Effective stockmanship has been brought about by the efforts of Curt Pate and Ron Gill.  Both have a passion for improving the stockmanship skills of cattlemen across the country.  These two men have been working together over the past three years conducting trainings across the country and are currently delivering the industry sponsored program stockmanship & stewardship.

— stockmanship & stewardship Sponsors include —

Curt Pate

For more than 10 years Curt has conducted demonstrations and clinics on stockmanship, starting colts, horsemanship and safety across multiple countries.  His abilities starting colts and conducting stockmanship demonstrations along with his unique ability to communicate make him one of the most sought after clinicians. 

His instruction in effective stockmanship supports a “for profit” mindset as he understands the increased economic benefits of handling stock correctly.   Just as important is his understanding of the impact of improved handling to sustainability of the industry as livestock production comes under more and more scrutiny.

Curt brings great value to the livestock industry with his ability to think outside the box and his ability to challenge others to do the same.  A willingness to share his skills has set him apart in conducting stockmanship and horsemanship clinics.  Curt’s experiences in ranching add credibility and enable him to communicate his methods effectively.

Along with horse and stockmanship presentations and managing his own ranch operation, Curt was chosen by The American Quarter Horse Association to serve as an AQHA Professional Horseman as well as their Regional Experience Clinician.

Ron Gill

For over 20 years Ron has provided technical expertise in beef cattle nutrition, management and handling to livestock producers as livestock specialist for Texas AgriLife Extension.  Ron is sought after as a presenter on numerous cattle related topics, not only in Texas, but across the nation. Much of his success as a presenter comes from his credibility as a rancher. Born and raised on West Texas ranches, Ron, his wife Debbie and brother Richard own and operate Gill Cattle Company a commercial cattle operation in North Central Texas. 

His interest in stockmanship has come from two different sources.  Involvement in development and delivery of beef quality assurance education highlighted how stockmanship had a direct impact on beef quality and food safety.  Service on advisory boards and working groups at the national level for organizations such as National Cattlemen’s Beef Association has magnified the urgency of adopting changes in livestock handling as animal welfare issues and the industry comes under more and more scrutiny by activist groups.

Work to reduce sickness in high-risk cattle on his own ranching operation increased his desire to improve his own stockmanship skills. Changes in stockmanship allowed them to capture the economic benefits of improved livestock handling through reduced sickness, reduced labor and improved gains.

Effective Stockmanship is based on handling cattle giving consideration to four basic principles of cattle behavior.

If those simple behavior principles are the focus of your handling livestock effective stockmanship can be achieved.  In today’s harsh economic conditions and increasing scrutiny of the industry it is important to improve management skills that can improve performance and income without adding costs to the process.  Stockmanship is one area in which this can be done to achieve improvements in animal welfare and performance.  The great third benefit is the improvement in quality of life and sustainability of the ranching lifestyle.