John “Jay” Joseph Hickert, a former Arickaree School Board member, Colorado Agriculture Hall of Fame inductee and one of the pioneers of the state’s cattle feeding industry died on Tuesday. He was 94.

Hickert and his wife, Leota, moved to Anton in 1950 to farm dryland wheat for an aunt and uncle from Kansas, where he was born on a family farm. 

From 1949 to 1979, Hickert and his wife raised two sons and four daughters and became a pioneer in the cattle feeding industry and an early adopter of center pivot irrigation and chemical fallow. 

The family’s operation grew throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Hickert was known to study the commodities market, crunch numbers and read about the latest developments within the world of farming and ranching.

While constantly learning about history and his industry, Hackert treasured the time spent with his family – whether it was boating, listening to music or traveling.

Throughout his life, Hickert was a member of many organizations, councils and advisory boards including the Knights of the Columbus, Akron Elks, Colorado Livestock Association, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Flying Farmers, the CSU Advisory Council for the Animal Science Department and was a founding member of the Colorado Wheat Growers Association. 

Hickert received numerous awards throughout his life including the Colorado State University Livestock Leader Award in 1998. He was inducted into the Colorado Agriculture Hall of Fame 20 years later.

Hickert was born on Dec. 3, 1926, on a family farm in New Almelo, Kan., about two hours east of the Colorado-Kansas border. He was the second eldest of 11 children. Because of that he began farming at an early age. 

Hickert is survived by his wife, Leota, his children Patricia, Roger, John Jr., Rose, Mary Brady, Michelle, two sisters and a brother and nearly 40 grandchildren and great grandchildren. 

A rosary will be held at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Akron on Monday with the funeral service the following day. 

The family has asked all memorial donations to be made in Hickert’s name to the Colorado FFA Foundation and Washington County Nursing Home.