August 2020 Marsha Shoemaker The ranching business runs five generations deep for Marsha Shoemaker, of Shoemaker Farms, and has been her way of life since the day she was born. Located in Clay County, this North Texas ranch is primarily a cow/calf and stocker operation. “Our cow (herd) is maintained on pastureland, the weaned stocker…

June 2020 Ellen Tom Ellen Tom, of Tom Brothers Ranch in Campbelton, about 50 miles south of San Antonio, is an accomplished Texas rancher – and she’s also a member of Texas Beef Team. Founded in 1857, Ellen represents the sixth generation in her family’s ranch that, today, spans across 7,000 acres and runs about…

May 2020 Courtney Stefan The beef industry is based on breeding, feeding, marketing, processing, and merchandising cattle to consumers. The role Courtney Stefan (of Hallettsville, Texas) plays in this pasture-to-plate cycle is that of a cattle nutritionist. Cattle nutritionists are specifically trained professionals responsible for formulating rations that optimize the health, well-being, and growth of…

April 2020 Tim and Gayle Foster Fickle weather, market forces, and catastrophic events can run, even a long-standing ranch, into ruin. But, Gayle Foster of Rathman Ranch says it’s God’s timing that has been the biggest blessing behind the successful cow-calf operation she owns and operates in Bastrop county with her husband Tim. Gayle’s story…

March 2020 Erin Wickersham Erin Wickersham is one busy lady! Involved in the daily operations of the family business, Wickersham Angus Ranch (founded 1992), she’s also a wife, mother, and runner. The ranch, located in Bryan, Texas, is a seed stock operator that sells registered Angus bulls to commercial cow-calf producers. Erin explains, “We run…