Country Lifestyles
Brands of the Texas Ranch Roundup
By Judy Wade
Hundreds of years ago, ranchers foresaw the need to identify their livestock, particularly the cattle, to distinguish them from other owners and deter rustlers. Thus the practice of branding was born.
When the 10 ranches participating in the Texas Ranch Roundup ride into Wichita Falls August 17-18, they will proudly display their distinctive brands on their flags in the introduction, their chuckwagons and on some of their horses. Not only does each ranch have its unique brand, each has its unique history.
BONDS RANCH
Bonds Ranch was founded in 1933 when P.R. (Bob) Bonds purchased 5,000 acres of the Charlie and Mary Hicks Ranch located just north of Fort Worth, Texas. As part of the purchase of the ranch, Bonds received all the Hereford cattle as well as the Turkey Track brand. Bob hired Owen Burnett (or Big Pete as he was known) as ranch foreman in 1944. Big Pete mentored Bob’s youngest son, Pete Bonds, after Bob died in 1954.
Pete took over the management of the ranch in 1970 when he was 18 years old, and after finishing his degree in Business and Certificate in Ranch Management from Texas Christian University, Pete grew and diversified Bonds Ranch’s operations. Today, Bonds Ranch is a commercial cow/calf, stocker, and fed beef cattle operation located in 26 Texas counties and eight states.
Being a family operation, Pete relies on his wife of 41 years, Jo, and their three daughters, Missy, Bonnie and April. Missy and April work alongside Pete at the ranch headquarters in Saginaw, and Bonnie and her husband, Clint Anderson, live and ranch in Colorado with their four children, Kaycee, Larkin, Ace and Owen.
R.A. BROWN RANCH
The R.A. Brown Ranch developed through merging Brown, Thomas and Donnell family ranch lands, some of which dated back as early as 1876. It has been a family business since 1895 and continues to be recognized as a leader in raising top quality cattle and Quarter Horses.
The ranch covers 33,000 acres in Texas and Colorado and is best known for its powerful breeding bulls and the four breeds that make up the cow herd: Angus, Red Angus, SimAngus and Hotlander, a breed developed on the ranch.
After the retirement of Rob Brown and wife Peggy in 2013, the ranch underwent a generational transfer and is now operated by their children, the fifth generation: Rob A. and wife Talley, Betsy Bellah and husband Jody, Marianne McCartney and husband Todd and Donnell Brown and wife Kelli. The stylized RAB connected brand has only been in use since about 1980.
To read more pick up a copy of the August 2017 NTFR issue. To subscribe call 940-8729-5922.
By Dal Houston
I am terribly saddened by all the argumentative discourse that seems to be going on in today’s world. It seems as though it is no longer enough just to disagree on certain issues. We are expected to classify someone as an enemy if they do not always agree with us on all issues, lest we be considered weak.
To make things even worse, because those who disagree with you are now considered enemies, the sentiment seems to be that it is only fair and proper to destroy them, because they are the enemy, again with the fear of ridicule for being weak if we do not fight.
With all that said, and seemingly unrelated, I am a big John Wayne fan. From watching him dive into his role as a cowboy, to marveling at his time portraying a soldier or appreciating his acting gig as a sailor, there is seldom a week that goes by without me watching at least one
To read more, pick up a copy of the April issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By Martha Crump
That old adage, “What you don’t know won’t hurt you.,” may have some basis in truth when applied to minor situations. However, when what you don’t know is presented in the form of a “Trojan Horse” and is what amounts to an incredible attempt to fleece American property rights, it becomes a different story altogether.
To put this unbelievable tale together, we need to step back to Joe Biden’s 2021 Executive Order which pledged commitment to help restore balance on public lands and waters, to create jobs, and to provide a path to align the management of America’s public lands and waters with our nation’s climate, conservation, and clean energy goals.
To read more, pick up a copy of the April issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By Lacey Vilhauer
Ingredients:
1 whole lemon, seeded and roughly chopped
2 cups sugar
2 pounds strawberries, hulled
Juice of 1 to 2 lemons
¼ cup water
Directions:
Place the chopped lemon and sugar in a food processor and pulse until combined. Transfer to a large bowl. Puree the strawberries in a food processor and add to the lemon mixture along with juice of one lemon and water. Taste and add more juice as desired.
To read more, pick up a copy of the April issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
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