Barry Dunn’s family started ranching on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota approximately 120 years ago. His early interest in ranching was cultivated and encouraged by his parents and grandparents. After graduation from South Dakota State University (SDSU) with a Masters degree in Animal Science in 1977, Barry managed a beef cattle research facility for North Dakota State University (NDSU) located on the Carrington Research and Extension Center, Carrington, ND. In 1979 he returned to his family’s “L7 Ranch” near Mission, South Dakota. Barry and his wife Jane lived on and managed the ranch for 17 years. In 1996, Barry returned to academia to work on his Ph.D. in Animal Science at SDSU, which he received in 2000. Barry and Jane, and their sons Thomas and Michael, continued to farm and raise cattle in Brookings, South Dakota until he accepted the position as Director of KRIRM. Barry served as a Range Livestock Production Extension Specialist with SDSU for four years, and also taught undergraduate courses in Beef Production, Range Management, and Ranch Management.

Dr. Dunn’s unique background of practical hands on experience in ranching, along with his academic achievements, has prepared him to be the King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management’s first Director. His responsibilities include the devolvement of the Institute’s curriculum, recruitment and mentoring of students, promotion of the Institutes vision, and fundraising. Dr. Dunn works closely with the Institute’s Management Council, the University administration and faculty, and his staff to make this new educational endeavor a success.

• B.S. in Biology, South Dakota State University, 1975
• M.S. in Animal Science, South Dakota State University, 1977
• Ph.D. in Animal Science, South Dakota State University, 2000

Dr. Dunn’s research interests have focused on beef production and ranching systems. His research at NDSU compared two different beef cow-calf production systems and beef production using yearling stockers. His research for his Ph.D. dissertation focused on characterizing the cow-calf industry in the Northern Great Plains using Standardized Performance Analysis (SPA) and developing a deeper understanding of factors affecting profitability of that industry. His collaborators for this work were Drs. Eddie Hamilton and Dick Pruitt of SDSU and Duane Griffith of Montana State University. Dr. Dunn has also collaborated with Drs. Sandy Smart and Roger Gates of SDSU in the analysis of a long term data set from western South Dakota studying weather variables such as drought and stocking rate and their affect on rangeland productivity. In the future, Dr. Dunn will be working with King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management students in the development of case study’s of ranches that serve as their host on internships.

Barry has been a member of and served in leadership positions in a variety of community and industry groups including: a local county conservation district board, state and local Extension advisory boards, the South Dakota Beef Industry Council, South Dakota Stockgrower’s Association, South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association, and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA). He was Chairman of NCBA’s Integrated Resource Management sub-committee for 5 years and currently serves as Vice Chairman of their Production Research Committee. On a personal level, Barry has served as a Cub Scout leader, youth soccer coach, and church board member. While ranching in Mission, SD, and along with other community members, Barry helped start an adult education program for ranchers called “Bootstraps.” This highly successful model of information transfer and community education has spread to many other communities and states.

• A Systems Approach to Ranch Problem Solving - Graduate Level
• Advanced Methods in Livestock Marketing - Graduate Level
• Advanced Livestock Production - Graduate Level
• Beef Production - Senior Level
• Introduction to Range Management - Freshman Level
• Introduction to Ranch Management - Freshman Level
• Advanced Ranch Management - Senior Level