INSTITUTE - King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management

Volume 6, Issue 1
Spring 2010
KING RANCH
INSTITUTE
FOR RANCH MANAGEMENT
FEATURES
Tracks
3 Wagon
“Brilliant Ideas”
By Dr. Barry H. Dunn
4
Images for Conservation
“Putting the Focus on Conservation”
By Kindra Gordon
Price Tag of Opportunity
7 The
Letter from Dr. Barry H. Dunn
8
New Beginnings
KRIRM is graduating four students in the
class of 2010.
Published by the
KING RANCH INSTITUTE
FOR RANCH MANAGEMENT
Texas A&M University-Kingsville
700 University Blvd., MSC 137
Kingsville, TX 78363
(361) 593-5401
(361) 593-5404 fax
E-mail: [email protected]
http://krirm.tamuk.edu
Barry H. Dunn, Ph.D.,
Executive Director
Jaimi Butler, Editor
By Kindra Gordon
MANAGEMENT COUNCIL
Chair: James H. Clement Jr.,
King Ranch, Inc.
Caroline Alexander Forgason,
Robert J. Kleberg, Jr. & Helen C.
Kleberg Foundation
Gus T. Canales, A.T. Canales
Ranches
Dave Delaney, King Ranch, Inc.
Lynn Drawe, Ph.D.
Paul C. Genho, Ph.D.,
AgReserves, Inc.
Bob McCan, McFaddin Enterprises
On Our Cover:
“Simply Texas” by Jeo Lowery
www.joelowery.com
2 Spring 2010 King Ranch Institute
“Brilliant Ideas”
From the Director, Dr. Barry H. Dunn
F
or those of you who don’t remember, the first
ideas.” My experience would
widely used method of opening an aluminum bev- strongly support this; creerage can was a tab that one pulled off the can and ative, new ideas in ranching
threw away. While it served its purpose remarkseem to be a rare commodity.
ably well, the unexpected outcome were millions
and millions of discarded “pop tops” littering
Early in the twenstreets, parks, beaches, and just about everywhere. My uncle
tieth century, King Ranch
Lloyd, who spent his career working as a research engineer for developed a composite breed
Alcoa Aluminum, was given the task to develop a replacement of cattle, the Santa Gertrufor the “pop tops” on aluminum beverage cans. If you think
dis, which were bred to be adaptable to the harsh south Texas
about it, that was a daunting challenge. The new tab had to
climate while at the same time improving the production and
be simple, easy to use, and also had to function mechanically
carcass characteristics of the cattle. In 1940, it was recognized
so that it stayed on the can but wasn’t
as the first American beef breed by the
The history of our ranching in- United States Department of Agriculaccidently swallowed. Plus, it had to
completely seal the container to keep the dustry is rich with innovation. ture. Since necessity is credited to be the
beverage in while keeping bacteria and A modern ranch is a complex, mother of invention, it doesn’t surprise
other contaminants out. I am proud to
that the “Wild Horse Desert” of south
integrated system born of the me
say that my Uncle Lloyd and his team
Texas was the birth place of a new breed
marriage of necessity and
solved the problem. Lloyd invented a
of cattle. It is the toughest cattle counhermitically sealed riveted opener that
try that I have seen in my travels across
creativity.
stayed with the can. We have all used
America. The benefits of composite cattle
his invention literally thousands of times, as each year in the
are now widely known, and their ability to retain the benefits
United States approximately 100 billion aluminum cans are
of heterosis is well proven. The fact that the development of
produced, each one of them with my Uncle Lloyds invention
the Santa Gertrudis occurred while Mendelian Genetics was
right on top. It was a brilliant idea!
still a highly controversial topic in science, and decades before
Watson and Crick’s discovery of DNA, is nothing short of
During my tenure at the King Ranch Institute for
amazing. Santa Gertrudis cattle were truly a “brilliant idea.”
