Janna Stubbs – Alpine, Texas

Meet this month’s featured beef producer and long-time runner, Janna Stubbs, from Alpine, a small West Texas town also home to Sul Ross University and nearby Big Bend National Park. Along with her husband, she owns Andy & Janna Stubbs, Stubbs Cattle Co., LLC, today a good-sized commercial cow-calf operation he founded back in 1988. Although Janna holds down a job as a real estate appraiser, appraising commercial buildings, farms, ranches, and vacant land across the state, she regularly puts in 40 to 80+ hour work weeks by pitching in on the ranch as needed. “I do everything from helping work the pens and pasture to bookwork to cooking meals for the cowboys. I do whatever needs to be done,” says Janna.

“The most challenging aspect of ranch life is being dependent on Mother Nature for rain to grow the grass to feed and water livestock,” says Janna. But the rewards are profound and life-changing, elaborating that one of my most amazing things is, “seeing a newborn calf be born.”

Janna also has a seat on the Cattlemen’s Beef Board through 2020 where she is “extremely proud to represent all producers and importers of beef.” In her spare time, this go-getting lady dotes on her dogs, and Airedale named Mongo and Red Heeler named Girlo, races horses and trail runs!

Janna started running in 2002, building up her endurance on the ranch roads around her home. “I’d run from one telephone pole to the next. They’re 1/10 mile apart so each time I’d run a little further than the last,” she explains. She’s been on the Texas Beef Team since its inception and her favorite race (and longest run to date) has been one in figuratively in her own beautiful backyard – the Big Bend Ultra 25k. Soon she’ll be running in a completely different landscape – the asphalt of New York City. After 6 years of entering the popular marathon’s registration lottery, Janna recently got the good news that she’ll be heading to the Big Apple to run her first marathon on November 3, 2019. Her race mantra is, “You can do it, you can do it, you can do it,” and she knows those affirming words will get her through.

Read on to learn more about this influential woman in the beef community and all-around great person.

Education: Sul Ross State University – B.S. in Agri-Business and M.A. in Public Administration, Licensed Massage Therapist in Texas and Certified General Appraiser in Texas

Favorite Cut of Beef: Might sound crazy, but I love me some 90/10 ground beef – it’s versatile, easy, and healthy!

Favorite Beef Recipe: Red Beef Enchiladas

Favorite Beef Cooking Method: Stove top

Favorite Place Burger Joint: Alicia’s in Alpine

Random Fact: I don’t listen to music when I’m running. I’m too busy taking in the beauty of the landscape and, when it’s hot, I’m watching and listening for sneaky rattlesnakes.

Texas Beef Team: I’ve have been a member of the Texas Beef Running Team since the beginning and it’s so rewarding to be a part of such an enthusiastic and supportive community. I love how it opens up the conversation about beef – all aspects, nutrition, recipes and more. As a producer, this to me is most important part of being on the Beef Team – sharing all the positives of beef with other folks.