on raising club calves. Looking back, I laugh
an idiot during his class, so much so that Dr. Schaake pulled him 5th and while he was studying the top four Rudolph backed into him and knocked him over. I was really embarrassed but Schaake got up and handled him one more time and then motioned me back over to the top four to study further. He ended up working him all the way to first and using him for breed champion. I’ll never forget showing in the astrodome for the Grand Champion selection during the rodeo.” Ryan said it was hard to believe that just six years later he was coaching collegiately against someone as legendary as Dr. Schaake. Before Ryan got to that point though, he had always planned on attending Texas A&M where most of his family had gone to school. However, right before he graduated high school, his father’s good friend, Jerry McPeak, persuaded him to head north to Connors State College in Warner, OK to judge livestock. “It was one of the best decisions I ever made. I judged a little in FFA but I had never even given a set of reasons before college. It forced me to leave my comfort zone and it yielded a network of personal and professional relationships that benefit me to this day. Coach (McPeak) was as tough on us as any mentor you could imagine. I believe we started the fall semester with 42 freshmen and by winter workout we were down to 16! His objective
because all my friends give me a hard time for being so tight fiscally…that was a by- product of my father. He wouldn’t even spend money on ear tags for our cows or their calves. My mom would get so frustrated working cows with him because he would reference them by their pedigree and what calf she had in the past to identify them since they didn’t have a number. Still today, my dad hesitates to A.I. to a bull if he is priced over $30 a straw. Dad never wanted to get rich. He just wanted to sell steers to kids at a fair price so hopefully they could have a good experience and make money on their projects in the end. His customers were very loyal to him because of it. Today my brother, Joe is back home running the operation with my mom and dad and his wife, Joelynn. It is no coincidence that many of their customers are parents who have kids that are showing who once upon a time bought calves from my dad growing up. That makes me very proud to hear that because I think it says a lot about how my dad treated people.” Ryan showed steers and heifers, most of which they raised themselves. One of his proudest moments was exhibiting the champion Maine Anjou steer at Houston in 1996 a red calf, named Rudolph they raised out of a Cunia descendant. “Dr. Schaake judged that year. Rudolph acted like
yan is judging the market steer shows at the Ohio, Indiana, and Iowa State Fair’s this summer and the Tulsa State Fair this fall. Ryan is a beef cattle educator
and researcher, a livestock judging coach and judge, and most importantly a husband and father.
The phenotypic outcome of every show project is dependent upon the animal’s genetics (minor) and the influence of their environment (majority). Ironically, the kids that show these animals are influenced by the same two variables. The environmental influences are a blend of a child’s upbringing, the mentors they’ve had along the way, and their life experiences. Collectively, they shape one’s character and the success of their life. For Ryan, he was raised in a small, rural, German Catholic community called Rockne which is a half hour southeast of Austin,TX on his family’s cow-calf operation. “I owe my core values to my parents, James and Janet. My parents taught me to work hard, remain humble, and prioritize my faith. My mom worked for the Texas Retirement System and my dad served as an ag teacher in Elgin until I was about 8 or so. After that, they ranched full-time focusing 148
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