From the Director
Dr.
Rick Machen,
PhD Executive Director; Robert J. Kleberg, Jr. and Helen C. Kleberg Endowed Chair
Exciting Updates from KRIRM
Since the last newsletter, several changes have occurred. I am pleased to announce the arrival of Dr. Robert Wells as the next Paul Genho Endowed Chair in Ranch Management. Robert is a native South Texan who’s returning home after 20-plus years. For the past two decades, Robert served as a livestock consultant with the Noble Research Institute in Ardmore, Oklahoma and was instrumental in the development of the Integrity Beef Alliance. His wealth of industry experience is a great addition to our team. Robert will be mentoring KRIRM graduate students, teaching classes, and contributing to our outreach education opportunities. I encourage friends, colleagues, and new acquaintances to connect with Robert via email robert.wells@tamuk.edu.
Another page in the Institute’s history was turned during our fall Management Council meeting; Victoria rancher Bob McCan announced his retirement from the council. Bob was an original council member, serving faithfully since its inception in 2003. In addition to his service in both state and national cattle organizations and active involvement in the Grazinglands Coalition, Bob has hosted case study projects for students and has long been an advocate for KRIRM. Bob – thanks for 20 years of involvement and support.
I am delighted to share that Shelby Horn, a sixth-generation cattleman, has agreed to occupy the council seat vacated by Bob’s retirement. Shelby is currently the General Manager for Abell Livestock, a commercial cow-calf/stocker operation with ranches in Texas, Florida, and New Mexico. Previous to his current role with Abell Livestock, Shelby served as managing partner and President of Great Plains Cattle Feeders, a commercial cattle feeding operation located in the Texas Panhandle. He also serves on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the Texas and Southwest Cattle Raisers Association and is a member of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. Shelby and his wife Julie live in Fredericksburg, Texas. We welcome Shelby to the KRIRM team.
Additions to a team are akin to the atmosphere associated with January being the current month on the calendar; excitement fuels expectations of new energy and greater things to come. Similarly, cattlemen are excited, energized, and anticipatory of better times ahead.
As we look forward to 2025, the rules of supply and demand remain operative, and just as predicted, record high calf prices are being recorded. An encouraging reminder seems appropriate here: amidst the elation surrounding prices, recall there are two variables involved in determining profitability/economic sustainability. Total production cost - the variable over which managers have the most controlwarrants our undivided attention as 2025 unfolds.
I trust you had a most enjoyable Christmas holiday with family and friends. On behalf of the KRIRM students, staff, and faculty, I wish you a Happy and Prosperous New Year.
700 University Blvd., MSC 137 Kingsville, TX 78363
361-593-5401
361-593-5404 fax
krirm@tamuk.edu
krirm.tamuk.edu
Rick Machen, PhD, Executive Director; Robert J. Kleberg, Jr. and Helen C. Kleberg Endowed Chair Emily Stribling, Editor
MANAGEMENT COUNCIL
Chair: John Alexander, Jr., King Ranch, Inc.
James Clement, III, Beggs Cattle Company
Caroline Alexander Forgason, Robert J. Kleberg, Jr. & Helen C. Kleberg Foundation
Heath Grigg, King Ranch, Inc.
Jeff Hildebrand, Hilcorp Energy Company
Shelby Horn, Abell Livestock Co.
Rick Machen, PhD, King Ranch® Institute for Ranch Management
Jim McAdams, McAdams Cattle Co.
Shad Nelson, PhD, Texas A&M University-Kingsville
Clint Richardson, Ag Reserves, Inc.
Jason Van Tassell, Wilson Cattle Co.
Neal Wilkins, PhD, East Foundation
by Ocotillo Films
2 | Exciting Updates from KRIRM KRIRM welcomes a new faculty and Management Council member in the new year. 4 | Class of 2025 - Prepared for the Opportunities Ahead
KRIRM Class of 2025 reflect on their time at KRIRM, experience gained and the future ahead.
| Education & Innovation A Systems Approach to Analyzing a Complex Ranching Opportunity: Carbon Credit Markets 9 | What Lies Ahead?
