The King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management

10/02/2026

What a great learning experience at the King Ranch, thanks to the generosity and expertise of Heath Grigg and his Management Team!

They took time out of their day to give our graduate students invaluable, real-world insights by diving deep into protocols for emerging issues like screw-worm or mealybugs. The team also covered all aspects of ranch management, from cattle, land, and financials to wildlife, risk management, and overall operations.

Thank you, Heath Grigg and his team, for sharing your time and wisdom, and for making this educational experience truly impactful and memorable!

10/01/2026

Thursday Industry Insight: Mealybugs
Cooper Larson || KRIRM Graduate Student

Pasture mealybugs are an emerging threat to pasture and hay production in the southern United States, particularly in Texas, Louisiana, and Florida. Juvenile mealybugs feed on grasses by sucking plant sap, but most of the damage comes from the saliva they inject into the plant. This can result in yellowing, red or purple discoloration, stunted growth, poor root development, premature leaf death, and eventually plant mortality. Infested pastures may appear drought-stressed even when rainfall is adequate.

Mealybugs can damage economically important forage grasses, including bermudagrass, Bahia grass, buffel grass, and other pasture species. Mealybugs may occur beneath leaves, within thatch, and near or below the soil surface, making detection and control difficult. Movement of contaminated hay, mowing equipment, and potentially livestock can contribute to the spread of pasture mealybugs between fields.

Control efforts are still under evaluation. Pasture mealybugs thrive in tall, dense forages; thus, grazing and mowing may reduce insect populations in combination with a subsequent chemical application. One challenge for chemical control is the lack of adequate coverage in tall, dense forage stands. Two chemicals, Centric 40WG and Sefina Inscalis, have shown progress in reducing, but not eliminating, mealybug populations. Products with the active ingredients of fipronil or pyrethroids are not effective in control of the pasture mealybug.

For more information, visit Texas A&M AgriLife Extension:
https://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu/pasture-mealybug/

Photo Credit: Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

09/30/2026

We had a great weekend at the 2026 Return To The Remuda Sale at the Four Sixes Ranch!

Our graduate students met top breeders and saw some of the best horses in the industry. This event was more than just an auction—it was a chance to network and learn among some of the best in the ranching world.

09/30/2026

09/29/2026

Join Us for the 23rd Annual HOLT CAT® Symposium on Excellence in Ranch Management
Digital Solutions for Ranch Management: Harnessing Value-Driven Technology
November 5-6, 2026 || Kingsville, TX & Online

Learn more about the 23rd Annual HOLT CAT® Symposium on Excellence in Ranch Management at https://krirm.tamuk.edu/symposium/!

The highlight event of the year is the Institute’s annual symposium held the first Thursday/Friday of November that features a timely topic or issue facing the ranching industry.

09/28/2026

Experience a day in the life of our graduate students at the TAMUK H.R. Smith Ranch!

This past week, they spent the morning working the Spring cattle and fitting new virtual collars to the herd. Get a firsthand look at ranch life from their perspective.

09/24/2026

Thursday Industry Insight: Total Weekly Domestic Beef Production
Salvetti D'Ascoli - KRIRM Graduate Student

Tightening cattle supplies have become a central topic of discussion across the beef industry, and for good reason. As cattle inventories have declined, an important question emerges: how has overall beef production responded?

To evaluate the changes, data from the Livestock Marketing Information Center (LMIC) was used, including weekly federally inspected cattle slaughter data (thousand head) and average federally inspected dressed weights. Comparisons were made among the previous five-year average (2020-2024), 2025, and the current 2026 values. For hot carcass weight (average dressed weight), an average was taken for each year category to determine the percent change. Compared to last year, 2026 carcasses are 3% heavier, while the percent change between 2026 and the previous five-year average is much greater, at 8% heavier.

Regarding total cattle slaughtered, the 2026 year-to-date percentage change was 7% lower than in 2025 and 16% lower than the previous 5-year average. These negative numbers have an immediate shock factor because they highlight the sheer magnitude of the difference in slaughter volume over the past several years. To clarify this situation, we must also consider the total pounds of beef produced each week.

The figure below shows the total pounds of beef produced weekly. Thus far in 2026, total production is 4% lower than in 2025 and 9% lower than the previous five-year average. These percentage changes matter as supplies tighten. Although we are slaughtering fewer cattle, hot carcass weights continue to trend higher, preventing the percentage change of weekly beef production from widening further. This is one of the many reasons beef has become increasingly expensive at the grocery store: tightening supply and rising demand have driven the highly publicized retail price increases past what we have seen historically.

09/23/2026

Molli Foxley joined the ranch management master’s program this fall.

Foxley was raised between Omaha, Nebraska, and Providence, Rhode Island. Molli grew up as a city kid with little exposure to agriculture. However, animals have always been her passion. Molli started at the University of Tennessee at Martin as a pre-veterinary student. She later attended Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, where she majored in Animal Science. While at LSU, she worked at the AgCenter’s Ben Hur Research Station’s Beef Unit, where she first gained hands-on experience with cattle. Her passion grew as she focused her studies on livestock production and management.

For the last seven years, Molli has been in South Texas working in cow-calf, feedyard, and veterinary operations. She has joined organizations, committees, and volunteer efforts to engage, learn, and give back to the communities that have given her so much. Molli’s passion for the industry and unconventional background offer an opportunity to learn from a different perspective and to set aspirations to become a leader in the industry.

As Molli enters the institute, she will be celebrating her tenth year in the cattle industry. She feels that continuing her education and working to become the best cattlewoman she can be by joining KRIRM is the perfect way to mark this milestone.

Learn more about Molli here: https://krirm.tamuk.edu/molli-foxley/

09/21/2026

Last week we hosted our Managing Farm and Ranch Employees Lectureship, and Dr. Bob Milligan explored the key differences between managing and leading! He emphasized that true leaders inspire and work best with followers who engage by choice, not obligation. Attendees had the chance to connect with fellow operations leaders, share their leadership perspectives, and collaborate on hiring processes, crafting mission and vision statements, developing leadership styles, and identifying ways to strengthen their skills and behaviors as team leaders.

Each participant is leaving with practical leadership and management tools and ideas they can take back and implement in their own operations.

09/18/2026

KRIRM graduates are making an impact across the ranching industry in many different ways. Delane Atcitty, KRIRM alumnus and executive director of the Indian Nations Conservation Alliance (INCA), is a great example, applying the knowledge and leadership gained through KRIRM to advance innovative approaches to grazing, ranch management, and natural resource stewardship.

In celebration of the 2026 International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, NatGLC explores how Indigenous knowledge can build resilience across America’s rangelands.