Spring 2021 | King Ranch® Institute for Ranch Management 1
From the Director Dr. Clay P. Mathis Director & Robert J. Kleberg, Jr. & Helen C. Kleberg Endowed Chair
Ranch Owners and Managers: Avoiding Disconnect
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t seems so simple on the surface…a ranch should have clear goals toward which the team works to achieve success for ownership. But, we also know goals vary from one ranch to the next. This is partially driven by the many reasons for owning a ranch, including long-term investment strategy, short-term profits, a passion for cattle, horses, or wildlife conservation, and possibly the most important, family legacy. All are valid reasons that lend to a different set of goals or vision of success. Ideally, and intuitively, when ownership hires a ranch manager, the goals of ownership are clearly communicated to the new employee. In addition, the goals of ownership are clearly understood by all employees and all of ownership. In reality, this clarity and communication is often insufficient, and ownership could be more devoted to determining and communicating what they really want from the ranch and employees. There is also another side to this common disconnection between owners and employees. There are times when communication of ownership’s goals and expectations is crystal clear, and a hired manager understands but does not philosophically align with the goals of ownership. Sometimes a hired ranch manager even believes they have a better set of goals and simply can’t help but strive to achieve their own goals for the ranch...even with honorable intentions. Regardless of the whether ownership or employee is the primary source of disconnect, these situations have been the avoidable downfall of many relationships between ranch ownership and ranch management. Considerations for Ranch Owners Ownership goals are much more easily established and theoretically more easily communicated when the ranch has a single owner. However, when there are multiple owners, whether joint ownership by family members or another business structure, goal priorities of all owners often are not the same. Envision a situation where a family of four siblings with equal ownership have different passions and differing priorities for the ranch. One loves cattle most, another wildlife, another horses, and another just wants money. Owners must first come together in situations like this and develop a unified and prioritized set of goals for the ranch. This can be exceedingly difficult…but ownership owes this to employees, otherwise ownership has created an employee trap. No employee can consistently aim and hit multiple targets simultaneously. Along the same vein, owners must deliberately maintain a reward system that incentivizes work toward the achievement of the unified ranch ownership goals. Considerations for Hired Ranch Managers Ranch employees must seek to understand what ownership wants and avoid the tendency to impose their own values and passions on ownership, leading to disconnect as well. Before accepting a ranch job, an employee should fully understand ownership Continued on page 10 2 King Ranch® Institute for Ranch Management | Spring 2021
Published By KING RANCH® INSTITUTE FOR RANCH MANAGEMENT Texas A&M University-Kingsville 700 University Blvd., MSC 137 Kingsville, TX 78363 361-593-5401 361-593-5404 fax krirm@tamuk.edu krirm.tamuk.edu Clay P. Mathis, Ph.D., Director and Robert J. Kleberg, Jr. & Helen C. Kleberg Endowed Chair Ashley Patterson, Editor
MANAGEMENT COUNCIL Chair: James H. Clement, Jr., King Ranch, Inc. Caroline Alexander Forgason, Robert J. Kleberg, Jr. & Helen C. Kleberg Foundation Gus T. Canales, A.T. Canales Ranches Dave DeLaney, King Ranch, Inc. Bob McCan, McFaddin Enterprises Erik Jacobsen, AgReserves, Inc. Neal Wilkins, Ph.D., East Foundation Mark Kossler, Turner Enteprises Hughes Abell, Llano Partners, Ltd Jim McAdams, McAdams Cattle Co. Jason Van Tassell, Sunlight Ranch Heath Grigg, King Ranch, Inc. Dave Hewitt, Ph.D., Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute Shad Nelson, Ph.D., Texas A&M University-Kingsville Clay P. Mathis, Ph.D., King Ranch® Institute for Ranch Management
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T E X A S A & M U N I V E R S I T Y - K I N G S V I L L E®
Photo by JoAnne Meeker
In this Issue Spring 2021 Volume 17, Issue 1
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Manager, Leader, Steward
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Meet Heath Grigg
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The Future of Rangeland Management is Now
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On the Cover Taken by Rick Machen
Dave DeLaney reflects on his life and career as he retires from King Ranch, Inc.
Welcoming Heath Grigg as the new VP and General Manager of Ranching and Wildlife at King Ranch, Inc.
Tools and opportunities set to advance the economic sustainability of ranch businesses.