Embracing new technologies for the future of ranching. 11 | Welcoming Dr. Robert Wells
Dr. Robert Wells, PhD joins the KRIRM team as Professor of the Practice and Paul C. Genho Endowed Chair in Ranch Management.
Mission Sustaining our ranching heritage through education, innovation, and outreach. We are determined to educate leaders who will make a positive difference in ranching and ensure that our hard-earned heritage is not lost.
Photo
CLASS OF 2025 –PREPARED FOR THE
Opportunities Ahead
By Emily Stribling
In May 2025, the next class of KRIRM graduates will complete their Master of Science degree in Ranch Management. The class includes Lee and Ramona Bass Endowed Fellow Nate Edwards; Seb Killpack, the Joe Marlin Hilliard Endowed Fellow; and Paul Quin, recipient of the East Foundation Fellowship. These individuals will be joining the elite group of 56 alumni who have earned this degree since the program’s inception in 2003.
BECOMING A WELL-ROUNDED LEADER
Each year we ask the graduating students to reflect on what they have learned and what may have come as a surprise to them. While this cohort is grateful for their newfound financial acumen, the leadership confidence they have gained is uniquely valuable. “One of the challenging, but most rewarding, aspects of the Institute is the time it affords to work on personal growth and maturity,” states Quin. “My business management mindset has shifted. Understanding leadership and becoming more disciplined in analytics and problem solving are significant skills I have added to my management toolbox.” Edwards echoes this sentiment stating, “Prior to the Institute, I did not realize the value of systems thinking, which now constantly influences my thought processes. Systems thinking is a powerful tool for solving problems in an industry as complex as ranching.” In addition to improved problem-solving strategies and employee management, the students have enhanced their skills and confidence in communicating with stakeholders.
" Understanding leadership and becoming more disciplined in analytics and problem solving are significant skills I have added to my management toolbox." – Paul Quin
While all three students have had a unique experience and gained a myriad of skills during their two-year tenure, they do not discount the opportunities they received to learn from industry leaders and professionals. “The most enjoyable moments for me have been the opportunities to learn from leaders including a number of “giants” within the cattle industry,” states Edwards. “The conversations and learning opportunities we are afforded at KRIRM are second to none.” Killpack adds, “I expected to receive high quality training and a meaningful education. I did not anticipate the network of people I would be exposed to –which really makes this an extraordinary program.” Between classroom learning, working to solve real-world problems, and learning from industry leaders, the students have collected tools and insight to propel them forward in their careers. “I am prepared to enter the industry, have the ability to understand problems, and create lasting solutions” states Killpack.
INTERNSHIPS
Each spring, students eagerly await their summer internship assignment ‒ an opportunity to put into practice what they have learned working in a sector of the beef industry and/or part of the country with which they are least familiar.
Edwards, an Oklahoma native, had the opportunity to spend the summer at King Ranch in Kingsville, Texas with a project focused on range management and determining an alternative method for stocking rate assignments utilizing Rangeland Analysis Platform. “The project allowed me to exercise my data analysis skills which was very valuable,” states Edwards. In addition to working on his project, Edwards had the opportunity to work with managers and King Ranch cowboys. “I especially enjoyed learning from the wealth of generational knowledge that King Ranch employees were gracious to share.”
"I expected to receive high quality training and a meaningful education [at KRIRM]. I did not anticipate the network of people I would be exposed to –which really makes this an extraordinary program."
– Seb Killpack
Killpack, raised in southeastern Idaho, spent the summer at Lazy T Ranch in Ten Sleep, Wyoming. A sister company, Lazy T Beef, markets very high-quality beef and was interested in maximizing quality to harvest as much prime product as possible. “I looked for production system changes to achieve ownership goals” states Killpack. “The strategy developed focused on cows adapted to the harsh environment that could produce and raise a calf capable of producing premium beef.” Prior to his internship, Killpack had little genetic selection experience and no experience with directto-consumer marketing strategies. “The internship experience broadened my beef production knowledge and allowed me to apply principles learned at the Institute to a real-life scenario.”