Ranch Management (KRIRM), I have worked hard at promoting strategic planning and management for ranches. We
In 1978, the first pound of Certified Angus Beef TM was
have conducted symposiums and lectureships on the topic.
sold. In 2010, 1.8 million pounds are sold daily, generating
We also have developed workbooks that are available from our $2.7 billion of consumer sales annually. Since its inception
KRIRM website for individuals interested in getting started
Continued on page 10
in the process. However, there is an important stage in the
strategic planning process that is very difficult. It comes when
you look for new ideas that may help you close the gap from
where your ranch is to where you envision it to be. It is little
comfort that experts agree this critical step is also the hardest. In fact, strategic planning is criticized because it is doesn’t
always lead to the devolvement of new and creative, “brilliant
wagon
WT
tracks
Photo by JoAnne Meeker
King Ranch Institute Spring 2010
3
Putting on
the
Focus
Conser vation
Landowners and nature photographers
have the opportunity to team up for a
powerful purpose.
By Kindra Gordon
T
hrough the lens of a camera, private lands are a photographer’s delight – filled with scenic vistas, intriguing
birds, insects and wildlife, and colorful plants and
flowers.
But, those “photo opps” are a commodity often overlooked by a
traditional cattle ranch. Now, a Texas-based nonprofit organization
called the Images for Conservation Fund (ICF) is working to change
that and help landowners capitalize on their efforts to preserve and
protect wildlife.
“Many of us take for granted what our ranches have to offer,”
says Gail Hoffman, who serves as executive director of ICF. She tells
the story of the first time a photographer from Colorado visited the
Texas ranch she and her husband Bruce own and operate with their
son. “…he had his nose to the ground photographing the bugs, the
flowers, and the butterflies the minute he came through the gate. It
was the stuff we took for granted everyday…it was a very enlightening experience.”
And it’s an experience many photographers – from amateurs to
professionals – are willing to pay for, which creates an opportunity
for landowners and their communities to tap a new revenue stream
from the nature photo tourism industry.
White-tailed Deer| Keith Szafranski |
Coleto Creek Project
4 Spring 2010 King Ranch Institute
But there’s an additional, perhaps even more important, benefit –
the emphasis on conservation. “As landowners recognize the value of
wildlife habitat through nature photo tourism, there is an incentive
to keep native landscapes intact,” explains Hoffman.
With 90% of the land in the Western Hemisphere privately
owned, private landowners are key to preserving more than 90% of
all wildlife species for future generations.
Thus, Hoffman explains that the goal of ICF is to create a
continual circle where conservation efforts produce wildlife which
attracts photographers which creates revenue and puts emphasis
back on the value of conservation.
A Model for Success
How is ICF helping ranchers tap the nature photo tourism
industry? They are developing the industry through the Pro-Tour
of Nature Photography tournament – which uses an economic development model patterned after the Professional Golf Association
Tours. Specifically, a competition is held for professionals, but after
the competition, an infrastructure is left in place for the community to attract and generate a continuing revenue stream from other
semi-pros and amateurs in the sport.
The first Pro-Tour of Nature Photography was held in 2006 in
the Texas Hill Country, followed by a second tournament in 2008
in the Texas Coastal Bend region, and the 2010 event being held
in the Laredo Borderlands. (See sidebar for details about the 2010
contest.)
The event pairs 20 landowners from the pre-selected, multicounty area with 20 professional nature photographers for a world-
Northern Bobwhite| John Hendrickson |
Welder Wildlife Foundation
Bobcat| Joshua Anderson |
Rancho Lucero
class tournament that takes place over a one month period. An
elite judging panel then selects the winning photographs in specific
categories, and prize money – $180,000 for the contest in 2010 – is
split between the photographer-landowner teams.
While the tournament attracts several renowned professional
nature photographers and a large sum for prize money, King Ranch
Institute executive director Barry Dunn points out that the real
value of the Pro-Tour is in what it leaves behind.
Dunn explains, “Each of the tours leaves in place 20 ranches
with photography blinds in place and ready to host amateur photographers …that infrastructure and the ability to develop a nature
photography or ecotourism enterprise is what makes this a great
economic development model.”
Likewise, Hoffman says, “The Pro-Tour has definitely raised the
awareness among landowners of the value of conservation and the
potential for nature photo tourism.” Several of the past participating
ranches have now actively established photo ecotourism businesses.
Among the success stories is the Fennessey Ranch at Bayside,
TX, which has been building a revenue stream from nature photography for the past decade and participated in the Pro-Tour in 2008
with photographer Rolf Nussbaumer. They were named the top
landowner-photographer team for that tournament.
