Wurz grew up in Fort Collins, Colorado surrounded by agriculture but not directly involved in the industry. “I always have a hard time answering what made me interested in the cattle business,” states Wurz. “I often joke that it boils down to ‘I like cows.’” He decided to further lean into his interest earning a bachelor’s degree in Animal Science …
Carson King
Raised in Dillon, Montana on a cow-calf stocker operation, King has been involved in ranching his entire life. Every summer he and his brothers worked on the ranch alongside their father. “The ranch facilitated a place to learn and grow in an environment that was challenging. As the ranch strived for perfection in a sustainable way, we were able to …
Mason Dahl
Dahl is a proud, seventh-generation American cattleman. He was born into the ranching lifestyle; “My dad did turn-around business for ranching and developed a three-year, three-phase program to accomplish that. As a result, my childhood and teenage years were spent in various parts of Idaho, Nevada, Montana, Utah and Oregon.” From a young age he was exposed to different operation …
Record High Cow Prices Can Have Lingering Effect
By Rick Machen, PhD The US beef industry is experiencing record high prices for calves, feeder and fed cattle. Cow prices are rising rapidly and expected to surpass 2014-15 replacement female prices. La Niña weather patterns are shifting to El Niño. Great Plains soil moisture conditions are improving; the current U.S. Drought Monitor map has improved appreciably (except Kansas and …
Ranch Biosecurity Planning: Protect Your Animals and Your Business
By Julia Herman, DVM, MS, DACVPM Beef Cattle Specialist Veterinarian, NCBA, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff Every day cattle producers are taking steps to protect their families, animals, and operations from various risks. These risks could include inclement weather, poor nutrition, predators, viruses and microbes, contaminated water, among many others. The cattle production system in the U.S. does an …
True Ranches: Pursuing sustainability, data traceability and partnership with True West Beef
By Kindra Gordon, published in the KRIRM Fall 2023 Newsletter It is said that “Big things are built one brick at a time.” For Wyoming-based True Ranches LLC that approach has established a solid foundation for their modern day, innovative beef production efforts. The cornerstone was laid in June 1957 when Dave and Jean True, pioneers in Wyoming’s oil industry, …
Paul Quin
Quin was born and raised in the horse country of Pilot Point, Texas. He graduated from Texas A&M University in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in Rangeland Ecology and Management with a minor in Soil and Forage Sciences. Throughout college he had developed a strong passion for learning and understanding the ecology of grassland environments which ultimately led him to …
Seb Killpack
Raised in southeastern Idaho, Killpack grew up working with his parents and neighbors at local small farms and ranches and competing in roping events. While pursuing his bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Engineering Technology at BYU-Idaho, Killpack worked multiple jobs for local ranches gaining experience in the cow-calf and feedlot sectors as well as farming. After earning his degree in the …
Nate Edwards
Edwards was raised in Oologah, Oklahoma. His passion for ranching began working with family on his grandparents’ cow-calf operation. While earning his Bachelor of Science in Animal Science with a minor in Agricultural Economics at Oklahoma State University, he had the opportunity to work outside the classroom on a cow-calf operation and feedlot/bull test station further expanding his knowledge and …
Case Study: Identification of Federal and State Assistance Programs with Potential Utility for Ranchers
INTRODUCTION Many of the historical southern Texas Panhandle ranches were established in the late 1800’s. With a long-standing commitment to western heritage, they embody ranching traditions, with a focus on raising high quality cattle and working ranch horses. The host ranch of this case study consists of native rangeland with no cultivated ground. Important landowner considerations include natural resource management …
Replacement Heifer Development Considerations for Long Term Success
by Dave DeLaney, KRIRM Practitioner in Ranch Management Whether in response to restocking due to drought, or simply a change in operations to take advantage of the uptrend in the current beef cycle, those of us at the Institute thought this might be a timely subject to address. Of all the strategic decisions the commercial cow-calf operator has to make, few …
Class of 2023 Shares Lessons Learned and Insights Gained
With exposure to diverse operations across the country, networking with professionals, and classroom learning, KRIRM students embrace the opportunity to learn more about current challenges facing the industry. As the graduating class of 2023 prepares to return to the workforce, they share some of the biggest challenges they have noticed and potential solutions going forward. The class of 2023 includes …