A Texas native, Quin and family traveled to Deseret Cattle Feeders near Garden City, Kansas where he worked in the feed mill, read bunks, received cattle, rode pens, and shipped cattle to harvest. He also had the opportunity to work on the nearby Kuhn Ranch where he assisted with moving cattle, monitoring health, branding calves, and feeding. “I had no prior experience in the feedyard,” says Quin, “so this was an opportunity to improve my understanding of feedyard operations. It allowed me to work in the central Great Plains, and appreciate the importance of cattle feeding to the US beef industry.” Quin says he now has a greater understanding of the technologies used in cattle feeding and how the feeding sector impacts the economics of cow-calf and stocker cattle enterprises.
WHAT’S NEXT?
With their newly acquired knowledge and fresh perspectives, the graduating students are eager to make their mark in the business. Killpack states, “I’ve defined ranch management as the art of producing a financially viable business by sustainably managing natural resources, people, and livestock. The education I have received from the Institute applies to all parts of this definition. I plan to use my education, be a life-long learner, and consistently improve, both personally and professionally.”
Quin’s goal is to serve as a ranch manager who will “exceed the goals of ownership with excellence, integrity, and commitment. I anticipate management challenges such as assessing costs of production, developing a team of people who can contribute to the success, and finding leverage to improve the production and profitability of the ranch business.”
Edwards intends to raise his family on a ranch and use his education to contribute to a successful ranch business. He states, “The Institute has equipped me with the tools, both personally and professionally, to accomplish my goals.”
Applications to the two-year master’s program are now open through March 31, 2025. For more information, scan the QR code or visit: https://krirm.tamuk.edu/masters-program/
Each student enjoyed putting their knowledge to work during their summer internships. (Left to right): Nate Edwards completed a range management project at King Ranch in Kingsville, TX. Seb Killpack learned about genetic selection and direct-to-consumer marketing strategies at Lazy T Ranch in Ten Sleep, MT. Paul Quin received first-hand feedyard experience at Deseret Cattle Feeders in Garden City, KS.
Education & Innovation A Systems Approach to Analyzing a Complex Ranching Opportunity: Carbon Credit Markets
By Benjamin Turner, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Agriculture, Agribusiness, and Environmental Science and King Ranch® Institute for Ranch Management
INTRODUCTION
One of the core characteristics of the KRIRM educational model is its grounding in a systems approach to management. Every fall semester, first year Institute students, along with other graduate students in animal, rangeland, wildlife, and environmental sciences, complete a course entitled Systems Approach to Natural Resource Problem Solving. During the class, students break into groups to investigate a contemporary agricultural or ranch management problem and analyze it from a systems perspective. At the conclusion of the class, groups present their work to unpack the evolution of how the problem arose and persists over time, identify the ecologic, socio-economic, and policy structures contributing to the problem, describe the mental models and beliefs underlying the behaviors of decision-makers, and explore possible intervention strategies. Over the years, students have explored wide-ranging problems, such as wild horse population management on public lands, spread of cattle fever tick in south Texas, rising herbicide resistance in cropping systems, and shortages of rural food animal veterinarians, among many others.
A core habit that students practice to become better systems thinkers is to “admire the problem” in order to understand its deeper levels of complexity before jumping to solutions aimed at solving it. To help with this, a focusing question is developed to guide the investigation. A focusing question asks “why” a given problem exists. All productive systems thinking projects start with a good focusing question. In the 2022 fall semester,
KRIRM students Nathan Clackum and Sam Newell, along with fellow TAMUK graduate students Nathan Schofield and Micayla Pearson, identified a curiosity they all shared about ranchers’ roles in carbon credit markets. To begin their investigation, they developed an excellent focusing question: “Why aren’t more landowners enrolling in land-based carbon credit exchanges?”
Following is a summary of the results of their investigation.
STEPS IN SYSTEMS THINKING
Systems thinking is an investigative methodology for describing and analyzing the complex factors and feedback interactions that contribute to observed situations over time. This process of systems thinking is often depicted as an Iceberg Diagram, borrowing from the fact that at sea the bulk of an iceberg’s mass resides below the water’s surface. Above the surface are observable events (the “tip of the iceberg”, Figure 1). The events of interest from the students involved low participation in carbon credit markets, encapsulated in their focusing question.