Sally Crofutt with the Fennessey Ranch reports that nature
tourism has been a very viable asset for Fennessey Ranch, and she
reveals, “We made more money from photography last year than we
made from cattle. Of course we need every penny of both enterprises!”
Crofutt acknowledges that hosting nature photographers requires
some extra effort, planning and communication, but that it can be a
lot of fun. And, most importantly she says that income returning to
real, working ranches is the great asset of nature photography.
“Any and all ranch revenue streams that keep the original owner
on the land are important for our rural communities,” Crofutt
points out, and adds, “Rural economies count on residents on the
land. Those are the people who send their kids to school and use the
local economy – and they are also some of the best stewards of the
land.”
Painted Bunting | Sean Fitzgerald |
La Ramirena Ranch
A Nationwide Network
Looking ahead, ICF aims to grow the nature photo tourism
industry on private lands from a $2 billion/year industry to a
$100 billion industry over the next 25 years. They hope to do this
through the promotion of conservation, the education of landowners and photographers, and development of regional organizations
and photography competitions – perhaps even a Pro-Tour of the
Western Hemisphere. Each of these efforts would help put a focus
on the importance of conservation and wildlife – and also build the
infrastructure across the country for individual ranchers to develop
their own photo tourism enterprise as an alternative revenue source
for their ranches.
That’s precisely the outcome Texan John Martin was hoping for
when he founded ICF in 2005.
Martin, a former certified financial planner, has been involved
in conservation issues for more than two decades – he and his wife
Audrey were motivated by their concern that their grandchildren
“might only have books to view our natural treasures.”
Martin has said his ultimate goal through ICF is to produce a
national conservation movement by establishing a private lands
nature photo tourism industry that provides sound economic incentives for private landowners to protect and enhance the diversity of
habitats.
As well, those who experience the nature photo tourism industry
become new constituents for conservation – leading to that win-win
scenario for the land, the wildlife, and the people.
According to the ICF website, the organization’s mission will have
been accomplished when “private landowners, nature photographers
and country, state and city tourism entities throughout the Western
Hemisphere have joined together to give an economic and visual
voice to wildlife, landscapes, plants and scenic views...and a thriving
private lands Nature Photo Tourism Industry exists worldwide.”
The King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management has been a supporter
of the ICF effort by providing speakers for various wildlife symposiums,
including ICF at KRIRM symposium trade show, and helping promote
the conservation message.
Great Horned Owl | Jason Hahn |
Pedrotti-Sorgente Ranch
Bluebonnet | Rolf Nussbaumer |
Fennessey Ranch
King Ranch Institute Spring 2010
5
More About The 2010
Pro-Tour Contest
The Borderlands of Laredo, Texas is the host region for
the 2010 Images for Conservation (ICF) Pro-Tour of Nature
Photography, with the competition region stretching from
Zapata County on the southeast to Maverick County on the
northwest. This southwest Texas region is home to thousands
of speices of flora and fauna and is extremely important to
migratory birds, mammals and insects.
Gail Hoffman, executive director for ICF, says the city of
Laredo Convention & Visitors Bureau is thrilled to host the
event and has become a major sponsor. “They recognize that
promoting this area with images of nature has the potential
to boost tourism and bring significant new revenue to local
businesses,” she says.
Photographer and landowner applications for the 2010
Pro-Tour were due in 2009. The 20 professional nature
photographer participants were announced in September
2009, with this year’s competition including photographers
from not only the U.S., but Canada, Mexico, France and the
Netherlands.
