomed Robert knew one of the first steps to becoming a cattleman was to own his own ranch, so he bought a piece of property and began growing his herd. He moved out to Hempstead with his wife Susan in 1983 but was still working in Houston at a grinding business. After moving to Hempstead Robert and Susan decided it was time to fully commit to the cattle feeding gig. It is here that they began buying out others cattle to grow their own operation. Robert and Susan have 3 kids; Garrett, Clayton, and Morgan and continue the ranch style life in Groesbeck, Tx.
Garrett Heise is the oldest son of Robert and Susan. He grew up around cattle as his family has been ranching for generations. I guess you could say cattle feeding runs in the blood. After high school Garrett left home to attend Texas A&M University in College Station, TX where he majored in agriculture business, hoping to take the skills he learned back to the family business and start his own ranch. After graduating in 2011 he left College Station to start up his own cattle operation in Kosse, Tx. Today he owns and operates a successful backgrounding operation where he takes care of thousands of yearlings every year, helping them grow, keeping them healthy, and getting them ready to go to the feedyard. He loves what he does everyday and couldn't imagine doing anything else.
Garrett
Clayton Heise is the middle son of Robert and Susan. Just like his brother Garrett, he also grew up in the same setting on the family ranch. Rather than ranching, Clayton took his passion for travel and saw it as an exciting opportunity to serve the agriculture community from behind the wheel of a big rig! As often as he fell asleep on road trips you would never think he would be a truck driver, but boy, did he prove everyone wrong. Clayton played baseball at Sul Ross State in Alpine, TX and majored in Business. After graduating in 2013 he moved to Thornton, Tx where he now hauls rock and cattle. He runs cattle with his brother Garrett but loves to drive through this pretty state of Texas delivering rock or cattle. Clayton now has three beautiful kids and is married to his wife, Monica.
Clayton
Morgan
Morgan (Heise) Parker is the youngest and only daughter of Robert and Susan. Just like her brothers, she grew up on the family ranch, but quickly realized that her dreams were going to take her down a different path. She didn't really seem to work with the boys on the ranch but took to sports instead. After graduating from high school Morgan moved to Dallas, TX where she played volleyball at SMU through her college career. While in college Morgan met her husband, Tate. After graduating from SMU the pair moved towards Harper, Tx where her husband's family raised pigs and sheep. It is here that the idea for Branded Meat Market was brought to life. Morgan hopes to create a new and exciting aspect to the family business, that can one day be passed down to her two children.
Barrett and Crofoot Feedyard was founded in 1975 in Hereford, TX by Ed Barrett and EC Crofoot. Barrett and Crofoot grew from a small yard to what is now the largest family owned feed yard in the nation. For over 40 years Barrett and Crofoot Feedyard has been committed to the same values of integrity and excellence that were put into place by Ed and E.C. when they first opened their doors. They strive to provide their customers with a quality feeding service that is unmatched by anyone in our industry. The feedyard is now run by Ed's three son's, Bob, Rodney, and Brad, as well as his son-in-law Ron, and his grandson James.