Just below the surface are trends and patterns over time. Understanding this step involves searching out data, indicators, and stories from stakeholders about how key variables and factors related to the focusing question have changed or evolved over time. One of the important trends and patterns over time related to the students’ investigation was how the inventory of carbon credits from agriculture, rangeland, and forest sources has evolved. Using data from the Berkeley
Carbon Trading project, they found that, initially, carbon credits from these sources (displayed as a fraction of the total publicly reported voluntary credits) grew dramatically to over 80% of total voluntary credits by 2015. However, since that time the fraction of publicly reported agriculture, rangeland, and forest credits has declined to less than 30% (Figure 1). This behavior is suggestive of a structure that supported growth and adoption in carbon credit programs by landowners initially, but unforeseen or unrecognized constraints eventually “kicked in” and began to erode enrollment rates.
UNDERLYING STRUCTURES
The next step in the process was to “unpack” underlying ecologic, market, and policy interrelationships to identify the dominant feedback structures responsible for producing the trends, patterns, and behaviors of interest over time. After identifying contributing feedback processes from a variety of perspectives, students categorized the dominant forces into several overarching categories:
Production risks and rewards (the “benefit/cost ratio” problem). Changes in production practices, such as grazing timing, frequency, and intensity, likely lead to changes in cost and revenue structures and therefore enterprise-level profitability. Uncertainty about potential changes in land productivity is a cause for landowner concern. Implementing significant changes to fulfill carbon credit obligations, especially when they may be unfamiliar with required management practices or such practices induce unforeseen added costs, such as labor, fuels their uncertainty. Production risk also includes variability in soil carbon storage potential given diversity in landscape positions, climate, and soil types, which often possess unique limitations to long-term nutrient storage in rangelands (e.g., too shallow, too sandy, too steep, too dry, etc.).
Carbon prices (the “supply curve” problem). Like all markets, carbon prices are a function of supply and demand for carbon credits. Demand arises from societal expectations for emitters to purchase credits in order to move closer to carbon neutrality. Initially, when credits were more expensive to create and verify and availability of credits was scarcer, the price was favorable, incentivizing many new producers to enter the market. Over time, efficiency gains in industrial processes have driven down the carbon credit cost and increased the overall supply, putting downward pressure on price as more credits become available. Lower prices reduce landowner incentives needed for widespread participation as the declining net benefit of enrollment becomes more difficult to justify.
Accuracy and precision of soil carbon measurement protocols and confidence in verification processes (the “confidence” problem) Variability and level of complexity between carbon programs, contractual obligations, and legal liabilities
Significant variability is expected in soil test results, which is compounded by the variability in soil capabilities across landscapes as well as varying soil collection and laboratory procedures, impacting landowners' confidence.
associated with enrollment are significant barriers landowners must understand before enrolling. Significant variability is also expected in soil test results, which is compounded by the variability in soil capabilities across landscapes as well as varying soil collection and laboratory procedures.
Transaction risk (the “risk aversion” problem) Transactional risk comes from the nature and transparency of terms and conditions in proposed contracts, unanticipated expenses, and lack of regulation. These factors currently do not provide a landowner-friendly process to enroll. Transaction risks can lead to potential loss of other land use opportunities because of entering into a carbon contract.
KEY INSIGHTS
After generating a richer understanding of the underlying feedback structures contributing to low landowner participation in carbon credit markets, the students integrated their findings into a causal loop diagram (CLD). A CLD serves to visually illustrate structural forces at work at the bottom of the iceberg diagram (Figure 1). The noteworthy CLD relationship identified is a commonly occurring structure known as Limits to Growth. In this situation, reinforcing growth processes are eventually stalled or constrained by limiting factors that push back against actions to sustain initial growth rates.
In the problem focus here, the growth phase involves enrollment rate of landowners who respond to the net benefit of enrollment. As enrollment rates increase, market participation from producer communities rises, expanding opportunities to benefit from enrolling in carbon credit markets (depicted as the Reinforcing, R, loop on the left side of the CLD). Long-term, market growth is constrained by soil
carbon storage potential, confidence in detectability of soil carbon changes, and carbon prices, as described above (shown as the Balancing, B, loop on right side of the CLD).