The 20 landowner participants were announced on Dec. 1,
2009 and include the following:
•
Burns Ranch (Michele Cadwallader)
•
Santa Margarita Ranch (Don & Margaret Collis)
•
Oro Blanco Ranch (Juan Escamilla)
•
Fasken Oil & Ranch
•
Shape Ranch (Hugh & Sarah Fitzsimons)
•
Callaghan Ranch (Ana Maria Finley)
•
Rancho Flores – Dos Hermanos (Antonio & Leo
Flores)
•
Violeta Ranch (Eddie Garza)
•
Espejo Ranch (Tom & Diane Gates)
•
San Pablito Ranch (Jim & Ann Gibbs)
•
Legal Eagle Ranches Inc. (Earl M. Herring)
•
International Bank of Commerce
•
Jones Family Ranch (A.C. Jones, IV)
•
Nancy & Bill Maloy
•
Pescadito Ranch (Jesus H. Martinez)
•
Cotulla Ranch (Jeremy & Melissa Peters)
•
Rancho Ramirez “El Veleno” (Renato Ramirez)
•
El Ranchito (Carroll E. Summers)
•
Temple Ranch (Ellen & Buddy Temple)
•
Los Novios (George & Claire Vaughn)
As a kick-off to this year’s Pro-Tour, on March 26, 2010,
a Landscapes and Livelihoods land management workshop
with a focus on holistic management was held at the Embassy
Suites in Laredo. Then on March 27, a Wildlife Photography
symposium was held for landowners to learn more about
6 Spring 2010 King Ranch Institute
Keith Szafranski | Coleto Creek Project
wildlife enterprise development and photographers to enhance their techniques. The culmination of the day’s event
included dinner and the matching of the 20 professional photographers and landowners – through a random drawing – to
create the 2010 Pro-Tour teams.
After the teams were matched they had the opportunity
to meet for the first time and strategize their plans to have a
successful nature photography experience. The contest began
April 1, 2010 and concluded April 30, 2010.
By May 17, 2010, each photographer-landowner team
will submit a final 70-image portfolio for judging. Photos
will showcase the region’s biodiversity in five categories: 1)
Birds; 2) Mammals; 3) Reptiles, Amphibians & Fish; 4)
Invertebrates (Insects & Arachnids); 5) Landscapes, Plants &
Flowers.
Judging will take place May 27-30, with photo rankings
and prize money awarded in each of the categories - $180,000
in total prize money will be awarded for 2010 with winnings
divided between photographers and landowners. The awards
ceremony, hosted by the Laredo Convention and Visitor’s
Bureau, will be held on June 19, 2010.
On October 16, 2010, a 10 x 10 hardbound coffee table
book with a collection of over 200 of the prize-winning, fullcolor wildlife and landscape photography from the Laredo
Borderlands region, plus stories featuring all of the participating landowners and photographers, will be dedicated and
made available to the public.
Additionally, a traveling museum exhibit of stunning
photographic images from the Pro-Tour will be displayed
at various venues for the public’s enjoyment and education
about the importance of conservation and wildlife.
Hoffman concludes that ultimately the Pro-Tour has been
a valuable educational tool. “The photographs that are captured enlighten all of us to the variety of species – both plants
and animals – that are on the land.”
For more details about the Pro-Tour of Nature Photography visit
www.imagesforconservation.org.
The Price Tag of Opportunity
Dear Friends,
In the beginning of January 2004 I became the first Executive Director and Robert J. Kleberg Jr. and Helen C. Kleberg Endowed Chair
of the King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management (KRIRM). The past six plus years have been the one of the greatest experiences of my
life. But last fall I was recruited to apply to be the Dean of the College of Agriculture and Biological Sciences at my Alma matter, South
Dakota State University. I hesitated in applying, because I didn’t want to face the prospect of leaving KRIRM. I passionately believe in
its mission, and care deeply for its students, alumni, faculty, Management Council, staff, and supporters. The beautiful campus of Texas
A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK) and the Kingsville community had become home to my wife Jane and me. My relationship with
King Ranch, its family, management team, and Kineños, had developed into more than I could have dreamt of. But ultimately I did apply,
and am humbled to report that I was selected from a large and talented pool of candidates to be the next Dean. And so, once again, I have
re-learned one of life’s bittersweet lessons; opportunity carries with it a price tag. To move home to tackle the biggest challenge of my life, I
have to leave my greatest accomplishment.
But the success of the KRIRM has many parents. Its concept was born of the genius of Paul Genho. It landed on fertile intellectual
ground under the open and creative administration and faculty of the College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Human Sciences at
TAMUK. It was generously nourished by the philanthropy of the King Ranch family; its incredible ranch, and the many generous individuals and organizations who have donated to its endowment and operation. It has been carefully nurtured by an engaged Management
Council. Its support staff has worked very hard and committed themselves to its success. I am still amazed and humbled that its students
put their trust in an idea and uprooted their lives and families to come to south Texas to learn and study with me. I will be forever in debt
to my rancher friends across the nation who hosted our students during their internships. I would like to thank everyone who has been
involved in KRIRM; for their support, friendship and cooperation. I would like to especially thank Jamey Clement, Dave Delaney, Allen
Rasmussen, Fred Bryant, and Kim McCuistion. It has been my honor and privilege to know and work with all of you!
