About Don
“I think you can judge the character of a person by how they treat people they don’t have to treat well. That tells you everything.”
Don Coover was born and raised in rural Southeast Kansas and is the second oldest of seven children. Don’s family ran a small dairy, alfalfa, and soybean farm. His dad was a union truck driver and farmer and his mother a school teacher.
His parents told him, “You don’t have to be the fastest, smartest, or best. As long as you are the hardest worker at whatever you decide, you’ll be ok.” Don’s parents taught him honesty, responsibility, respectfulness, and the value of hard work, and to always appreciate those traits in others.
While attending West Point, Don was one of the only cadets in his company from a rural community. Don participated on the intercollegiate pistol team as a freshman, and he was a competitive intramural boxer.
After graduating, Don entered active duty in the U.S. Army as a military intelligence officer, ultimately serving for more than 10 years. He started as an infantry officer with the First Infantry Division and then entered flight training and became a pilot for the Army.
Don served in Korea with an aviation intelligence unit as a pilot and cryptographic operations officer, where he was responsible for intelligence gathering, analysis, and reporting. After his tour in Korea, he was assigned to Special Projects in the TRADOC Combined Arms Test Activity at Fort Hood, Texas.
After serving as a Captain in the U.S. Army, he pursued a career in Veterinary Medicine and graduated from Kansas State University’s School of Veterinary Medicine. Don re-entered the Army providing veterinary services for US Army K-9 unit dogs and inspecting food production facilities for Department of Defense contractors.
“Food prices are food policy. If you care about grocery bills, you need to care about agriculture.”
Don went on to develop a feed manufacturing business, with his brother, in southeast Kansas. Don now runs a successful beef cattle genetics company, which provides advanced reproductive technologies for cattle, sheep, and goats, along with a working ranch operation of several hundred head of cattle and a veterinary practice for local and regional livestock producers.
Don and his wife Traci live on their ranch in Galesburg. He shares two stepdaughters and one cuter-than-hell granddaughter with Traci.