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Texas Agriculture Archive

November 21, 2003

Outstanding Young Farmer & Rancher Contest
A man with a mission...

Donnell, Tucker, Lanham and Kelli Brown enjoy the good life at R. A. Brown Ranch, Throckmorton.

By Lana Robinson
Field Editor

Thirty-four-year-old Donnell Brown is an innovative guy with a clear mission in his role at the R.A. Brown Ranch in Throckmorton.

"Our number one goal is to increase the profitability and sustainability of our customers. And I believe that focus has helped us to be successful in the ranching business," says Donnell, who grew up here and returned with his wife, Kelli, 10 years ago to assume a place in the family operation.

Founded in 1895, the R.A. Brown Ranch includes farming, ranching, commercial cattle, seedstock cattle, stocker cattle, and feedlots under one roof. It is also headquarters for Rancher's Renaissance—a consortium of ranchers working together with major feedlots and marketing their own branded beef under the "Cattleman's Collection" label.

Donnell, who has an Animal Business degree from Texas Tech University, manages the seedstock and marketing of bulls through that program. Additionally, he and Kelli started a separate business—Brown Family Genetics—which complements other ranch activities.

"We strive to produce bulls that are excellent for calving use with superior growth and carcass traits as well as maternal and fertility traits—all combined in one package," he says.

Donnell and Kelli started Brown Family Genetics by literally doing a little horse trading. In exchange for some horses, they got the pick of a very elite Red Angus cow herd in 1997. At the same time, they started a franchise herd from the Gardner Angus Ranch in Kansas.

"Through creative financing, we were able to do it a way I think a lot of young people are going to have to look at these days in order to get started in agriculture," says Donnell.

Donnell and Kelli have brought a multi-breed emphasis to the family operation. They are managing cattle more rapidly than ever using all the technology tools available—embryo transfer, artificial insemination, EPDs, DNA markers—to make genetic strides for their customers.

"We've increased growth in our cattle over 30 pounds in the past 10 years while decreasing birth weight and increasing carcass quality all at the same time," notes Donnell.

Sales have also increased, as well as prices, which have enhanced profitability.

"As far as management practices, I think we've got to stay on the cutting edge in all that we do," he adds.

Donnell says the biggest challenge he and Kelli have faced since starting their business has been drought. With no underground water source at the ranch, the Browns are dependent on runoff and pond water. When drought sets in, a significant amount of acreage can't be utilized and cattle must be fed, which increases costs. The couple are very thankful for recent rains and good cow prices.

Working with Texas Tech University, and a couple of scientists from the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center, Donnell and his father developed the Hotlander line of cattle—made up of one quarter each Angus, Senapol, Simmental and Brahman—in 1989.

"We believe the Hotlander composite is the answer for people along the Gulf Coast of the United States as well as throughout Central and South America, Mexico, and Australia, where we currently have quite a few Hotlander cattle working," he reports.

Brown, who has been involved in Farm Bureau at various levels and have hosted activities at the ranch for the Young Farmer and Rancher Committee, are optimistic regarding the future of agriculture.

"I believe the future of agriculture is bright. I believe it's full of change, and I believe it's full of progress. And it takes change to achieve that progress. We've just got to make sure that the changes that we make are leaning towards progress...One thing that ranching and agriculture's always taught me is to be conservative, aggressive, yet practical," he says.

"What this world needs is bright young minds that want to come back to the farm and ranch and be involved," adds Kelli, who grew up on a farm and ranch in Nebraska.

They are counting on that where their two boys, Tucker, 10, and Lanham, 7, are concerned.

"We just strongly feel that there's no other place where they can learn so much about birth, growth, maturity and death in such a variety of ways as they do right here at the ranch," says Kelli. "Every day we try to help them understand really how blessed they are to grow up here and to experience the things that they're experiencing... Both of them will tell you today that they'd like nothing better than to fill their daddy's shoes."