The world in which we live allows us to stay connected in many creative ways. It is my hope that Jane and I will be able to stay in touch
with all of our south Texas friends. My new contact information is: (605)688-4148 and [email protected]. I look forward to hearing
from you all! The search for my replacement is well under way and I am confident that the next director will build on the strong foundation that has been laid here. My sincere hope and prayer for KRIRM, and all who are associated with it, is for continued success.
Sincerely,
7
New
Beginnings
By Kindra Gordon
The King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management will
graduate four students in the class of 2010. Here, those
individuals share the insight gained during their KRIRM
journey and where their path leads next.
G
raduation marks that pivotal transition where
one chapter of life closes and a new path
emerges. For the four students graduating
from the King Ranch Institute for Ranch
Management in 2010, they are eager for the
changeover and the opportunities that lie ahead to help
shape the future of agriculture.
Conner
Wilson
Conner Wilson is already at
work with Deseret Cattle &
Citrus in Florida. He will participate in their leadership and
training program during his
first year gaining experience in specific areas of the ranch’s
diverse operation – from cow-calf to heavy equipment and
accounting. Wilson then intends to become a foreman on one
of Deseret’s ranch units.
A native of Texas, Wilson earned his Bachelor’s in Animal
Science from Texas A&M University (TAMU) and gained experience working in brush management, Extension and with
several ranches – including the King Ranch – before joining
the KRIRM program.
He came to KRIRM wanting to strengthen his business
and financial skills as related to the ranch industry. And now
as a KRIRM graduate, Wilson says he benefitted most by
8 Spring 2010 King Ranch Institute
learning to implement the systems approach to ranching.
He says, “The systems approach requires learning to look
at everything from that 30,000 foot view – the big picture –
and then looking at things strategically and taking it down to
the tactical level for implementation.”
For his own big picture, Wilson says 10-20 years from now
he hopes to be managing a sizeable ranching operation with
multiple entities via a wholistic approach.
Wilson acknowledges that challenges exist in agriculture,
but adds, “That’s often where the opportunities lie. I think
people who are able to manage environmentally and socially
responsibly will create opportunities for profitability and
sustainability.”
Armando
Caballero
Also a native of Texas, Armando Caballero came to the
KRIRM program with a wealth
of ag experience, but says he
felt he still “needed to gain the
skills to become a better asset
in the ag industry.”
Caballero was the first in his family to attend college, and
graduated from Texas A&M University-Kingsville in 2002
with a Bachelor of Science in Animal Science. As an undergraduate, he worked at the King Ranch feedlot, then on the
quarter horse unit. He then joined Circle Four Farms, a large
hog operation in southern Utah, and spent five years working in many different areas of swine production – including
traveling as an international recruiter.
In 2007, Caballero decided to pursue a career path in cattle
and began working for AgReserves, Inc. at Elberta Valley Ag,
a 5,000 head dairy in central Utah. The company supported
his goal of earning a Master’s degree to enhance his managerial skills, so Caballero then enrolled in the KRIRM program.
Caballero particularly wanted to improve his business skills
– and as he completes the KRIRM Master’s program he has
the opportunity to do so by updating the business plan for
Elberta Valley Ag.
Today, Caballero is continuing his employment with the
dairy as a team manager overseeing nearly a dozen employees.
Of his career path, Caballero says he has been surprised to
land in the dairy industry, but says, “I’m not necessarily tied
to a specific segment of agriculture. What I’ve learned about
myself is that I like the intensity of the dairy industry.”
Caballero says his goal is to eventually be a general manager or an operations manager within AgReserves, Inc. He adds,
“One of the fundamentals we learned through the KRIRM
program is systems thinking, and I feel that will be beneficial
in any area that I choose to work.”
Brent
McCann
Born and raised on a commercial cattle operation
in north central Montana,
Brent McCann grew up
helping in most every aspect
of the daily operations of
his family’s place and later worked as a wildland firefighter
during the summers of his undergraduate college years. McCann’s educational background includes a Bachelor’s degree
in liberal studies and a Master’s degree in journalism both
from the University of Montana.
