Describing Ron and Debbie Gill of Chico, Texas as a Texas beef “energy couple” can be a good evaluation, and truly an understatement. Not solely do that husband-wife workforce personal and handle Gill Cattle Firm, a 2000-acre ranch sprawling by means of North Central Texas, however are additionally extremely lively in educating, advocacy, and management throughout the agricultural neighborhood, state-wide and past.
Ron, a 4th era rancher, and Debbie bought the bottom herd for Gill Cattle Firm from Ron’s father in 1989 and relocated from the semi-arid panorama of New Mexico to an analogous local weather in round Decatur and Weatherford, Texas in 1995. The ranch is a business cow-calf and yearling operation (about 200 mom cows) that strives to steadiness the calls for for high quality beef with environmentally tailored cattle. Over the previous 5 years, they’ve diversified the operation to promote ranch-raised beef and alternative heifers so as to add worth to their calf crop.
Ron has a lifetime of hands-on cattle expertise but additionally studied animal agriculture at Angelo State College the place he obtained his B.S. and M.S. and went on to Texas A&M to earn a Ph.D. in 1984. Along with working the ranch, Ron has been employed as a Professor and Extension Livestock Specialist for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service for the previous 40 years the place he’s an skilled in animal well-being and low-stress livestock dealing with. He additionally teaches programs for producers at colleges everywhere in the US (and internationally) in Cattle Dealing with and Stockmanship.
Ron has performed an lively function in growing and supporting instructional efforts associated to Beef High quality Assurance (BQA) all through the US and territories. He has been a frontrunner within the improvement and supply of the BQA program because it was applied 25 years in the past. In 2018, Ron was acknowledged for his efforts when he obtained the BQA Educator Award from the Nationwide Cattlemen’s Beef Affiliation.
Debbie’s agricultural coaching has come from on-the-job experiences, on an as-needed foundation. “I didn’t develop up in agriculture,” explains Debbie, who hails from the Dallas space. “I spent most of my grownup life on the fringes of it till I met and married Ron.”
Clearly, a fast research who loves what she does, Debbie has supported the meat neighborhood in quite a few capacities. From doing what wanted to be accomplished on the ranch to, most just lately, serving because the president of Wichita Falls Space CattleWomen. She beforehand served as Texas CattleWomen (TCW) President and American Nationwide CattleWomen (ANCW) Area IV Director. Debbie additionally serves on the Cattlemen’s Beef Board, the producer-driven entity that oversees the nationwide Beef Checkoff program.
Whereas serving as President TCW, alongside Vice President Casey Matzke, this pair developed a hands-on coaching known as Girls in Ranching. Debbie and Casey wished to supply ladies who have been coming again into ranching or eager to become involved in ranching a chance to take part in hands-on coaching within the day-to-day administration of livestock operations. This program was the mannequin for the event of the ANCW nationwide Girls In Ranching, Schooling, and Improvement (WIRED) program that’s now performed all through the US.
Ron and Debbie replicate that one of many hardest features of life within the agricultural neighborhood is “balancing the workload with a necessity for a private life exterior of agriculture and spending time with household.” Nonetheless, the couple, mother and father to 2 grownup kids (and grandparents to 4), have made all of it mix collectively seamlessly.
“Over time, we’ve got had enjoyable simply working the ranch as a household,” Ron mentions, “and I’ve to chuckle at a number of the feedback I hear from my daughter or Debbie after a highway journey. Feedback like, ‘Thanks for making me THAT particular person on highway journeys who says Man, these cows look good! or Dang, these cows want some grass! as we go cattle grazing.’’’
“Different rewards of ranching embrace figuring out you might be accountable for the pure assets underneath your care and figuring out you might be bettering these assets by means of your cattle administration,” says Ron.
Debbie provides that selling the trade by sharing the advantages of beef’s function in a nutritious diet with the final inhabitants can be intrinsically rewarding for them.
In terms of having fun with beef at dwelling, the couple enjoys grilling Strip Steak or Teres Main (a steak minimize from the shoulder blade). If heading out for a chunk, Koppe Bridge Grill in Faculty Station is all the time on their shortlist.
Trending Merchandise
