News from the Matador Ranch

All in a Day's Work

Matador Ranch

Winter 2013

Bob Kilmer

Change

by Bob Kilmer

One thing we sure learn being a part of Koch Industries is the certainty of change. In fact Koch's Guiding Principle 7 talks about change. Principle 7 says, "Anticipate and embrace change. Envision what could be, challenge the status quo, and drive creative destruction through experimental discovery."

In the last few weeks we have seen a changing of the guard within our own company. Randy Lair, who was our president, has opted to retire after 15 years with Koch Industries, Inc. and various affiliates. Under Randy's leadership, many changes took place within the ranches. At the Matador Ranch we ramped up our hunting program considerably, built a top-end whitetail deer breeding enterprise, and entered the full blood Akaushi breeding program to produce a high-end prime and choice beef product that brings a premium in the market place.

With this changing of the guard, we have a new opportunity to grow under the leadership of our new president, Damon Cox. We are looking forward to working with Damon. He is very knowledgeable in the area of economics and will bring a new perspective to our business. At the same time we are greatly pleased that Jennifer Dace, who was our accountant, has now joined our team as the manager of marketing and business development.

As we mentioned in our last newsletter, several long-time members of our Texas team have taken new opportunities in Kansas. All of these people I consider close friends, and I sorely hated to see them leave our team. We have hired two new camp men, Colton Russell and Gary Lee Price, to support our livestock efforts.

Initially as I contemplated all of these changes, I felt a bit lost. However, I stopped and thought about how selfish this was on my part because change is opportunity--new opportunities for the people that have moved on, new opportunities for the businesses they have moved to, new opportunities for the people that will replace them, and new opportunities for the Matador Ranch.

Change brings opportunity, and I have learned that how you view change will depend on how well you embrace change. Some people resist change.

My friend and mentor, Jim Cross, who managed ranches for Koch for 40 years, once told me, "Bob, change is hard; sometime you have to give it time." He was and is right. At the same time, I also recall Charles Koch telling me in a business review that "If you aren't improving faster than your competitor, you are getting behind." Change is inevitable and imperative to improvement.

Admittedly not every change we have made was the right thing to do. Sometimes we reverted back to the way we were doing something because it was right to start with, but the majority of time change leads to improvement.

So I will simply close with Principle 7: "Anticipate and embrace change. Envision what could be, challenge status quo, and drive creative destruction through experimental discovery."

And we're still praying for a change in the weather. . . .

Matador Cattle Company president Randy Lair (right) earns his spurs. Employees presented Lair with personalized spurs (below) upon his recent retirement.

James Palmer made the presentation.

Damon Cox

Damon Cox Is Named President of Koch Agriculture Company

Damon Cox, new president of Koch Agriculture Company, finds that his avocations parallel his profession.

Managing Koch Agriculture Company and The Matador Cattle Company to create long-term value complements Cox's personal interests in ranching and hunting.

Since joining Koch in 1997, Cox has held various financial leadership and business development roles in Koch Refining Company (now Flint Hills Resources, L.P.), Koch Pipeline Company, L.P., and Koch Industries, Inc. After working as part of the acquisition team for INVISTA, he was that company's director of business development for five years. Most recently he was on the corporate procurement team for Koch Industries.

The Kansas native and his wife, Robin, live in rural Cowley County where they enjoy hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting, and they have friends who regularly call on them when it's time to work cattle.

Damon is active in several organizations dedicated to the conservation of wildlife and habitat, such as Quail Forever, Ducks Unlimited, and the local Safari Club International chapter.

"Through my relationship with Randy Lair for the last several years, I have kept up with what was going on with the ranching business," Damon said. "Taking on the leadership of Koch Agriculture Company and The Matador Cattle Company is a tremendous opportunity."

Jennifer Dace Joins Matador Cattle Company for Marketing, Business Development

Jennifer Dace is sort of new to our Matador team, but not really.

Jenn became knowledgeable of the Matador Cattle Company business as an accountant. Until January 2013, she not only did accounting for the ranches, but also for several other Koch business interests.

Jennifer makes a catch while fishing at the Beverhead Ranch in Montana.

In January, she took on a new challenge: marketing and business development manager for all of the ranches. In this role she will review financial performances and statements, coordinate capital projects and hedging, model financials, direct social media, develop marketing campaigns, and leverage branding capabilities.

Jenn interned with Koch Industries in 2008 and immediately secured a full-time position in the accounting department following her graduation from Emporia State University.

A Kansas native, Jenn played college softball while at Emporia, and her team advanced to the national championship game of the World Series two of her four years. She still loves being outdoors and staying active and is acquiring a keen interest in hunting. Outside of work she is involved with Big Brothers and Big Sisters, Habitat for Humanity, and the local Angel Tree outreach. In the fall she has plans to marry Brandon Tarrant, an orthopedic practitioner.

"Jenn is an amazing young lady," said Bob Kilmer, ranch manager. "The first time I met Jenn, I was very impressed at how much she already knew about our business in such a short time. The other thing that impresses me is how inquisitive she is. Jenn asks a lot of questions--good ones that make me have to stop and think. Another thing that I place tremendous value on is her humility. Jenn, while being an extremely intelligent young lady, is humble and very respectful, yet has the courage to express her thoughts and opinions to those who have many more years of experience in this business than she does."

Jennifer Dace, Damon Cox, and Randy Lair tour the Matador Ranch.

James Palmer Now Manages Ranch Livestock Program

James Palmer

Isn't it interesting how life's trail sometimes circles back? Take the case of James Palmer.

As a native of Roaring Springs, Texas, James had worked on the Matador Ranch for short periods of time, but in January 1977, he signed on with the Matador Ranch and Koch Agriculture fulltime.

