Will O'Brien rode his horse into the Texas Panhandle from Missouri in the 1890s. He hired on as a cowboy on the historic XIT Ranch.  Will soon struck out on his own and developed varied interests in farming, cattle ranching, and banking in all parts of the Panhandle. His son, John O'Brien, developed a reputation cattle breeding herd and established the practice of grazing the calves from this herd on the strong grass country of the Texas Panhandle. His son Bill introduced cattle feeding into the mix allowing integration between the vertical segments of beef production. Bill's sons, Blake and Alex, continue the tradition with cattle ranching, banking and the introduction of a branded beef product -- Littlefield Ranch.

The operations require a holistic approach to beef production. Each phase of development must be complementary and supportive of the overall objective -- sustainable high quality beef. Producing high quality beef demands superior feed ingredients and Texas Beef now raises many of those ingredients on farms in close proximity to the two feedyards. Those farms allow manure from the feedyards to provide natural fertilizer for the farm crops. Many of the crops like winter wheat provide forage for winter grazing of cattle.

Creating a production operation with a transparent face, offers and provides confidence to those interacting with Texas Beef. Suppliers and partners can see the data from operations in real time through the use of live databases and web cameras. Consumers can gain insights into how the beef is produced and the animal husbandry techniques applied to the herd.