Ross comes to KRIRM with a slightly different background than one might expect. Although he has extensive property management and livestock experience, the operations he has managed have always included a tourist component.
While attending Brigham Young University-Idaho, Ross worked as a guide and foreman for Halo Ranch Outfitters just outside West Yellowstone, Montana where he was able to put into practice things he learned about herd health and property management. Ross regularly managed day-to-day business operations during six different summers and came to truly love the greater Yellowstone area.
To expand his horizons, Ross moved to Hawaii and became the Operations Manager at Gunstock Ranch, a tourist ranch on Oahu. Again, he was allowed to flex his management muscles. During his four years in Hawaii, he ran both the horseback riding and cattle operations. He implemented rotational grazing and a local grass-fed beef program and worked to create better pasture management programs as well as cowboy experiences for guests. It was here that he met his amazing wife Aubrey and their first child, Oliver, was born.
In an effort to move closer to his Idaho home, Ross ended up in Colorado. As the Palisade Ranch Manager over a ranch for a high-end resort, he was integral in “cowboying up” the ranch and greatly improved their pastures and hay meadows. During their five years in Colorado, he and his wife added two precious daughters, Cricket and Daphne, to their family.
After managing ranches catered to tourists, Ross discovered his heart lies in production agriculture. This pull prompted him to buy his own small herd of cows in Colorado, where he was able to put into practice his passion for quality, uniform cattle.
Ross hopes his connection with KRIRM will allow him a closer tie to production while still giving him opportunities to act as a face and ambassador for the ranching industry. He is honored to be a part of the Institute and looks forward to the associations and wealth of information he will gain from his time in Texas, even if it meant selling his prized palomino colt.