Invest in Your Ranch Employees
Texas Farm Credit Certificate in Advanced Ranch Management
Our Vision:
We are determined to educate leaders who will make a positive difference in ranching and ensure that our hard-earned heritage is not lost.
Our Mission:
The King Ranch® Institute for Ranch Management teaches graduate students using a multi-disciplinary, systems approach to ranch management, and provides the highest quality lectureships and symposia to stakeholders in the ranching industry. We serve the ranching industry by empowering graduate students and outreach attendees with skills that will enable them to strategically manage complex ranching operations and successfully lead our industry. Spring 2021 | King Ranch® Institute for Ranch Management 3
A passion for ranching and proficiency in business management are the hallmarks of Dave DeLaney’s storied career. The retiring Vice President and General Manager of Ranching and Wildlife Operations for King Ranch, Inc. (pictured here with first-calf heifers) reflects on his journey from a Virginia upbringing to iconic Texas experiences.
By Kindra Gordon
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ver the past four decades, Dave DeLaney has accumulated a resume – and reputation – as one of the cattle industry’s most visionary thought leaders. With general manager roles at two of Texas’s largest institutions – King Ranch and Friona Industries – as well as an early history assisting with management at several iconic ranches in the Texas Panhandle, DeLaney has applied his business acumen and ranch stewardship principles on a grand scale across hundreds of thousands of rangeland acres and millions of cattle. As DeLaney transitions toward retirement in 2021, he looks back on his career and notes, “It was high stress and high challenge, and I loved it. I thrived on that.” The Virginia native admits it’s a career even he could not have predicted for himself.
Boots on the Ground
While growing up in Richmond, VA, in the 60’s and 70’s, one might have presumed DeLaney was destined to be a banker – following the career path his father and several aunts and uncles successfully pursued. But young DeLaney gravitated to a great-uncle who was a veterinarian, and through their time spent together, DeLaney fell in love with the business. He recalls thinking, “I can wear boots and jeans and make a 4 King Ranch® Institute for Ranch Management | Spring 2021
decent living.” Thus, he enrolled in college as a pre-med major and English minor, and says, “My intention was to become a veterinarian.” In that pursuit, graduate school brought DeLaney to Texas and introduced him to the large, sweeping ranches. It was then DeLaney had an epiphany, recognizing these ranches could hire their own veterinarian and other manager roles. DeLaney’s passion for nature, the outdoors, and ranching remained, but his plans began to shift. After completing a master’s in ruminant nutrition at Texas A&M University, he worked for a time at the 49 Ranch at Gale, TX, and conducted research as part of a PhD pursuit at the USDA Research Center at Bushland, TX. Then in 1983, he was hired with Corsino Cattle Company of Amarillo, TX, and spent the next nine years managing or assisting in the operations of several historic ranches in the Texas Panhandle, including the XL, JA, RO, Turkey Track and others. Of these “boots-on-the ground” experiences, DeLaney says, “I loved it,” and today, he acknowledges they were foundational in setting the tone for his future. One of his first Texas ranch jobs taught him humility. DeLaney tells, “I was riding lead and let a few calves get away.” When the other cowboy razzed DeLaney saying, ‘I thought you were good,’ DeLaney aptly denied the “good”
claim and instead replied with, “I said I had experience.” That humble approach, with a willingness to do whatever ranch job was at hand, amassed DeLaney solid credentials as his career progressed. “I’ve viewed the industry from the role of a hired hand all the way to executive management,” DeLaney notes. As a result, he says, “I’ve carried with me the perspective of what’s feasible and practical as opposed to unrealistic.”
Embracing Change
In May 1992, a new challenge came knocking for DeLaney – a role as operations manager of Friona Industries, L.P., Feedyard division, and by August 1996 he was promoted to General Manager of both the Feedyard Division and Friona Industries Cattle Company. With five commercial feedyards having a one-time capacity of 250,000 head of cattle, 160 employees, as well as oversight of all outside and pastured cattle inventories, DeLaney was tasked with not only managing, but also restructuring the struggling company. He rose to the occasion implementing a “systems approach” that was novel to the cattle industry at that time and brought profitability back to the company. DeLaney helped the CEO and CFO guide the Friona Feedyard Division management team to implement an accounting benchmark system that standardized reporting within the company and allowed comparisons of cattle performance, expenses, margins, and income over the multi-location operation. He also developed a sensitivity analysis system utilized across the company and participated in development of strategic alliances and a beef retail valuation partnership. DeLaney says the key lesson he learned during his time with Friona Industries was the need to have a focused vision [or mission statement] with actionable goals top-of-mind. He says, “A vision without a plan is dreaming…You can’t accomplish things without good people who share the vision to work as a team toward a common goal.” With that, he adds, “Culture is important. Growth for the sake of growth [profits] doesn’t work…you have to determine if growth fits the culture.” Additionally, DeLaney credits his management success to the ability to understand the circle of control. He explains, “With so many moving parts, there is no need to focus on the things you can’t change and don’t control. Instead, you need to get a grip around what you can.” Regarding cattle production and ranching, he adds, “We control nothing…not the weather, the markets or prices. So, to do this job, you have to love it – and focus on controlling costs and adding value to production.”
