TUCKER BROWN,
RA BROWN RANCH
Tucker Brown, a member of the R.A. Brown Ranch's six-generation legacy in Throckmorton, Texas, embodies a deep-rooted passion for agriculture and ranching. He graduated from Lubbock Christian University and further honed his skills at TCU Ranch Management School. He has since returned home and joined the family ranch in raising and selling 800 registered bulls. Recognized as the recent recipient of the NCBA Beef Advocate of the Year Award, Tucker Brown has made a significant impact on the agricultural landscape. His presence on various social media platforms has been instrumental in illuminating the truth about American farmers and ranchers. Through his dedicated efforts, he has garnered a substantial and engaged following that is closing in on half a million followers, all while striving to bridge the gap between consumers and producers.
Currently, Tucker and Karley are living their dream on the family ranch, where they are actively raising the seventh generation of the R.A. Brown Ranch, with the goal of keeping the ranch in he family, and the family in the ranch.
DONNELL BROWN,
RA BROWN RANCH
Donnell Brown and his wife Kelli are the fifth generation to own and manage the R.A. Brown Ranch in Throckmorton, TX, a family business since 1895. They raise registered Angus, Red Angus and SimAngus cattle and sell 800 bulls as well as registered & commercial females in their annual auctions in March & October.
Their mission statement says, “We are continually striving to improve the sustainability and efficiency of converting God’s forage into safe, nutritious and great tasting beef, to better feed His people.” The R.A. Brown Ranch has been honored with many awards including the Cattle Business of the Century Award from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.
They use sound science and technology to best produce superior genetics that fit the needs of commercial cattlemen. The strength of their program is shown by the decades of loyal repeat customers, as well as having numerous bulls in major AI studs marketing semen around the world.
Donnell has served in a Strategic Planning capacity for four different breed associations as well as the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. In 2017 he served as President of the Beef Improvement Federation. Donnell and his wife Kelli both served as National FFA Presidents. Kelli also served as President of the Red Angus Association of America. They are blessed with 2 sons: Tucker and Lanham that have joined them back in their family ranching business. Together they are living their dream of raising cows, kids and Quarter Horses.
TROY APPLEHANS, CATTLE FAX
Troy is the CattleFax Cow/Calf and Stocker Market Analyst Specialist responsible for feeder cattle and cow/calf regions of the Southern Plains region as well as Southeastern states of the U.S. He also covers feedyards in the Mid-West, Colorado & Western Nebraska regions. Troy is a graduate of Oklahoma State University with a degree in Animal Science and a strong cow/calf and seedstock cattle background. Previously, he was employed by Cargill Animal Nutrition, Future Beef Operations as a member of the cattle procurement team and the American Gelbvieh Association as a regional manager.He also served as Director of Field Services/Advertising coordinator for Cattle Today, Inc. for many years. Cattle-Fax is a member-owned organization whose objective is to help member cattlemen make more profitable marketing and management decisions. Cattle-Fax supplies its members, in all segments of cattle production and feeding throughout the United States, with timely market information, analyses and educational programs to assist them in making better bottom-line decisions. The information, including data provided by members, is developed by Cattle-Fax's staff of market analysts and researchers. Cattle-Fax information is available to members through a weekly printed report, in conversations with analysts on toll-free lines, and on video screens and personal computers.
Matt Makens,
Atmospheric Scientist
Matt Makens has presented thousands of weather forecasts and outlooks to dozens of industries since the 1990s. With a specific focus, Matt formed Makens Weather, LLC in 2016 and grew quickly by providing actionable weather and climate information, clearly communicated. The primary focus is on long-term seasonal forecasts and short-term weather hazards for the agricultural industry. Makens Weather serves global clients from Australia to Canada and throughout the United States; notably CattleFax and NCBA.
Makens grew up outside of Castle Rock, Colorado, on a small acreage where he competed annually in the Douglas County Fair and Rodeo and was a livestock judging team member. Matt attended The University of Kansas - degreed in Atmospheric Science.
He and his wife Hillary, also serving the beef industry, live in Douglas County, Colorado, where they are raising their two children.
Kade Lawrence
Kade Lawrence is a senior at Canyon High School, has been a member of Randall County 4-H since the 3rd grade, and was raised on a small livestock operation in Canyon. At age 10, Kade became engaged in multiple knowledge-based competitive livestock events, namely Livestock Skillathon, Beef Cattle Skillathon, and Meat Judging. Shortly thereafter, he began feeding pens of commercial steers for competition at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, and the TCFA Jr. Fed Beef Challenge. In 2022, Kade was the Grand Champion of all 3 commercial steer contests in Texas as well as the San Antonio Beef Skillathon and Meat Science Skillathon contests and was the high individual and National Champion in 4-H Livestock Quiz Bowl. In 2023 he begin competing in Prepared Public Speaking contests where he was Grand Champion of the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo Public Speaking contest, Grand Champion of the State Fair of Texas Beef Skillathon and Public Speaking Contests, was a National Finalist in the Ag Processing Proficiency award area, and was crowned the National Champion in Prepared Public Speaking at the 96th Annual National FFA Convention. Kade was recently state champion in FFA Job Interview and will advance to the national contest in the fall. In 2023, he was also elected to serve as a Vice President of the Area 1 FFA Association, 1st Vice President of the District 1 4-H Council, and the Public Relations Officer of the Texas 4-H Council. In the fall, he will attend West Texas A&M University, majoring in Animal Science.
