Best of the Barns Herdsman of the Year | Matt Scasta

Being named Herdsman of the Year for any respected breed is a great accomplishment to any breeder, so when choosing Best of the Barns categories it was only logical that a Herdsman of the Year award was necessary. There are a lot of great herdsman in our livestock industry, but the man that surfaced to the top for our livestock family was Matt Scasta, herdsman at Buck Cattle Company. Originally from Bryan, Texas, Scasta Has been working for Jirl Buck in Madill, Oklahoma for the last 21 years as the Show and Sale Cattle Manager. Prior to working at Buck’s, he worked for Perry Adams for two years. He primarily focuses his priorities on tending to the show and sale cattle, but goes to help the cow crew when needed.

Matt Scasta got his start in Southern Texas showing Brangus Cattle. He and his brother were taken under the wing by Billy Rash. Scasta believes that if it were not for Billy Rash, he might now be where he is today. He was able to win several Brangus Junior Nationals as a kid, and that really jumped started his desire to have a career in the cattle business.

The best herdsmen are not only great with cattle, but are also great with the family. Matt does just that with the Buck Family. Bailey Buck stated, “ Matt has been a member of our family ever since I can remember. He’s less of a herdsman and more of a brother to me. My show career would have been completely different had he not been around. He’s a huge component to the success of my family’s operation and Buck Cattle Co wouldn’t be half of what it is without Matt.” One of Matt’s favorite memories includes Bailey. He stated that winning the Junior National Hereford Expo Bailey’s last year showing is his most memorable win to date.

Scasta believes that winning the Best of the Barns Herdsman of the Year is one of his biggest accomplishments. “In our business that’s pretty prestigious and there is a lot of great, qualified people that could have won it too,” says Scasta.

To get to where he is today in the livestock industry, as a well respected individual, his advice to people is to learn something new every single day. “Learn something new every day. If you dont learn something new, or be open to learning something new, there is no need in trying to better yourself. Learning new things all the time is the best way to get better at all things and aspects in life” Matt states.

One of Matt’s favorite things about getting to go to shows and working side by side with kids is getting it to be his job day in and day out. Matt says that our business is the youth of America and without our youth, we do not have a job. Buck’s travel all over the United States and take 15-20 head of cattle to Junior Nationals. He believes that if the kids are not doing good, then he is not doing well either.

The Junior National season is what Scasta looks forward to the most. Buck Cattle Company focus their entire year towards junior nationals. Typically, junior national prep begins in April for Buck’s and that focus carries on throughout the summer until junior national week finally approaches.

When we asked Matt what if he had any daily hair care advice and he stated that he uses a lot of Sullivan’s Kleen Sheen, because it conditions the hide and keeps them cleaner.

Buck Cattle Company has made a huge impact on the show cattle industry, and Scasta is a huge component to their success and would not be where they are today without him. He truly is a great herdsman.

Best of the Barns is a nationwide awards program, held annually to recognize leading businesses and individuals in the livestock and agriculture industry. We are happy to introduce to you the winners of the 2017 Best of the Barns, the most prestigious awards in the livestock industry, chosen by the people of the livestock industry. Winners in each category were voted on by the people of the livestock industry from January 3rd – 16th and are considered the best of the best in their respective field. After a record number of votes we would like to congratulate all of the winners and encourage everyone to participate in 2018. Send us an email to [email protected] with all of your suggestions for improvement and category suggestions for 2018. Congratulations again, Matt!

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