Bringing it all Together
It was that “love of the job” that brought DeLaney to King Ranch, Inc. in January 2004. “My real passion is for range
DeLaney pictured on horseback riding for the XL Ranch at a ranch rodeo in Amarillo in the late 1980’s.
and ranch management. It’s a labor of love,” says DeLaney of the past sixteen years he’s spent at the helm of the 825,000acre, privately owned ranch. “It’s so diverse, you never knew what you would deal with each day,” notes DeLaney, who points to King Ranch’s large cattle herds, wildlife management and hunting programs, and conservation efforts toward brush management as well as the 35 threatened and endangered species found on the ranch. “We have the same stewardship view to protect and preserve native species [plants and wildlife] as we do to raise livestock,” explains DeLaney. To that end, DeLaney shares that the “systems approach” he employed at Friona Industries has also been instrumental to the success, profitability, and stewardship during his tenure as Vice President and General Manager of Ranching and Wildlife Operations for King Ranch, Inc. DeLaney’s tactics have included benchmarks and analyzing as many as 80 monthly management reports alongside the ranch’s five area managers. He admits, “People accuse me of being too analytical,” but adds, “You can’t improve what you can’t measure.” Of modern-day ranching, he adds, “Animal husbandry is only part of the equation. You have to understand accounting, legalities, range management, wildlife management…And at the core you need to understand that maximizing production Spring 2021 | King Ranch® Institute for Ranch Management 5
and optimizing production are two different things. There often has to be compromise and sacrifice to protect that other enterprise.” That’s the philosophy DeLaney has applied with the ranch and wildlife management team at King Ranch, Inc. Rather than maximize any one entity, the focus is on optimizing the different areas while still adding value to the balance sheet and considering stewardship for the next generation, which aligns with the King Ranch Inc.’s overall mission statement. In the end, DeLaney’s tenacity and team approach have helped produce a track record of ranch profitability every year during his King Ranch tenure. Of this he notes, “I am proud that we manage the cattle operation profitably – especially in the drought years – and do it in a way that is friendly to the environment. In every operation I have participated in, my goal has always been to leave it better than I found it.”
Passing the Baton
Today, as the cattle industry embarks on a new decade, it’s the first time in 40 years that DeLaney is loosening the reins a bit; he’s semi-retired while consulting part-time for the King Ranch, Inc. But he knows the industry he’s been so dedicated to is in good hands. He points to the King Ranch® Institute for Ranch Management (KRIRM), where he has served on the management council since the program’s inception in 2003. DeLaney credits the program not only for training the next generation of ranch leaders, but also for providing extended learning opportunities within the industry through lectureships, symposiums and research. He notes, “The Institute is producing people who make a difference not only on a singular ranch property, but also a tremendous difference in the industry as a whole. With continued fragmentation of property and habitat, having people who can manage large properties, and possibly even expand them, is key for the future.” While DeLaney recognizes the ranching industry will face challenges ahead, he emphasizes, “I’ve always believed the more challenges, the more opportunities,” and adds, “The good news is beef is the best tasting product out there; there’s no higher quality protein.” That said, DeLaney encourages ranch managers to stay informed, aware and open minded. He notes, “I would’ve never foreseen the changes we’ve experienced in the last 10 to 20 years. But as an industry, if we embrace changes, we’ll be OK. The future is going to look different. Embrace change, expect the unexpected, be prepared.” Of his King Ranch, Inc. successor Heath Grigg, DeLaney says, “He’s a great people person with experience in all aspects of the ranching and wildlife segments of King Ranch. He understands wildlife, range, livestock (cattle and horses) as 6 King Ranch® Institute for Ranch Management | Spring 2021
well as the culture in South Texas. With his leadership, the Ranching and Wildlife Operations for King Ranch, Inc. will continue to grow, prosper and be innovative leaders within the ranching industry.” On a final note, DeLaney emphasizes the importance in mentoring future leaders and succession planning – and recognizes he has come full circle. He concludes, “I have been fortunate to work for gentlemen such as Jay O’Brien, James Herring, Jack Hunt, and Robert Underbrink who were all excellent agricultural businessmen and strategic thinkers. I would be remiss if I didn’t extend them my thanks. It has also been my privilege to be part of KRIRM and helping in some small way to develop future leaders for our industry.”
