For the Ben and Laurie Duke family, the National Western Stock Show represents the past, present, and the future. Ben’s grandfather, H. Ben Duke Sr., headed the Producers Livestock Marketing Association for many decades, operating out of the historic Livestock Exchange Building and the surrounding stockyards. Many of his clients showed at the Stock Show, and Ben Sr.’s work took him throughout the Rocky Mountain West. Ben III spent many days with his grandfather at both the stockyards and on the road, developing a lifelong interest in agriculture and livestock. Ben III is a Western Stock Show Association trustee, and he serves on the Nominating Committee, the Junior Show Committee, and chairs one of the National Western’s most iconic institutions, the Catch-a-Calf program. Ben III has spent his adult life promoting and serving Colorado youth through 4-H, FFA, and the United States Pony Clubs.

Ben, Laurie, and their family own and manage a small Red Angus operation in Elbert County, and they all are enthusiasts for production agriculture and the National Western Stock Show’s role in sustaining this vital part of Colorado’s and the West’s culture and economy.

We are so thankful for the Duke Family’s long-time support.