Mike Smith

2025 Davis College Distinguished Alumni Award

Mike Smith of Amarillo, Texas received his bachelor’s degree in animal production from Texas Tech. Smith is the owner of The Smith Group, a commodities brokerage and cattle-feeding business based in Amarillo, Texas. With over 48 years of experience, he has built a sprawling operation consisting of approximately 385,000 acres of ranch and farmland across Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. His operations include cattle-feeding entities capable of managing up to 211,000 head of cattle, making him one of the largest cattle feeding company owners in the U.S. In addition to ranching, Smith co-founded Tejas Trading Co. (2000). In the past he has served on the Texas Cattle Feeders Association Board of Directors, Texas Livestock Marketing Association, and Where Food Comes From, Inc. In addition, he is an executive committee member of the National Finance Credit Corporation of Texas. Over the years, Smith has acquired several ranches, including the LS Ranch, Quien Sabe Ranch, Proctor Ranch, Houghton Ranch, and Swenson Flat Top Ranch.