CONCLUSIONS
One of the key learning outcomes of the KRIRM educational model is for students to think systemically in order to craft sustainable, high-leverage solutions to management problems. In the problem discussed here, the students identified high leverage strategies needed to sustain growth in landowner carbon market enrollment – raise the limits that constrain growth, either in soil limitations, detectability and verification processes, and/or carbon credit price.
Outside of this class project, students also complete multiple service learning projects with ranchers including a summer internship where they practice systems thinking in real-world contexts aimed at improving ranch business sustainability. This core characteristic of the program sets KRIRM apart from traditional academic alternatives and builds on the vision set forth at its founding - to train ranch managers to address complex problems facing the ranching industry.
KRIRM students complete multiple service learning projects with ranchers including a summer internship where they practice systems thinking in real-world contexts aimed at improving ranch business sustainability. This core characteristic of the program sets KRIRM apart from traditional academic alternatives.
To learn more about the case study illustrated here, visit:
Sawyer J, DeLaney D, Anderson D, Dowell-Lashmet T, Mathis C. Should I Sell Carbon Credits? A Decision Guide for Ranchers - King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management. Published August 19, 2022. https://krirm.tamuk.edu/carboncredits .
Schofield, Pearson, Newell, Clackum, and Turner (2024) Why aren’t more landowners enrolling in land-based carbon credit exchanges? Rangelands 46(4):117-131. doi.: 10.106/j. rala.2024.05.004.
Figure 1. Systems thinking iceberg diagram.
What Lies Ahead?
Embracing New Technologies for the
Future of Ranching
By Lee Leachman, CEO, Leachman Cattle of Colorado
It is an amazing time to be in the cattle business! The next 25 years will hold great opportunities for ranchers willing to embrace new technologies. I’m 58, and a friend of mine just told me that all that I am missing is a fountain of youth so that I can keep up! Dr. Rick Machen asked me to look into my crystal ball as to what lies ahead for beef cattle producers, so here we go.
If we look back 25 years, we can see that many profound technological changes have impacted our ranching operations and everyday lives. Foremost is how we get information – our phone turned into a computer gateway to access information, shopping, videos and more. We no longer have to drive to town to shop, now we can have it delivered. Even buying and selling cattle is increasingly done remotely via satellite and/or internet transactions. In the beef industry, despite our highly fragmented structure, technology has changed our product. The widescale adoption of grid marketing for carcasses and, more recently, the use of instrument grading has resulted in massive improvements in carcass weight and marbling. The next 25 years will see even greater changes in how we manage, improve, and market our cattle.
MANAGEMENT INNOVATIONS
If anything is apparent in the future of ranching, it is that labor will become increasingly scarce and expensive. This will lead to the use of technology that reduces labor needs. Today, we already see technologies like Ranch Bot (remote water monitoring) and Vence (collars for virtual fencing and animal monitoring) as solutions that will reduce the labor needed to run cattle on extensive ranches. Robots are being implemented in packing plants. This trend will continue. Maybe we will
use drone swarms to move cattle. Surely, smart tags will tell us which animals are sick, which are open, and which are about to calve. All of this will be driven by the need to use technology where labor is constrained.
On a different level, we will use technology to make better management decisions. Management decisions on what to feed, on when to sell, and on how to manage pasture will be informed by artificial intelligence. I am pretty analytical, but I’ve come to learn that when more than several variables are involved – I cannot easily optimize outcomes. For example, adaptive grazing plans for my ranch will be driven by artificial intelligence that analyzes my herd’s real time grazing habits, animal weight information informed by cameras, remote forage monitoring, and forage production forecasting using the latest weather outlooks.
If anything is apparent in the future of ranching, it is that labor will become increasingly scarce and expensive resulting in the need for technologies such as virtual fencing.
Photo courtesy of Leachman Cattle of Colorado
Photo courtesy of R.A.Brown Ranch
Figure 1. A visual illustration to represent the idea of using IVF to make our bulls out of the best 10,000 cows and the resulting performance distribution.