After working as a cub reporter for a time, McCann realized he’d rather be astraddle a horse, so returned to Montana
and his commercial cow-calf roots in 1997.
In 2002, he went to work for Montana’s Dearborn Ranch.
During his six years there, McCann says he realized there was
a lot about ranch management that he needed to learn, and
that led him to the KRIRM program with his sights set on
developing his resource management and business skills.
McCann says, “My time at the institute has been about
learning as much as I can about as many things related to
ranch management. At the beginning, Dr. Dunn encouraged
us to be like kids in a candy store, and I’ve kept that in mind.”
McCann says a highlight of his KRIRM experience was
an internship at the Vermejo Park Ranch in New Mexico.
“It is quite a place with many different enterprises and Mark
Kossler, the ranch manager, was a great mentor. It was an
invaluable experience.”
He also counts the knowledge gained in ecology, nutrition, accounting, finance and systems thinking as important
tools that he will continue to build upon in his future ranch
endeavors.
McCann is completing a project with the King Ranch
focused on commercial cattle production; he will then return
to Montana as ranch foreman at Sieben Live Stock, a commercial cow-calf operation near Cascade.
Looking ahead, McCann says his future is not about a particular job or place, rather his aim is to find balance between
work and family, and to work with people whose values he is
comfortable with in a culture from which good will come. He
concludes, “There are many different scenarios out there and
successes to be a part of.”
JD
Radakovich
JD Radakovich was raised on
a purebred and composite
seedstock cattle operation in
Iowa where he was exposed to
cattle production from all over the world. Radakovich earned
a Bachelor’s degree in animal science from Colorado State
University and then worked for nine months on ranch stations throughout eastern Australia. Following that, Radakovich spent ten years in northern Nevada working on ranches
before enrolling in the KRIRM program.
Radakovich says initially he felt the KRIRM program
would help him focus on his preconceived weaknesses of
business – particularly accounting – and wildlife management.
Now, as he earns his Master’s he says, “I learned so much
more about the importance of the structure of an organization and the necessity of balancing and matching the investment, expenses, production, and marketing of a ranch.”
He adds, “Before coming back to graduate school I really
didn’t have the discipline or structure to auger into a complex
problem and figure it out.” Now, he feels he does.
Radakovich is stepping back into the ranch industry as
manager of the Hoodoo Ranch in Cody, Wyoming, and he
has set his sights high. He says, “In ten years, my hope is that
the Hoodoo Ranch will be a positive example for the ranching and environmental communities of land stewardship and
profitability.”
For more information about the KRIRM program visit
http://krirm.tamuk.edu/.
King Ranch Institute Spring 2010
9
Continued from page 3
Commit to Lifelong Learning
Upcoming Events
May 10-13, 2010
Richard Mifflin Kleberg, Jr. Family
Lectureship on GIS Technology
July 19-22, 2010
Grazing Management Lectureship
August 9-13, 2010
John Armstrong Lectureship on
Systems Thinking
September 17-18, 2010
Lectureship on Managerial Accounting
for Ranchers
October 28-29, 2010
®
HOLT CAT Symposium on Excellence in
Ranch Management:
Managing Risk in a Risky Business
December 13-16, 2010
Richard Mifflin Kleberg, Jr. Family
Lectureship on Equine Management
10 Spring 2010 King Ranch Institute
in 1978, there have been countless imitators and competitors.
But the founding members of this organization had not only
a unique product, top quality beef, but they also designed a
highly successful “demand pull” business plan. The success
of Certified Angus Beef TM has not only benefited its direct
members and active participants, but everyone associated with
the cattle industry. They proved to us that consumers will
pay premiums for a high quality, consistent beef product that
meets expectations. Watching the flow of the associated dollars through the beef production system to reward commercial
and purebred Angus producers has been remarkable. It has
propelled the Angus breed to be the number one breed in the
nation. Certified Angus Beef TM was a “brilliant idea.”
For many years, ecotourism has been widely promoted by many well meaning individuals and groups as a
profitable alternative enterprise for ranchers. The trouble is,
it isn’t. The fact is that while many ranchers own and manage the same beautiful vistas, stunning sceneries, and unique
species of wildlife as are found in our National Parks, ranchers have not been able to capture the intrinsic value of these
resources in a business. Why? For many reasons, of course,
but I believe what is missing is a truly functional business
model. And that is where Images for Conservation comes in.