As Dave DeLaney transitions into retirement, he is looking forward to spending more time with his wife Carrie and their four adult sons and their families – including three grandchildren. As a survivor of two major health issues, including cancer, DeLaney says faith, family and health are his priorities. He anticipates filling future free-time with fly-fishing, travel, and possibly guest lecturing or teaching – as well as time at the grill. He says, “I love to BBQ and smoke beef.”
DeLaney pictured with a redfish caught out of Port O’Connor in 2019.
DeLaney and his wife Carrie with their children and families at the wedding of their third son, Connor, in November, 2020.
More from Dave DeLaney What advice does Dave DeLaney offer to those in the trenches – or just starting out – in the ranching industry? • “Be a lifelong learner. Those who are not a student of history are bound to repeat it,” he says. For DeLaney, much of his learning has been fostered from being a voracious reader. At work, he admits his desk is littered with trade publications offering ideas and insights. At home, he enjoys reading various themes, but especially historical biographies. He shares, “Getting inside the minds of people who were involved in incredible changes has been a window that has shown me a lot about leadership.” Currently, DeLaney is captivated by the histories of Native Americans, and shares, “What fascinates me about Indian Chiefs is they were incredible intellectual leaders and achieved that leadership without any formal education.” • Regarding ag’s relationship with consumers, he advises the beef industry to “do a better job of selling the job we do…we need to focus on societal benefits such as carbon sequestration, providing habitat and managing watersheds.” He adds, “New consumers want to know where food is coming from and if it is produced in way that is socially responsible. Animal welfare and stewardship are becoming as important as the product itself.” • In all industry endeavors, he encourages ranch managers, “Take the long-term view in what you do, or you won’t be sustainable.” He notes that active succession planning needs to be at the forefront of that long-term approach. • Speaking to the next generation, he advises, “When you take a job, consider if the culture, mission statement and goals fit your values? When I took jobs, I looked for opportunities to work with excellent mentors who would allow me the opportunity to grow and advance versus just weighing the job based on salary. I built stepping-stones along the way.” • He notes that success isn’t singular. Rather, he says, “My success was because of the talents of the good people around me; we took a team approach.” • DeLaney encourages industry involvement, and shares, “The industry is shaped by those who show up.” This he knows from experience. In addition to his employment roles, DeLaney has been a longtime leader at the state and national level serving on numerous Boards of Directors and committees representing conservation, wildlife, animal health and cattle interests, including the Texas Cattle Feeders Association (TCFA), the Texas Wildlife Association, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, the National Cattleman’s Beef Association (NCBA), the Texas Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, and the Texas Animal Health Commission.
Heath Grigg Vice President & General Manager of Ranching &Wildlife Operations King Ranch, Inc., Kingsville, Texas Heath Grigg is Vice President & General Manager of Ranching and Wildlife Operations for King Ranch, Inc. A graduate of Texas A&M-Kingsville, Heath started his path with El Coyote Ranches in 1996 where eventually he served as Ranch Manager for the Rio Bravo Ranch Division. In time, his career included serving as General Manager for Moody Ranches Inc., SGHS Area Manager for King Ranch, Inc., and General Manager for Two Rivers Management Co. Heath is active in industry associations including Texas Wildlife Association, NCBA and the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association where he serves on multiple committees. In his role with King Ranch, Inc., Heath oversees all operations pertaining to ranching, livestock, and wildlife on the 825,000 acres located in South Texas. Heath and his wife April reside in Kingsville, Texas, with their two children, Kolton and Emery. Spring 2021 | King Ranch® Institute for Ranch Management 7
and consequently, a sustainable stocking rate varies in parallel. The stewardship-minded manager employs a conservative stocking rate, monitors range and animal conditions, and makes strategic adjustments with the best interest of both range and animals in mind. Stocking rate is linked to economic viability, a key pillar of sustainability. Fixed or indirect costs typically account for two-thirds of annual livestock production cost. A sustainable stocking strategy that parallels long-term carrying capacity dilutes fixed costs over as many production units as possible. Consequently, over the life of the operation, fixed cost per animal unit and unit cost of production are reduced.