GENETIC IMPROVEMENT
We only have to look at pork, poultry, or aquaculture to see that beef cattle genetic improvement lags behind that of most other food animals. Why? In beef cattle, genetic improvement is hampered by unclear value signals, by our slow generation interval, and by the fact that each cow only has about 0.8 calves per year. Despite this, we have reduced the US cowherd by 38% (from 45 M to 28 M cows), and still produce more beef today than at any time in history! Nonetheless, we will need to continue to improve the efficiency and quality of beef to maintain our share of consumer spending.
In the dairy industry, genetics companies drive milk production and efficiency. They make thousands of sexed male in vitro fertilized (IVF) embryos out of the top Holstein females and bulls. The resulting calves are DNA tested at birth. The very top 1% or less of these ET bull calves are kept intact while the others are castrated and fed out for beef. The AI companies then market semen on only these most elite males. As a result of this massive selection pressure, nearly every one of the 9.5 million dairy cows in the US is sired by a bull that ranks among the top 100 bulls in the industry for overall genetic merit. Sexed semen is then used to produce dairy replacements out of the best 50% of the cow herd, while the less desirable dairy cows are mated to elite terminal cross beef semen.
In contrast, the 28.2 million beef cows are 95% sired by natural service bulls with only 5% being artificially inseminated. Maybe technology will allow us to AI many more of those cows without excess labor. Until then, it will take over 1.1 million bulls or about 280,000 new bulls each year to breed the herd. To increase our rate of genetic improvement beef cattle will have to use advanced reproductive tools (sexed semen, IVF, etc.) to make those 280K bulls as good as they can be. Currently, approximately one million registered cows
in the US produce most of these bulls. Instead, we could be using the very best 10,000 cows in IVF programs to annually produce 30 male sexed embryo pregnancies.
I also imagine the widespread use of IVF to build elite F1 maternally selected females. These will be cows specifically designed for their regional environment such as an ideal cow for the southeastern US. The cows will be selected for efficiency, reproduction, and longevity and will offer 100% hybrid vigor. These maternal super-cows will then be mated to elite IVF produced terminal bulls whose selection focusses on weight gain, feed conversion, red meat yield, and carcass merit. This system is simply a new application of an old idea – specialized maternal and terminal lines. See Figure 1 for a visual representation of the idea of using IVF to make our bulls out of the best 10,000 cows. The mean moves from average, to ranking in the top 20%!
Finally, the biggest change in genetic improvement will come from the use of DNA to pick our replacement heifers. Currently, we mostly select heifers based on how they look and when they are born. DNA already offers a much better option to more accurately identify the females that have the traits that drive cowherd profit: hybrid vigor, cow feed requirement, cow lifetime fertility, and expected calf weaning weights. I expect that the vast majority of beef heifers will be DNA tested at branding time to build more profitable herds.
MARKETING CHANGES
Finally, we will see dramatic changes in the way our cattle go from the ranch to the end consumer. We will see DNA be used to determine the value of our feeder calves. Calves with particular carcass attributes will be targeted to consumers who will pay the most for those animals. Some of this will occur through more direct marketing of beef from the ranch to the consumer. I also expect 30 – 50% of the US beef supply chain to coordinate over the next 25 years. That means that ranchers, feeders, packers and retailers will work together to develop superior product lines that provide more value to consumers while also increasing production efficiencies. The first examples of such coordinated supply chains include Country Natural Beef that supplies Whole Foods and the 44 Farms “Prime Pursuits” program with Walmart.
CONCLUSION
These are exciting times in the beef industry. We have more information and more technology coming to us at ever faster rates. Not everyone will put all of this to use. In fact, maybe only half of us will, but therein is the opportunity. In most industries, you adopt innovative ideas, or you go out of business. In beef cattle production, those who adopt will have the opportunity to earn outsized profitability. I just wish I could find that fountain of youth…
Welcoming Dr. Robert Wells, PhD
Professor of the Practice and Paul C. Genho Endowed Chair in Ranch Management
WHAT INTERESTED YOU IN JOINING THE KRIRM TEAM?
