King Ranch? Institute for Ranch Management

Sustaining our ranching heritage through education, innovation, and outreach. Our program was created to educate the next generation of ranch managers, and we remain the only Master of Science in Ranch Management program in the world. We believe that, through our efforts at the King Ranch? Institute for Ranch Management, we will ensure that ranching remains a vital part of our lives.

Save the Date || Real Estate Law for Ranchers April 25-26, 2025 || Riviera, TX & Online Few things pose a greater threat to ranch sustainability than drought and litigation; preparation for both is essential. Participants will gain a better understanding of landowner rights and responsibilities, which is vital in today’s litigious society. Discussion topics include: fence law, ground and surface water, easements and condemnations, landowner liability, mineral and renewable energy law, and other emerging issues. Texas case law affecting ranching will be presented. This event is approved for 8 CE hours for Texas Real Estate Agents; available to both in-person & virtual attendees. Learn More: https://buff.ly/cjHZ8sM

If land stewards hope to win the effort to restore and maintain the productivity of Great Plains rangelands, prescribed fire will be an essential tool in the reclamation and maintenance process. Careful use of prescribed fire is the most economical approach to managing most invasive and encroaching brush species. To learn more and personally experience putting fire on the ground, come join us March 17-20 in Kingsville. If you are a Texas Certified Prescribed Burn Manager,? we are offering continuing education credits to support your certification. Register: https://buff.ly/3xlaccr Agenda: https://buff.ly/43cCJSG

The terms carrying capacity (CC) and stocking rate (SR) get interchangeably used by many in the ranching community. However, they are not the same and have very different meanings and uses. Understanding and using these two terms correctly is essential for proper forage management on the ranch. Carrying capacity is the stocking rate that is sustainable over time for a given area of land, usually on the pasture or ranch level. Carrying capacity can be expressed as Animal Unit (AU, 1000 lbs. cow with calf), Animal Unit Day (AUD, 26 lbs. of dry forage), Animal Unit Month (AUM, 780 lbs. of dry forage), or Animal Unit Year (AUY, 9360 lbs. of dry forage). Animals are not the same size so it is important to perform calculations on an equivalent basis so adjustment formulas have been created to create an Animal Unit Equivalent (AUE): - For animals that are 1000 lbs., AUE = 1.0 - For animals other weight animals, use: AUE = body weight ÷ 1,000 Stocking rate is expressed as the number of animal units per unit of land area. - Example: a rancher has 60 hd of 1,000 lbs. cows on 500 acres for 12 months. - SR = # acres ÷ [(#AUE) x (duration)] - SR= 500 ÷ [(60) x (12)] - SR = 0.69 acres per animal unit month (AUM) or 8.3 acres per animal unit year (AUY) It is recommended to set the stocking rate at a number that is less than the carrying capacity for the ranch in order to have forage “in the bank” for drought years. Stocking at seventy-five percent of carrying capacity will allow the producer to manage through most drought years without having to make drastic culling decisions. In years of excess forage, the additional forage can be either utilized by transient cattle such as stocker calves or cows, leased to a neighbor, hayed, or allow the pasture to go to seed which will allow for a more resilient plant in subsequent years. Photo by: Robert Wells, PhD #kingranch #ranchmanagement #ranchmanager #krirm #ranching

One of the highlights of our graduate program is an annual industry tour. In January, KRIRM Graduate Students, along with Dr. Machen and Dr. Wells spent a week touring several ranches and businesses to learn more about their operations. These industry leaders share the current challenges they face and the solutions they are working toward to meet the demands of an ever-growing population. Visits included stops at Bamert Seed Co, Birdwell & Clark, FSP Ranch, Cook Canyon Ranch, Frontera Feedyard, Holt River Ranch, and R.A. Brown Ranch. These unique enrichment opportunities mean a great deal to our students. "One aspect that has stuck with me consisted of the discussions that we were able to have with a wide array of managers and owners throughout different parts of the industry. One of the round tables that we had at the RA Brown Ranch encouraged me to think about the future and where I want to direct my life and career following my time at KRIRM. Another consisted of how the dramatic market changes we are currently seeing could affect producers throughout the beef supply chain. This reflection has helped me grow in my desire to help the ranches that I manage make the leap from good to great through effective management in an ever more versatile market landscape." Mason Dahl, Class of 2026 #kingranch #ranchmanagement #ranchmanager #krirm #ranching #rabrownranch #bamertseedcompany

Last week was a whirlwind and we are grateful for those who continue to support KRIRM in many ways. Dr. Rick Machen and Anne Thurwalker presented Dr. Neal Wilkins and the East Foundation with the Lead the Pack bronze on behalf of the Texas A&M University-Kingsville Foundation for their years of support. We honored Management Council Member Bob McCan for his 21 years of service at our first annual alumni gathering. KRIRM students, faculty, and staff attended the NCBA CattleCon 2025 in San Antonio and enjoyed visiting with producers, friends, and future students! #kingranch #ranchmanagement #ranchmanager #krirm #ranching

Make Plans to Attend the Gus T. Canales Lectureship on Prescribed Burning March 17-20, 2025 || Kingsville, TX & Online For centuries, wildfires shaped the ranges of the central and western US. As one of conservationist Aldo Leopold’s five landscape management tools, prescribed fire remains one of the most ecologically and economically effective natural resource management tools. Lectureship participants will learn fire behavior and safe use through classroom discussion and hands-on experience with fire. Training and continuing education credit for the Texas Certified Prescribed Burn Manager program is included. Register or Learn More: https://buff.ly/3xlaccr #kingranch #ranchmanagement #ranchmanager #krirm #ranching

If you are at NCBA's CattleCon 2025 in San Antonio, come see us at booth #2360. #CattleCon2025 #kingranch #ranchmanagement #ranchmanager #krirm #ranching

Our Managing the Cow-Calf Business Lectureship is off to a great start! This two-day course provides fundamental skills used by successful ranch managers by working through scenarios that include budgeting, determining stocking rate, and marketing calves to managing labor, depreciation, and purchased feed cost. #kingranch #ranchmanagement #ranchmanager #krirm #ranching

There's still time to register to attend in person or online. MANAGING THE COW-CALF BUSINESS January 16-17, 2025 || Kingsville, TX & Online View the Agenda or Register Now: https://buff.ly/3k8UE8e On a daily basis cattle and ranch managers run operations that are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. To do this effectively, they need to record accurate data and know how to analyze the data for actionable results. This information is essential for making sound managerial decisions. Join us for this important lectureship where participants will use real-world scenarios to determine stocking rate, budgeting, marketing, and defining financial success. Whether you have been raising cattle for generations or are new to the industry, this lectureship will add value to your bottom line. #kingranch #ranchmanagement #ranchmanager #krirm #ranching