Spending a career off the farm is not wasted time for these producers. The hard and soft skills they gained equipped them for the challenges and uncertainty that are unavoidable in the cattle business.
Meredith Ellis, with G Bar C Ranch in Texas, thought she wanted to design and create beautiful community parks and municipal buildings with a bachelor’ s degree in business and a master’ s degree in landscape architecture. What she didn’ t know at the time was that the lessons and research from her classrooms would teach her how to be a life-long advocate for cattle ranchers and address misunderstandings between consumers and the ones growing their food. After earning her degrees at the University of New Mexico and working for a landscaping business, she returned to her family’ s ranch 13 years ago.
“ After earning my master’ s degree, I remember seeing the ranch in a completely new light, that it wasn’ t just a cattle ranch. My dad is the best landscape architect I’ ve ever known, and he didn’ t even realize it,” Ellis said.“ As a landscape architect, you hope to one day have an impact on the world, but what was right in front my face was that the greatest thing I could do was be a rancher, just like my dad.”
Her university education opened her eyes to the criticism the cattle industry faces— fake meat companies, sustainability accusations and greenhouse gas emissions just to name a few. Ellis’ education gave her a new perspective on the way the ranch improves the ecosystem by creating habitat for more than 660 native species and protecting seven different ecological zones. Like Legg, Ellis sees herself as a life-long student, learning not only from the land and livestock, but also from her father who has mentored her and shown her what it means to be a caretaker of the land.
These three producers didn’ t realize their mindsets and skills were being shaped in ways that would grow and prosper the cattle operations they’ d one day return to.
When he began raising cattle, Legg knew he’ d have to sharpen his pencil and look at the entire operation under a microscope to make a profit, carefully considering every input and output. Today, he tends to the soil and forages with great appreciation and precision, aware that the decisions he makes to those resources will lead to a successful cattle herd.
Caring for the land is just as vital to a profitable business as a healthy herd. Legg trained his cattle to respect polywire fencing which he uses to divide pastures and rotationally graze. He frequently tests his soils to monitor organic matter and nutrient levels to know the land’ s grazing capacity and the best time to move cattle. To optimize the quality of forage, he runs Katahdin hair sheep in addition to the cattle.
“ The whole plant community, the animal community, even us— it all begins with the soil. I’ ve focused on that for the last 10 years, learning all I can, because it’ s been exciting to see the difference it’ s made and has come full circle, showing me the importance of our soil to everything,” Legg said.
These practices go hand in hand with keeping inputs low and minimizing his labor. Now in his 70s, he is still learning every day how to take better care of his natural resources and livestock because he believes it is the most important profession on the planet.
“ I came to the realization that every other profession depends on us. Civilization would collapse within hours without farmers, and that’ s why I came back to the farm. Few people can and choose to do that,” he said.
Meredith Ellis is proud to teach her son Granville Ulibarri how to care for the land and livestock.
14 NATIONAL CATTLEMEN DIRECTIONS 2025