How Dusty & Cody Byars Found Their Calling by Chance
Story and Photos by Jordan Albus
What are the odds that a father and son would both end up having the same career and falling into that career exactly the same way? For Dusty and Cody Byars, this is reality. Their shared path was not determined by choice or intention; it was a matter of chance.
Dusty and Cody are from a multi-generational farming family, so they are no strangers to hard work, long days, and difficult crop years, but neither of them expected to see themselves using the lessons they learned on the farm, in the gin.
Dusty
Dusty Byars sits behind his desk in a wood-paneled office, walls lined with photos of his family. As the gin manager at the Lakeview Co-op Gin, he spends his busy days providing support to the local farmers and his employees, and ensuring the gin continues to run smoothly. Dusty was born and raised in Lakeview, Texas, and still lives there today with his wife, Susan Byars. The couple has two children, Cody and Braden Byars.
Dusty grew up with a father who was an accomplished cotton farmer, rancher, and horseman. He said his dad taught him about the importance of hard work and instilled it into their everyday lives, which has dramatically impacted how Dusty operates as a gin manager today.
“We had a good time, but we worked hard,” Dusty said. “Work came first, and then play later.”
Matt Monroe, PCCA’s Member Communications Area Manager for Oklahoma, can attest to the work ethic that Dusty’s father taught him. Monroe calls on the Lakeview Co-op Gin and says he has been coming to visit Dusty for about 15 years.
“There are many times I can go out there and find him in the gin, and he’s underneath something, tearing apart, fixing it, whatever,” Monroe said. “I mean, he’s very hands-on and can do anything out there.”
Dusty never imagined working in a gin. For most of his life, he followed family tradition and farmed cotton in the Lakeview, Texas, area. In a twist of fate, he went from a life with little knowledge of running a gin to running a successful one for nearly 30 years.
Dusty started working at the Lakeview Co-op Gin in 1995, when he was asked to help with repairs over the summer. After the summer ended, he helped them start ginning when the season came along. Soon after the gin was up and running and the job was complete, he was free to return to his farming operation, but henever did.
“The president of the board at the time told me I wasn’t leaving,” Dusty said with a laugh, “So, I’ve been here ever since.”
Despite having no experience managing a gin, Dusty jumped in with both feet and has no regrets. He has taken a gin that is close to 100 years old and maintained it efficiently and effectively.
Throughout his time at. the gin, he has helped rebuild, maintain, and stay up to date with new technological innovations to help the gin run more efficiently.
“It would have been a little easier if I had a little more knowledge of the gin when I first started,” Dusty said. “But I don’t know, I guess sometimes you may learn more from the school of hard knocks.”
Dusty is involved in a few organizations outside of managing the gin. He is on the Texas Cotton Ginners Board and is a ginner delegate for the National Cotton Council.
“I think these organizations are good for us,” Dusty said. “Without them, I don’t know who would be fighting for us. Somebody has to do it.”
Dusty appreciates being part of and supported by those organizations, and he also values partnerships. While managing the Lakeview Co-op Gin, Dusty said that he has enjoyed working with PCCA. He also said that it is one of the rewarding parts of working in the ginning industry.
“I think PCCA has been great for us. They’re helpful for having computer trouble, marketing trouble, you know, it’s just a phone call away, and somebody’s there to help,” Dusty said. “It’s rewarding when you go to meetings and can have people like y’all [PCCA] there,” Dusty said.
Cody
Standing outside the gin where his father works, Cody Byars reminisces about his childhood memories in the town where he was raised. Cody is the gin manager at Hereford Farmer’s Co-op Gin in Hereford, Texas. He was raised in Lakeview, just like the generations of his family before him. After high school, Cody moved to Lubbock, Texas, to attend Texas Tech University and pursue a degree in animal science. After graduating, Cody also attended graduate school at Tech. Cody lived in Lubbock for ten years before moving to Vega, Texas, where he still lives with his wife, Katelan, and their two children, Berkley and Cooper.
Growing up, Cody was raised with the same values that his father learned in his childhood. Cody became accustomed to a lifestyle where he spent most of his time with his family, applying the work ethic he was taught on the farm. He said that because his mom worked out of town, he spent most of his time on the farm with his granddad.
“Prior to dad working at the gin, I went to the farm with him every day,” Cody said. “Whenever he got this job, I was with my granddad every single morning.”
Years went by, and his career plans changed a few times. In November 2021, after Hereford Grain Corp purchased the gin and the two merged, Cody foundhim self in the same position his dad had been in years before.
“I guess I was in the wrong place at the right time,” Cody said with a chuckle. “They asked me if I would like to come be a ginner, superintend, and help with some repairs. Basically, they wanted to know how to make the gin run better.”
Now, Cody proudly manages the gin, keeping a strong focus on the quality of the bales it produces. Cody said it is essential to everyone at the gin that the cleaning process is done thoroughly.
“Whenever I started working here, it was emphasized to us, it’s quality over quantity,” Cody said. “That’s where our focus is: slow down, do a good job.”
A Family Legacy
Although the two gins that this father and son manage are in different towns, Dusty and Cody agree that it is nice to be able to speak to each other often. Dusty said the two regularly talk to discuss the workings and maintenance of the gins, providing comfort, support, and advice to one another.
“We talk pretty much every day on how he’s getting along, and how I’m getting along,” Dusty said. “We’re pretty close in touch.”
These things have not changed during Dusty and Cody’s lifetime. For decades, the Byars family has had familial ties in the ginning industry and a close-knit family structure. In fact, Dusty’s uncle ran the Lakeview Co-op Gin before he did.
“My uncle ran this gin before me,” Dusty said. “My dad was kind of involved; he would help him out here and there.”
Although their years of experience differ, Dusty and Cody each have their own strengths in managing a gin. They utilize their expertise to share advice with one another.
“Cody probably takes things more in depth as far as the business side of things goes,” Dusty said. “So, I question him over business, and he questions me over the mechanical stuff.”
Sharing a last name, sharing the same values, and sharing a career path– Dusty and Cody Byars are more than just gin managers; they are a father and son who have woven a strong tie to each other, the ginning industry, and their communities. As he gazes upon the gin where his dad got his start in this industry, Cody reflects fondly on the lessons he learned as a child. Cody wants his kids to understand the value of hard work and the importance of taking a risk occasionally, because you never know what good could come from just taking a chance.
“Maybe they’ll learn that hard work won’t hurt them, and to take a challenge every once in a while,” Cody said. “This is a really good industry full of really good people.”
With their eyes bright, full of love and pride, and excited for their future, Cody and Dusty hope their kids and grandkids find a way to stay involved in the agricultural industry somehow, no matter if they continue a Byars legacy in the gin or not.