Kaden Hicks

B.S. Agricultural & Applied Economics, Spring 2018

Hometown: Hereford, TX

Kaden grew up on a farm north of Hereford, TX, where he developed a passion for agriculture from a young age. After attending Texas Tech, he began his career with AgTexas where he served as a loan officer and gained valuable insights into the business side of the agricultural industry. In 2021, Kaden became the CFO of May or May Not Livestock, a cattle backgrounding operation, and now lives in Lubbock with his wife and their son, where they run a cattle feeding operation and a salon.

Q&A with Kaden

What inspired you to choose the Texas Tech University Agricultural and Applied Economics Department for your degree?

When I first came to Texas Tech, I planned to major in Plant and Soil Science. After my first semester, I quickly realized that chemistry and biology were not where my strengths and interests aligned. I switched my major to Agricultural and Applied Economics and immediately felt like I had found where I belonged. During my first summer in college, I completed an internship at a bank in my hometown and saw firsthand how an AAEC degree applied directly to real-world situations and offered tremendous career flexibility. Beyond the academics, the people in the department made a lasting impact on me. Many of the faculty and students came from farming and rural communities similar to the one I grew up in, which made the department feel like home. The combination of practical applications, career opportunities, and a strong sense of community confirmed that AAEC was the right place for me.

Was there a defining moment during your time in our department?

Honestly, I came to college with one goal: finish as fast as I could and get into the real world. Looking back, graduating was probably the defining moment for me. At the time I saw it as finishing school, but now I realize it was really the start of a lot of opportunities. It gave me credibility, introduced me to a network of people in the ag industry, and I still use things I learned in the department every day.

What challenges did you face early in your career?

One of the biggest challenges early on was just being new and lacking real-world experience. I felt like my education had prepared me, but there’s a difference between understanding concepts and gaining confidence through experience. One thing I had to learn was to walk before I ran. I’m not naturally a very patient person, and I wanted to be operating at a high level right away, but it just takes time. Growth takes patience, every job has a learning curve and confidence comes with experience.

Which skills that you developed in our department have been most valuable in your professional journey?

One of the biggest things I gained from college was learning the discipline and work ethic that comes with committing to a goal and following through on it. Earning a degree isn’t just about gaining knowledge—it also shows employers that you can start something, stay committed, and see it through to completion. Beyond that, I use many of the specific skills I developed in the department in my everyday work. In my primary role, I manage the finances of a mid-size cattle feeding operation, where I apply business principles and financial concepts on a daily basis. I’m also a licensed commodity broker, where I regularly draw on economics concepts and fundamentals I first learned in intro to commodities. If I had to identify one practical skill that has helped me the most, it would probably be Excel. I use it all day, every day, and the proficiency I developed through Computers in Agriculture has probably had a greater impact on my professional life than any other single skill.

What impact does your work have, and who benefits from it?

Being in the cattle industry, the broad answer is that we help provide protein to feed the world. Specifically in my role, we try to provide an efficient, all-inclusive cattle feeding experience for our customers. On the brokerage side, we help clients manage risk and protect what they’ve spent their lives building. Agriculture is challenging and constantly changing, so a big part of our job is helping people manage uncertainty and control what we can. Ultimately, the people who benefit are the producers and families we serve, and by extension, the consumers who rely on the products our industry provides.

What advice would you offer to current students in the department?

First, I would encourage students not to make their goal simply passing the course. Go into your classes with the mindset of truly understanding the material beyond the next assignment or exam. Try to find real-world applications for what you are learning. Too often, I focused on memorization rather than genuine understanding, and looking back, I would encourage students to avoid that mindset.

Second, take a good look around you. The people sitting beside you in class will very likely become your peers throughout your career in the agricultural industry. Build relationships, get to know people, and invest in those connections. The network you build in college can be just as valuable as the education itself, and those relationships can benefit you professionally and personally for years to come.

What does being part of this department mean to you? What contributions do you hope to make, and what legacy would you like to leave?

Being part of this department means being part of a community of people with a lot of the same values and backgrounds I grew up around. More than a degree, it gave me relationships and a network that’s continued to help me professionally and personally. I’d like to help people the same way others helped me, and if I leave any kind of legacy I’d hope people would say I worked hard, treated people right, and made a positive impact.