Dalhart, Texas

XIT Feeders, a 75,000-head feedyard completed in 1972, is located on Highway 54 a few miles southwest of Dalhart, Texas. Dalhart is located in the northwest corner of the Texas Panhandle, 85 miles from Amarillo, and has a population of less than 8,000.

XIT feeders is located on the land where a significant part of Texas Panhandle history began. In the late 1800s, the XIT Ranch was the world’s largest ranch under fence, with 3 million acres. A Chicago company was granted the land in exchange for building the state capitol. The ranch was 200 miles from north to south and 27 miles from east to west and included 3,000 miles of barbed wire fencing and more than 110,000 head of cattle. The XIT Ranch is now divided into many smaller parcels, though some still have 100,000 acres or more.

Every year since 1936, a three-day festival is held the first Thursday, Friday and Saturday in August. The Rodeo & Reunion hosts the world’s largest free barbecue, a great parade, nightly dances, a PRCA rodeo, amateur rodeo events, performances by well-known artists and much more. Five Rivers XIT Feeders is a major sponsor of the event and a proud member of the Dalhart community.

XIT Feeders was built by local investors and has carried the names of Continental Grain or ContiBeef and Five Rivers Ranch Cattle Feeding.