Dr. Ryan Rathmann,
Texas Tech University
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Ryan Rathmann, Ph.D.
Ryan is an Associate Professor in Beef Cattle Biology and holder of the John W. and Doris Jones Endowed Professorship in the Department of Animal and Food Sciences at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX.
Ryan has a BS in Animal Science and MS in Reproductive Physiology from Texas A&M and a PhD in Ruminant Nutrition. Ryan teaches courses in livestock and carcass evaluation, cow/calf management, animal breeding and genetics, and artificial insemination. He conducts diversified, applied research including cull cow reconditioning, confined and semi-confined cow-calf system management, and beef cow sustainability. Ryan is the all-time winningest coach in collegiate history having coached nine
National Champion Collegiate Livestock Judging Teams (3 @ Texas A&M and 6 @ TTU) and five National Champion Meat Animal Evaluation Teams. Ryan operates RK Cattle a registered Red Angus seedstock operation. He judges livestock shows extensively across the United States and abroad. Ryan is married
to Kayla Kohls Rathmann and they have two daughters named Kinlee (16) and Karlee (13).
Dr. Jason Smith,
Texas A&M Agrilife Ext.
Jason Smith is an Associate Professor and Extension Beef Cattle Specialist for Texas A&M
AgriLife Extension and the Texas A&M University Department of Animal Science. He is based out of Amarillo, where his primary roles are to support county Extension agents, develop
educational programs focused on beef cattle in the Texas Panhandle and Rolling Plains, help
producers and industry stakeholders solve problems, and conduct applied, real-world, practically applicable research in beef cattle production. Jason received his B.S. and M.S. degrees focused in Animal Science, Ruminant Nutrition, and Feed Manufacturing from West Virginia University prior to receiving his Ph.D. in Ruminant Nutrition from Virginia Tech. He spent 5 years as an Extension Beef Cattle Specialist in Nutritional Management for the University of Tennessee prior to his current role within AgriLife, which began in 2019. Jason, his wife Anna, their daughter Taylor, and their son Carson live south of Canyon, TX where they have a small cow herd.
Travis Thorne,
Capital Farm Credit
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Travis Thorne is Regional President for Capital Farm Credit’s Plains Region. Travis was born and raised in New Mexico, and after graduating high school he attended Texas Tech University where he obtained a Bachelors of Science in Agriculture and Applied Economics and a Bachelors in Business Administration. While at Texas Tech, Traviswas a member of the 1998 Meats Judging Team and served as the Texas Tech Masked Rider from 1999-2000. After graduating from Texas Tech University in 2002, Travis began his 20+ year career in the Farm Credit System, working for several associations in New Mexico and Texas. During this time, Travis has served on many different committees and boards supporting agriculture, youth development and his community. Such involvement includes Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers, State Fair of Texas, Rodeo Austin, Bryson School Board and Bryson United Methodist Church. Travis resides in Bryson, Texas with his wife Lori and 2 children, daughter Braydee and son, Bryce.
Tom Fanning,
Pratt Feeders Group
Tom Fanning, General Manager for the Pratt Feeders Group comprises Buffalo Feeders in Buffalo Oklahoma, Ashland Feeders in Ashland, Kansas, Ford Feeders in Ford, Kansas, and Pratt Feeders in Pratt, Kansas. Prior to his current roll, Tom was the manager of Buffalo Feeders in Buffalo, Oklahoma for the past 22 years.
Tom earned his BS in Agricultural Economics from Oklahoma State University in 1987 and served as an Infantry Captain in the U.S. Army from 1982 to 1992. He completed his MS in Management at Troy State University in 1992. From 1992 to 2001, Tom was employed by Cargill, where he managed cattle feeding operations across the Texas Panhandle. Tom & his wife Michele have a cow-calf, stocker cattle, and cattle feeding operation in northwest Oklahoma.
Throughout his career, Tom has held various leadership positions in cattlemen's organizations at local, state, and national levels, including serving as Chairman of the Oklahoma Beef Council.
Tom has recently completed his second three-year term as a Director of the Texas Cattle Feeders Association. Under his leadership, Buffalo Feeders has garnered numerous accolades, including the 2019 NCBA BQA Feedyard of the Year and the 2023 TCFA Feedyard Excellence in BQA.
Mike Turner, Blue Ranch manager and former soil
conservation within NRCS in Gainesville Texas, came on the operations as ranch manager in 2015 with over 20 years in the ranching business, and five years’ experience with NRCS working on one of one on one with producers sharing ideas and trying new techniques, such as “High Density Low Frequency Rotational Grazing Operations”. He accepted the position as manager of Blue Ranch because he felt it would
be a great opportunity for him to apply his practical and scientific range management techniques, as well as a good place to raise his family, with his wife Shani and son Ethan. He and the McCloy’s owners of The Blue Ranch in Moore
County, have worked closely with organizations as diverse as Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, USDA-NRCS, Texas GLC, and Holistic Management lnternational (HMl) to host or speak at 12 educational events in the last 10 years. Their participation exemplifies how proper livestock and resource stewardship can simultaneously enhance profitability and environmental quality in all sectors of their conception-to-consumption vertically integrated operation. They have generously provided their time and access to their ranch to host field trips for West Texas A&M Range and Livestock Production classes, Texas Tech Range and Ranch Management classes, Clarendon Junior College’s Ranch and Feedlot Operations
classes hosted range evaluation contests, and allowed high school FFA Range Evaluation teams to train on parts of the ranch.
Mike Turner,
Blue Ranch
Lee Haygood,
Indian Mound Ranch​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
Lee Haygood along with his wife Jacqui and sons Luke and Mark own and operate IndianMound Ranch in Canadian, Texas. Lee’s family have been on the ranch in Southern HemphillCounty since the early 1880’s, and his parents Wayne and Gayle Haygood began their work withthe Indian Mound registered Hereford program in 1964 establishing it as one of the top herds inthe world, Lee took over the ranch in 1991 as manager and in 2011 became the sole owner. Leehas dedicated his life to Hereford cattle and stays on the cutting edge of technology, whilemanaging the herd in same manner as his commercial customers. Indian Mound Ranch holds itannual production sale each fall where it sells coming two-year-old bulls and a select set offemales, that are an ideal fit for the Southern Great Plains and West Texas. Indian Mound Ranchis one of only thirty-one members of the American Hereford Association to be named a Spring2026 Platinum Total Performance Record Breeder, which is the highest level of achievementwhen it comes to complete calf herd reporting along with genotyping of calves.Lee served as President of the American Junior Hereford Association, the Texas HerefordAssociation and as a Director of the American Hereford Association where he chaired the BreedImprovement Committee for three years. After graduating from Oklahoma State Universitywhere he was a member of the livestock judging team, Lee went to work for the AmericanHereford Association where among his many duties he served as the AHA coordinator for theColorado State University-Monfort Hereford carcass study which laid the groundwork for theestablishment of Certified Hereford Beef. He has served on numerous committees in both theTexas and American Hereford Associations and was recently named an Honorary Member of theTexas Hereford Association.