In my opinion, it is a truly “brilliant idea.” Its founder, John
Martin, took a proven business model, that of the Professional
Golfer’s Association (PGA), applied it to a unique resource,
ranches, and tied them to the untapped consumer demand of
amateur wildlife photography. I hope you enjoy Kindra Gordon’s inspirational article on Images for Conservation found
on page 4 of this newsletter. It is personally heartwarming for
me that there is a tangible, working, and sustainable business
model for ranchers offering proof that conservation pays.
Yet the challenge remains, finding “brilliant ideas” to
help our ranches survive and thrive. At first blush, the creative genius of my Uncle Lloyd, the Klebergs of King Ranch,
the founders of Certified Angus Beef TM, or John Martin of
Images for Conservation would seem to be a very rare commodity. But is it? The history of our ranching industry is
rich with innovation. A modern ranch is a complex, integrated system born of the marriage of necessity and creativity.
Today, the worlds of information and technology are exploding around us. And even during our current recession some
consumers are demanding “story food”, which provides them
a connection with the supplier of their food. The list of the
goods and services provided to society by grasslands is being
explored and expanded. Unique applications to the business
of ranching for these opportunities, as well as many others,
are waiting. Finally, I am reminded of Paul Harvey’s daily
charge to his radio listeners: “Lead on!”
KING RANCH INSTITUTE
FOR RANCH MANAGEMENT
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY-KINGSVILLE
NON PROFIT ORG
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
CORPUS CHRISTI, TX
PERMIT NO. 1103
MSC 137
Texas A&M University-Kingsville
Kingsville, TX 78363
Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute & KRIRM
Partnering for Success!
From its beginning, one of the King Ranch Institute for Ranch
Management’s key strategies for success has been to leverage its relationship with its sister institute the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research
Institute (CKWRI). It is the leading wildlife research organization in
Texas, and one of the finest in the nation.
The Institute is located at Texas A&M
University-Kingsville and functions as a
unit within the College of Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Human Sciences. The
Institute operates as a nonprofit organization and depends financially upon private
contributions and faculty grantsmanship.
Established in 1981 by a grant from the
Caesar Kleberg Foundation for Wildlife
Conservation, the Institute honors the
memory of legendary Texas rancher and
conservationist Caesar Kleberg (1873 1946), a prominent member of the King
Ranch family. Caesar knew undeniably that
the biological and ecological diversity of
the region was an irreplaceable cultural and
economic resource to the people of south
Texas and northern Mexico. Caesar Kleberg
understood the value of the abundant
natural resources and that they could be
sustained only through the development
of sound management techniques based
on solid scientific research. CKWRI is a
realization of this vision.
The idea that basic and applied research
speaks directly to the needs of landowners, wildlife enthusiasts, conservationists, and hunters, was grounded
in the premise that the Institute’s work must be tied to the land.
Through the years, the Institute has developed many long-standing,
trusted relationships with private landowners. They have been instrumental to the Institute’s mission by generously unlocking their gates
to provide the outdoor laboratory where scientists and students have
conducted hundreds of wildlife-and habitat-related studies. An abiding respect for private landowners and their
dedication as wildlife and habitat stewards
is the hallmark of CKWRI.
The regions of south Texas and northern
Mexico together provide the study area
for a majority of the Institute’s wildlife
research projects. It is the permanent or
seasonal home to 625 species, including
34 amphibians, 409 birds, 80 mammals
and 102 reptiles. This expansive region
that spans two nations, from San Antonio
on the northern boundary to Monterrey,
Mexico, on the south, is a living laboratory
for understanding conservation challenges
and discovering the complex interrelationships that exist among plants, animals, and
the land. The lessons to be learned can have
a far-reaching and positive impact not only
on wild plants and animals, but also on the
people who live, work, and visit here.
The Institute employs fifteen, Ph.D.
level scientists who guide the research and
mentor fifty-five to sixty M.S. and Ph.D.
level graduate students. Additionally, four
science team members manage specialized
research programs or facilities, and three
full-time research associates help conduct
and coordinate these projects. A current operations team of thirteen
members underpin the day-to-day activities of this multi-million dollar program.