Dr. Shannon Ferrell
Shannon Ferrell is currently an Associate Professor in the Oklahoma State University Department of Agricultural Economics, where he specializes in Agricultural Law. He grew up on a cattle and wheat operation in Western Oklahoma, and obtained his Bachelors and Masters degrees in Agricultural Economics from OSU before obtaining his Juris Doctorate from the Oklahoma City University School of Law with endorsements in Estate Planning and Business and Financial Services Law. Shannon spent a number of years in private practice, focusing on agricultural, environmental, energy, and corporate law, before joining OSU in the summer of 2007.
As a member of the Department of Agricultural Economics, Shannon holds an extension and teaching appointment. Since joining Oklahoma State University, he has provided over 300 extension seminars and workshops throughout North America with a cumulative audience in excess of nearly 19,000 while authoring over fifty extension publications, including serving as lead author on the Farm Transition Workbook. His extension activities encompass all areas of agricultural law, and he also teaches the agricultural law courses at both Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma College of Law.
Mark Gardiner,
Gardiner Angus Ranch
President, Gardiner Angus Ranch 2000-Present
In early 2000, Mark assumed management of the day-to-day ranch operations from his father, Henry.
U.S. Premium Beef 2005-Present
Chairman of the Board
Formed in 1996, U.S. Premium Beef LLC (USPB) is a marketing company which provides U.S. beef producers an opportunity to retain ownership of the beef they produce from the ranch to retail. USPB unitholders and associates market finished beef through National Beef Packing Co., LLC (NBPC), one of the nation’s largest beef processors. As a minority partner in NBPC, USPB unitholders share in the financial results of National Beef. This provides a direct economic incentive to produce the highest quality beef available to consumers. Since 1998, USPB has enabled market access to more than 18 million head of cattle, returned $2.6 billion in processing ownership distributions and paid more than $715 million in grid premiums.
Congressman
Ronny Jackson
Congressman Ronny Jackson proudly serves the people of Texas’ 13th District in Congress, and he sits on the House Armed Service Committee, the Foreign Affairs Committee, the House Committee on Agriculture, and the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic. Jackson is from West Texas and is a graduate of Texas A&M University and the University of Texas Medical Branch. After earning his M.D., Jackson began a 25-year active-duty career in the U.S. Navy, retiring as a Rear Admiral in 2019. While serving on the battlefield in Iraq, he was called back to the States to serve in the White House Medical Unit during President George W. Bush’s Administration. Jackson would ultimately lead the White House Medical Unit as Physician to the President during the Obama and Trump Administrations. In January 2019, President Trump appointed him as Chief Medical Advisor and Assistant to the President. Jackson is married to his wife of 30 years, Jane, and they have three children.
Kayleigh McEnany
Kayleigh McEnany is the former White House press secretary and current co-host of Outnumbered on the Fox News Channel. Prior to serving in the White House, Kayleigh worked as the national press secretary for the Trump Campaign and formerly the national spokesperson for the Republican National Committee. Before joining the RNC, Kayleigh worked as a political commentator at CNN.
Kayleigh graduated from Harvard Law School with a Juris Doctor and Georgetown University School of Foreign Services with a degree in international politics. She also studied politics and international relations at Oxford University, St Edmund Hall. Kayleigh is a recipient of the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service and the Department of Homeland Security Secretary’s Public Service Award. She is the author of the New York Times bestselling books, “For Such a Time as This and & Serenity in the Storm: Living through Chaos by Leaning on Christ."
Dr. Loni Lucherk
Dr. Loni Woolley Lucherk was raised on a small farm in Grandview, TX. She joined the Department of Agricultural Sciences West Texas A&M University family as an Assistant Professor in January 2020. She received a B.S. in Animal Science – Meat Business from
Texas Tech University in 2012, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Animal Science - Meat Science from Texas Tech University in 2014 and 2019, respectively. Dr. Lucherk teaches Food Science, Meat Animal/Carcass Evaluation and Advanced Animal/Meat Evaluation. She coaches and mentors the meat judging, meat science quiz bowl, and meat animal evaluation teams at WTAMU. Dr. Lucherk’s research interests include fresh meat quality and safety. Loni and her husband, Kody, reside in Canyon with their two-year-old daughter Luka Jo, but enjoy raising Brangus cattle out of Kody’s home ranch in Poth, Texas.
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JoJo Carrales
JoJo Carrales grew up in south Texas on a commercial cattle operation before attending Blinn College on a Livestock judging scholarship. He graduated Texas A & M with a bachelors degree in Animal Science in 2006 then attended Sam Houston State University where he was the livestock judging coach and received a masters degree in Agriculture in 2008. He started his career in Ag Education through AgriLife extension service before coming to work for HeartBrand in 2009.
He has led the cattle operations team to one of the most recognized brands in the Wagyu industry. HeartBrand runs 3000 Full-blood mother cows and sells seed stock throughout the world. HeartBrand also is a branded beef program based on DNA & Source verification aswell as feeding the cattle through a natural program. The ranch to table concept has grown significant interest , but the consistency of quality products has been the driving force of HeartBrands beef program growth. Mr Carrales currently serves on the USDA’s Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board , the TSCRA membership development committee and has served as a livestock official for over 100 livestock shows all across the country. He and His wife Kaci raise their kids Adalyn and Joseph in central tx where they’re heavily involved in the Fayette Co 4-H program.