by David Stein
A rustic cowboy fixes his saddle before hopping on his trusty companion. His spurs jangle with the percussion of tangled hooves as he moves the herd across the vast desert plains of Texas.
To a city slicker like me, this is my portrait of the TCU Ranch Management program. I should be embarrassed to be so wrong.
To a small group of about 30 men and women who travel about 10,000 miles in one year to become our next generation of ranchers, it’s so much more than the stereotype.
It’s a science. Ranch management majors learn about soil, water and wildlife conservation. They learn about the physiology of the animals, and how to maintain a healthy herd of not just cattle, but sheep, goats and other livestock.
It’s mathematics and economics. How much do you feed? How much do you sell for? How do you keep inventory? How much grazing land do you need for a certain amount of livestock?
It’s a business. In the old western movies, did they ever show the ranchers filing their income tax or coming up with marketing strategies of how to get top dollar for their beef? Just think about what it takes to transport livestock in this day and age.
Don’t underestimate the tradition of it. There’s still plenty of blood, sweat and tireless hours in such a hands-on business, but there’s a lot more to these young cowboys and cowgirls. Ranch management takes a whole lot of toughness, but it takes even more intelligence.
As admission counselors, it’s important for us to know about every major on campus. Maybe on one of our slower days (like that will happen any time soon), it might be good for us to spend a day out on the ranch.
By the way, for those of you looking into ranch management, they have a bunch of scholarships!
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