Timing and Kind of Grazers Key to Success
By Rick Machen, Ph.D. Paul C. Genho Endowed Chair in Ranch Management
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hirty percent of the continental United States land surface is rangelands. These 770 million acres are sparsely populated by rural communities whose economic viability is often closely related to activities on the surrounding rangelands. In addition, rangelands make essential ecosystem contributions such as clean water and air, fish and wildlife habitat, recreational opportunities, and aesthetic value, which benefit urban and rural residents alike. Surely, the health and sustainability of our rangeland systems are of interest to all. The upcycling of rangeland forages into food and fiber by domestic and wild herbivores is a significant economic contributor. These ‘provisioning’ services are also linked to environmental services, as rangelands and resident herbivores play an integral role in carbon cycling and sequestration, two elements of rapidly rising societal interest. These systems are linked through the time-proven principles of grazing management: stocking rate, timing, distribution and kind/ class of grazer involved.
Stocking Rate: The Most Important Decision
Stocking rate is the most important decision affecting sustainability of a range livestock (and wildlife) enterprise. The climates that govern rangeland systems are ever-changing 8 King Ranch® Institute for Ranch Management | Spring 2021
Timing of forage harvest by herbivores effects plant vigor and survival. Plant survival requires adequate photosynthesis and growth to facilitate nutrient storage in live growing roots and reproduction. Hence, the often stated goal of grazing management is to control the frequency and severity of defoliation. Distribution of herbivores across the landscape obviously influences plant selection and severity of defoliation. Unfortunately, some of the more palatable and preferred plants are also less tolerant of grazing pressure. For example, consider the legendary Four Horsemen of the Tall Grass prairie (Little Bluestem, Big Bluestem, Indiangrass, Switchgrass) that form the core of the prairiegrass ecosystem that once covered most of the Great Plains of North America. These bunchgrasses thrived under a combination of high intensity, low frequency grazing (by bison et al.) and relatively frequent wildfire across the landscape. Yet as the plains were settled, fences built, and wildfires controlled, these climax grass species began to disappear on many rangelands. These Big Four bunchgrasses afford a vivid illustration of the importance of managing the timing and distribution of grazing. Herbivores come in a variety of sizes and with an array of forage preferences, from bison to field mice and from grazers to browsers. Given the diversity of plant communities on many rangelands, it is logical that, where warranted, involving multiple species in a grazing plan will continue to improve the efficiency of resource use and revenue generation. Production costs are escalating at a rate faster than commodity prices. For range livestock enterprises to remain viable, their commodity production efficiency must improve, thereby lowering unit cost of production. The key to improving the efficiency of converting resources to products is enhanced grazing management. Efficient resource utilization requires an accurate inventory (forage quantity/production potential), and understanding of production potential (forage
quality), and capability to monitor resource use (grazing). On extensive rangelands, these measures are elusive. Grazing management has long been described as both an art and science. Mastering the art and science of managing rangelands is an ongoing, never-maturing process for which time in the saddle is invaluable, and serves as a key process for gaining capacity in inventory assessment and monitoring. Historically, rangeland forage production estimates for specific range sites or soil types were obtained by tedious and time-consuming forage sampling, consulting Range Technical Guides or more recently, the Web Soil Survey, both developed and managed by the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS). Neither the guides nor the survey offer forage production estimates in real time, nor could they account for variable climatic conditions or recent landscape changes.
Technology Continues to Impact Management Practices
Technology is changing grazing management and shaping the future. It is rapidly enhancing our ability to recognize, measure, and monitor significant natural resource events across large landscapes. For example, consider the Rangeland Analysis Platform (RAP) developed by the NRCS and University of Montana. This free, innovative online platform visualizes and analyzes vegetation data for the western US. Trends can be examined at the pasture, ranch, or region level. Datasets include continuous vegetation cover, annual aboveground biomass, and 16-day above ground biomass (capturing forage changes on a bi-weekly basis). Pastures from Space is a similar platform being developed by CSIRO Australia to provide near real time information on forage conditions. For those platforms using satellite imagery, NASA’s launch of Landsat 9 (projected for Fall 2021) will put in service the only United States satellite system designed and operated to repeatedly observe the global land surface at a moderate scale to capture both natural and induced changes. Images will capture a 115-mile swath of the earth’s surface in 30-meter square (think baseball diamond) pixels. Images will be captured in visible, near and shortwave (reflected) infrared, and thermal infrared wavelengths. The satellite will orbit the earth 14 times per day (a trip around the earth every 99 minutes). Images of the entire earth will be available every 16 days, affording much closer-to-real time information than ever before. Other integral pieces of the management puzzle include knowledge of forage disappearance and livestock grazing behavior, both of which have been difficult to accurately monitor on rangelands. Scientists in Australia’s CSIRO have developed and are perfecting technology they call eGrazor.