Growing up in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas and showing Santa Gertrudis heifers in 4-H, I have always known the King Ranch name. I attended my first KRIRM lectureship series in 2011 and received my Texas Farm Credit Certificate in Advanced Ranch Management in 2012. I have always been impressed with the KRIRM program. Upon hearing of the opportunity to join the faculty of the Institute and Texas A&M University-Kingsville, I was eager to apply. For me, this position is a perfect blend of mentoring the next generation of ranch managers, and also serving alongside ranching industry leaders to sustain the ranch business.
HOW DO YOU HOPE TO INFLUENCE THE NEXT GENERATION OF RANCH MANAGERS?
There is always more than one way to approach a situation. I plan to help students understand the context of the situation and then apply critical and systems thinking to solve problems. Additionally, ranch management involves more than managing natural resources; our graduates must understand how to manage ownership expectations, personnel, finances, natural and animal resources. The ‘soft skills’ (of managing and understanding people) are crucial for success. Personally, I did not appreciate the utility of these soft skills when I finished my collegiate career. Ranching is among the most dynamic and rewarding professional careers.
WHAT UNIQUE PERSPECTIVES DO YOU BRING TO THE PROGRAM?
I grew up on a small diversified cattle and row crop operation, been keenly interested in cattle and ranching, and have spent a life-time in the industry. I have had the opportunity to work with ranches of various size, from the upper mid-west to the southern US border as well as internationally. I hope to impart the knowledge gained from experiences to the students at the Institute, the University, and beyond.
"From the day I quit trying to learn or think I know everything about ranching, I should have retired 6 months earlier."
- Dr. Robert Wells, PhD
Master of Science in Ranch Management
Be part of the legacy at the premier Master of Science in Ranch Management program in the world. Through a systems approach to ranch management, our program prepares experienced ranchers to manage diverse and complex ranching operations as progressive leaders. Applications to the two-year master’s program are open December 1, 2024 through March 31, 2025. Selected candidates will receive scholarships between $96,000-$108,000 during the two-year enrollment in the program.
Education and network through:
• Service-learning projects & case studies
• KRIRM lectureships & symposia
• Ranch management workshops
• Industry trade shows
• Summer internship
• Ranch visits
56 KRIRM alumni collectively manage:
• 9 million acres of ranchland and wildlife habitat
• 190,000 head of breeding cows
• 850 ranch employees
These aren’t your typical cowboys... Cowboy + Businessman = KRIRM Graduate
Learn more and apply today at: http://krirm.tamuk.edu/masters-program or call 361-593-5401
700 University Blvd, MSC 137 Kingsville, TX 78363
New Event for 2025
Managing the Wildlife Enterprise
Continuing Education in Ranch Management
2025 Event Schedule || Events Available In-Person & Online!
Successful Operations RequireWorld-Class Training for Ranch Employees
It is more crucial than ever that ranch employees have the tools they need for successful ranching operations. Our unique approach to continued education in ranch management means we provide multiple opportunities throughout the year for hands-on, applied learning that fits into a professional schedule and covers a wide-range of industry specific topics.
Register and view more information at: krirm.tamuk.edu/outreach
Managing the Cow-Calf Business Lectureship
January 16-17, 2025 || Kingsville, TX & Online
Gus T. Canales Lectureship on Prescribed Burning March 17-20, 2025 || Kingsville, TX & Online
W.B. “Dub” Yarborough Lectureship on Real Estate Law April 25-26, 2025 || Kingsville, TX & Online
Richard Mifflin Kleberg, Jr. Family Lectureship on Equine Management
May 19-21, 2025 || Kingsville, TX & Online
Managing the Wildlife Enterprise Lectureship August 21-22, 2025 || Kingsville, TX & Online
B.K. “Kley” Johnson Lectureship on Brush Management September 12-13, 2025 || Kingsville, TX & Online
HOLT CAT® Symposium on Excellence in Ranch Management November 6-7, 2025 || Kingsville, TX & Online
To view more information and register for events, please scan the QR code or visit: krirm.tamuk.edu/outreach
Connect with us online for the latest news and updates on the KRIRM program!
King Ranch® Institute for Ranch Management || Kingsville, TX || krirm.tamuk.edu || 361-593-5401
events count toward the TFC Certificate in Advanced Ranch Management