From Matagorda County Cattlemen’s Association
Matagorda County Cattlemen’s Association recently awarded Daniel Roy Tucker III its Cattleman of the Year.
In Matagorda County, ranching isn’t just a job — it’s a way of life.
It’s early mornings, muddy boots, river bottom pasture, and the kind of handshake that still means something. Our Cattleman of the Year is a man who has lived that life from the beginning.
Raised in Matagorda County, he started showing steers and heifers at the Matagorda County Fair as soon as he was old enough to enter the ring.
From local shows to competitions across Texas and the Southeast, he learned early what hard work, discipline, and pride in your livestock could accomplish.
At Palacios High School, he was a leader in 4-H and FFA, serving as an officer and earning one of agriculture’s highest honors — the FFA American Farmer Award.
After graduating in 1987 and attending Wharton County Junior College, he didn’t wait around for opportunity — he built it.
Before he even walked across the high school stage, he had already started his own cow-calf operation.
For more than 40 years, Rafter T Cattle Company has been a steady force in Matagorda County, at one time running up to 800 crossbred cattle across more than 5,000 acres of pasture — from rich river bottoms to peninsula saltgrass.
He has focused on raising high-quality F-1 crossbred cattle, continually improving his herd with strong genetics and registered Charolais bulls.
His calves are known for their quality and weight gain, often selling right out of the pasture — because when buyers know your cattle are good, they come to you.
He has worked alongside local veterinarians, Extension agents, and national cattle groups to stay on the cutting edge of genetics, nutrition, and herd health.
He has managed land and livestock for fellow ranchers, served for years as an officer in the Matagorda County Cattlemen’s Association, contributed to the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, and currently serves on the Matagorda County Appraisal Review Board.
His fingerprints are all over the Matagorda County Fair & Livestock Association — serving as Board President, Vice President, Commercial Heifer Chairman, Rodeo Chairman, and faithful volunteer.
Whether it was organizing the Pen of Three Commercial Heifer show and sale or donating equipment, time, and manpower to get the barns and pens ready, he has always shown up when it mattered.
And like any true cattleman, his greatest legacy may be the one he’s built at home.
His two children, Lentz Tucker and Lanae Tucker Wilson, grew up in the show ring and the pasture.
Today, both carry forward the ranching tradition — proof that when you raise your kids with faith, family, and cattle, the roots run deep.
In every sense of the word, this family embodies the spirit of ranching in Matagorda County.
It is my honor and privilege to ask you to join me in recognizing our 2025 Cattleman of the Year — a man who has spent a lifetime building cattle, building community, and building the next generation.
Keith Meyer, Vice President of the Matagorda County Cattlemen’s Association presented the award.
“Please help me congratulate Daniel Roy Tucker, III,” Meyer said after presenting Tucker.