Livestock was introduced to East Texas by Spaniards in 1690. The cattle industry experienced rapid growth with the arrival of the railroad in 1878. Markets were established at Ft. Worth, Shreveport, and New Orleans. Kraft Cheese Co. located in Winnsboro in 1930, and opened a large operation in 1935, spurring a tri-county dairy business. By 1950, dairy and stocker cattle had replaced cotton as the money crop. In 1991, Associated Milk Producers, Inc. merged with Dairy Farmers of America and established a milk processing plant. Winnsboro Livestock Commission Owners 1938 Established by Ralph Robinson and Will Rushing on FM 852 W 1939 - 1947 Gard Jones and Tunis Coats 1947 - 1978 J.D. Jones and Penn Gorman Jr. 1952 Present livestock barn built 1978 - 1981 J.D. Jones and Ned Parrish 1981 - 2005 R.C. (Shorty) and Randy Mitchell Winnsboro Livestock Commission continues in rich tradition of serving buyers and sellers today.