Native range pictured in winter in Sterling County, Texas.
A collar-mounted sensor monitors cattle behavior, location and interactions. A set of algorithms uses the sensor data to predict forage intake by individual animals. This sensor may soon (available spring 2021) be replaced by the first direct-tosatellite monitoring, light weight, animal welfare-considered smart ear tag. Since the settling of the West, domestic herbivore grazing distribution has primarily been managed with fencing. Construction of permanent fencing is expensive and results in long-term fixed pasture sizes. Energized fencing is less expensive and certainly affords flexibility in pasture size, shape, and alteration. Still, managing temporary fencing involves labor and may have topographic challenges. Virtual fencing technology was first used to manage domestic dogs in the early 1970’s and was demonstrated effective for containing livestock in the late 1980’s. Companies like Nofence, Vence, Halter, and Agersens are developing technology that uses GPS coordinates to define the perimeter of a grazing area and GPS signals that indicate animal position relative to the boundary. Audible, visual, and/or stimulatory cues alert the animal as they approach the invisible boundary. The technology is not plug-and-play; animals must be trained to respond to the different stimuli. Continued on following page...
Native range mirrored on a pond in Southwest Kansas. Spring 2021 | King Ranch® Institute for Ranch Management 9
From the Director, continued... goals. Professional goal number one for ranch managers should be to help ownership achieve their goals for the ranch. The incorrect assumption of ownership goals can lead to discontentment among employees and owners, and lead to a failed owner-employee relationship. A Shared Commitment to Success Disconnect between owners and hired managers, unfortunately, happens all too often on ranches. However, it is more likely avoided when there is a mutual devotion to consider the alternate perspective. Ranch owners, your
employees at all levels want unified and clearly communicated ranch ownership goals and an incentive structure that effectively rewards them for achieving those goals. Ranch managers, if you find the goals of the ranch are not clear or not unified across multiple owners of the ranch, then you must respectfully request greater clarity. Your success will depend first on knowing the goals or targets set forth, and then on your capacity to achieve those goals. Communication and understanding of both parties is key, but it takes deliberate commitment to align all of ranch ownership and management toward a vision of success.
The Future of Rangeland Management is Now, continued... Animals learn at different rates and some may not be suited for management by virtual fencing. While fencing may not be considered ‘high tech’, these advances will change a manager’s capacity to control timing and distribution more carefully. Like managers in other segments of agriculture, the average age of rangeland resource management professionals
is increasing. While there is no substitute for experience, it is plausible that technology may shorten the experienceacquiring process. Those who adopt technology (remote sensing, spatial analysis, artificial intelligence, and modeling) will be able to combine historical and real-time information to replicate and learn from circumstances they may have never personally experienced. Some amount of groundtruthing will always be essential for validation of technological outputs. Satellites and computers will not replace professional managers, but they are and will continue to enhance their management capabilities.
The Future is Here
The ability to remotely monitor animal behavior, predict forage intake, and rotate stock to fresh grazing is here. Rangeland stewards and stockmen have reason to be excited about additional tools and opportunities on the horizon that will afford strengthening the environmental sustainability of the rangeland resource, improving the efficiency of upcycling forages to high quality food and fiber, reduce unit cost of production and thereby advance the economic sustainability of ranch businesses. Yearlings grazing southern Great Plains tallgrass.
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Spring 2021 | King Ranch® Institute for Ranch Management 11
700 University Blvd, MSC 137 Kingsville, TX 78363
Hybrid Event! Save the Date! Delivered In-person and Online
Sustainability Symposium
HOLT CAT® Symposium on Excellence in Ranch Management
October 14-15, 2021 Kingsville, TX and Online
Register and view more information at krirm.tamuk.edu/symposium