Founded in 1853 by Captain Richard King, King Ranch is comprised of 825,000 acres of South Texas brush country. Covering almost 1,300 square miles, it is larger than the entire state of Rhode Island. Captain King’s descendants continue to play an active role at King Ranch working with professional management to build on traditions of the past and innovations for the future. King Ranch is known for the Santa Gertrudis cattle breed, the American Quarter Horse, and its progressive wildlife management programs. King Ranch has hosted KRIRM students Dave Genho and Matt Etheredge for a variety of problem solving exercises. Dave Genho conducted his summer internship as a Unit Manager on the Santa Gertrudis Division, and Craig Payne developed a plan to initiate the National Animal Identification System this past Fall.

Contact Information: PO Box 1090, Kingsville, TX, 78363; Phone: (361) 592-6411; www.king-ranch.com

The McWhorter and White Ranch sits in the grand openness of the Nebraska sandhills. This 10,000 acre, Angus based cow/calf operation is located in the mixed grass prairie and contains some unique assets: the North Loup River running through the south end of the ranch, and a main house that is rumored to have been the largest home between Denver, Colorado and Omaha, Nebraska between the late 1940-50’s. While only in its second year of new ownership, the McWhorter & White Ranch has already become involved in many government and state programs to improve its range resources to improve wildlife habitat. KRIRM student Matt Etheredge conducted his summer internship at the ranch to help develop a comprehensive business plan for their operations.

Vermejo Park is the heart of the famous 2 million acre Maxwell Land Grant created in 1841. Lucien Maxwell, a fur trader colleague of Kit Carson, acquired the land grant through marriage, established its headquarters in Cimarron, and allowed settlers on the land.

In the fall of 1996 Vermejo Park was acquired by Ted Turner. It is the largest of Turner’s extensive land holdings. The guest operation was retained, the cattle were sold, and bison were stocked on their historic range.

The ranch headquarters is located at the foot of the Bighorn Mountains in north central Wyoming. The ranch is divided into units which are spread from Hardin, Montana to Sheridan, Wyoming. Elevations vary from nearly 9,000 feet on summer permits in the Bighorns Mountains to 3,600 feet on the Tongue River at Acme, Wyoming.

The ranch grazes cow-calf pairs on native grassland in Montana and Wyoming. Grazing lands are a mixture of private and leased land located on or near the Crow Indian Reservation.

Founded in 1950, Deseret Cattle & Citrus is comprised of 300,000 acres of land carved out of Florida’s native woods. The ranch is located outside of Saint Cloud, Florida, about one hour southeast of Orlando. Dotted with lakes, and native forested areas, the ranch is home to deer, turkey, armadillos, eagles, alligators and other wildlife. The ranch has received awards for its extensive wildlife and natural resource programs and has a full-time biologist on staff. In addition to the cow/calf operation, other enterprises include citrus groves, wildlife, timber, sod and shell pits.