By MONETTE TAYLOR | South Central Texas Edition

Leroy “Buddy” McBride was working at the cotton gin in 1953 when the decision was made to add a feed mill. In 1971, McBride purchased the Balzer Feed Mill and today, he and some famlly members operate the business. -- Staff photo by Taylor

March 2, 2006 -  “If I died, tomorrow, I wouldn’t want anyone to cry at my funeral, because I was happy while I was here,” said Leroy “Buddy” McBride of Balzer Feed Mills, Inc. in Schulenburg.

McBride is well known in the region as “the man” at the feed mills, which supplies farmers and ranchers with more than feed for their livestock. McBride can offer useful advice, and service, gained from his decades of work at the agribusiness.

In was in 1953 that Gus Balzer, the owner of a cotton gin at the location, decided to open a feed mill. McBride was a new employee, and on June 1, 1954, after using a “hand cement mixer” to create a 10-foot wall that measured 20 by 36 feet, the feed mill was ready for action.

During this time McBride said he was in charge of building dairy barns, managed the feed mill and was in charge of the construction. Oh, and the business also operated dairies, and rasied chickens and hogs! In those days, McBride said he was happy to make $1 an hour for being in charge of the Grade A Dairy, along with selling the Red Chain Feeds.

 In 1964, bulk feed tanks were added for storage. To create custom feed for their customers, vitamins and minerals could be added to the bulk feed, with the simple push of a button, according to the size of the animal, the breed, the market or marketing/breeding stock. 

Gary McBride fills one of the fertilizer truck's spray tanks. As producers are gearing up for spring, the activity at Balzer Feed Mills increases. -- Staff photo by Taylor

 By 1966, McBride noted that Balzer began selling liquid fertilizer and tractors.

In 1971, Balzer sold the operation to McBride and another of Balzer’s family members. 

Today, Balzer Feed Mills, Inc. is still a family business, with three of McBride’s children — Gary, Donnie and Debbie — work at the store. Plus, there are three grandsons who “help out” when needed.

Balzer offers producers more help than ever before, including custom work involving dry/liquid fertilizer. Their trucks deliver in about a 50-mile radius, said McBride.

During the 1970s, a 60-foot-long commercial scale was installed, and for a while, was the only public scale in Fayette County that was bonded and licensed, explained McBride.

Today, Balzer is known for the individually-mixed feed, as well as feed for cats, dogs, broilers, sheep, goats, horses, cattle and dairy cattle. It’s the place to find deer pellets or blocks and pigeon feed, too.

Laughing, McBride told the story of his two, twin sons, Donnie and Ronnie, who at the age of about 8, were responsible for raising 21 heifers! Today, McBride raises Charolais and crossbred cattle.

McBride and his wife of 58 years, George Anne, are parents of five children, have 12 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. He grew up in the Schulenburg area on a farm, and participated in agriculture activities and classes in school under Lloyd Henderson, who he gives credit with helping him learn about building and animal care.

“He was really my mentor,” noted McBride, who, in 1943, won the grand champion hog contest in Houston as a FFA member.

McBride explained that he has customers who come in to buy “two or three” bags of feed, and some who need 15,000 or 16,000 pounds of feed delivered in bulk. He noted that they have “eight or 10” ingredients to mix in the feed, with corn as the main ingredient. On an average month, they sell about 600,000 pounds of feed, Mc Bride said.

With spring just around the corner, the “good group of employees” McBride has at Balzer is gearing up with seeds for planting grasses and gardens, along with the fertilizer season which runs from March to around July 1, explained McBride.

It’s evident that McBride and his family found the correct “niche” for themselves, and their customers appreciate their readiness to meet individual needs. 

Long-time customers of Balzers, Diane and Lloyd Goedrich of Schulenburg, have grown up around the family, and shop the store for several items for their ranch. While they raise their own hay, there are times when they need feed, along with seeds for planting.

“Sometimes, when we need fertilizer, we have to wait for our turn for a truck, but that’s just ‘first come, first served,’” explained Diane. “We’ve never had a problem, and have always been well pleased with the service.”