His first responsibility was at the Russellville Camp, where he and his young wife, Pat, lived until the summer of 1978. They then moved to the cook house at the headquarters so that James could assist the ranch manager, Dale Bumgardner.

During that period, Koch Agriculture owned the Yellow House Ranch, near Littlefield, Texas. James managed that ranch from 1980 until it sold in 1984. Then it was back to the Russellville Camp, going from camp man to ranch manager.

In January 1993, opportunity knocked, and the Palmers found themselves in Rupert, Idaho, where James was the manager of the Idaho division of Koch Agri Services West, a division of Koch Agriculture. The company bought, sold, and traded commodities and operated several grain elevators and other storage facilities. A grain-cleaning branch of the business also prepared grain for human consumption.

"It was a real change for me to come out of my comfort zone and be involved with a business I had only observed prior to that time," Palmer said.

The next two years offered additional experiences for Palmer as Koch asked him to manage one of its feed yards in Syracuse, Kansas. He then became more involved in marketing cattle from Koch's feed yards and from the ranches.

In September 1996, James was asked to manage the Spring Creek Ranch in Reece, Kansas. While at Spring Creek, he was given additional responsibilities initiated out of corporate headquarters in nearby Wichita, especially in the area of business development for all three of Koch Agriculture's ranches.

In 2004 Palmer was named vice president and general manager of Koch Agriculture, while retaining his position at Spring Creek Ranch. When Koch Agriculture President Larry Angell retired, James assumed the position of president, which he held until 2010 when he shifted his focus to operational excellence, production, and best practices. Randy Lair, who has recently retired, then became president of Koch Agriculture.

Now James is back where it all started--the Matador Ranch. As vice president of Koch Agriculture, James is managing the livestock portion of the ranch.

He is once again a constant figure around headquarters, and he is once again working to raise cattle in these familiar pastures.

Les Woolsey

Reflections on a Great Season

by Les Woolsey

Our past deer season ended with some bitter and sweet results. We are still dramatically short on rainfall, and summer 2012 was extremely hot once again - fortunately not as long but just as hot.

The sweet part was that we did have a good hunting season and many happy hunters. Quality was up this year with several ranch native deer in the 140s and a few in the 150s being harvested. We are seeing wild rye and filaree pop up, a result of the January rains. Our wildlife and upland game birds think filaree is a treat.

Wild quail hunting has been slow because of the low number of birds. Our conversations with land owners locally and across Texas are the same story-not many quail. However, the last couple of weeks we are getting reports of seeing more coveys-small coveys of 8-10 birds-but at least it's a report we view as positive.

As a result of the challenges with the wild birds, we have set aside a 7,619-acre private bird hunting area to release quail so that our guests can enjoy good hunting and put some birds in the freezer. We believe that we can help our wild bird population recover by leaving as many wild pair as we can. We keep praying for rain and for a good hatch this summer.

Although the weather changes and circumstances change, the one thing that I count as constant is the opportunity to work with a great team at the Matador Ranch. I am blessed to be surrounded by this team, and I want to thank each of them for their hard work and dedication. I would also like to tell all of our clients Thank You from the Matador Ranch team. We appreciate you more than you know! As we have the opportunity to become better acquainted with you, we view you as more than a customer-you are part of the family!

Horses, Cattle, and Such

by James Palmer

Seasons come and season go and so the world turns. Can you believe fall has come and gone? The calves were all shipped, the colts weaned, and the cows were placed in their winter home. Then the new calves came, branding was done, and now we look forward to the harvest. And it's not even March!

Curious Cattle But isn't that what we live for--the new, the next crop, the results of our labor?

It never ceases to amaze me how I look forward to "next year." We are living in one of the worst droughts in years, and often our attitudes turn gloomy. But then we remember there is always next year. I found that moment of awe recently in watching the crew brand the new calves. I realized we were adding value to our newest product. We now have a new opportunity to help feed the world by providing nutritious and tasty protein to a hungry world.

In the pens were our newest and most advanced product, developed by genetic decision and planning, the efforts of men and women working together, making decisions, and sharing in the opportunities given us. Wow, it's great to be alive and have hope!

Ok, enough of that.

The fall calves have been branded, and now we await the arrival of spring calves and the new colts. There's nothing like a new baby to offer hope!

Unfortunately, the unknown of whether we will have enough moisture to grow the needed forage is constantly on our minds. We are now developing our spring and summer grazing plans. To be judicious in our resource management, we must plan ahead. One of the most important phrases I was ever told was "to fail to plan is to plan to fail." I reckon we better be planning our marketing, too. Chaps

Fundamentals tell us we could see record high calf prices again this year. Cow numbers are the lowest they have been since 1949. The reduced inventory is putting a strain on the feeding sector and the packing industry.

Anybody bought a new pickup or a load of feed lately? We are going to need high-dollar values for our calves to cover these costs. I stand amazed at where we have come since I was a kid. The 25 cents I used to take to go to the movies and get a coke and candy doesn't go quite that far, does it? But most of us make a little more per hour than we did then, too. What I do know is the "get 'r done" mind set of agriculture people will prevail, and we will get all this worked out. At the end of the day, we will step back and admire the fruits of our labor and the beauty of God's great earth which we have been given to oversee.

Well, I will stop rambling and say things are going good on the Matador Ranch. Our team is diligent and committed to producing a safe, valuable product for our customers. We will keep it up and keep you informed as we go along. Hey, that reminds me. We have a couple of new members to our team since November. Colton Russell and Gary Lee Price have joined the group. I think they are going to be good additions to the already strong team of Mickey Beshirs and Tim Washington. Just so you know, we are proud of these guys and their families. They are the backbone to keeping the cattle and horse operations going strong.

So, God bless you and yours until we meet again. Come see us if you can!

Matador Ranch Cookbooks

Matador Ranch cookbooks have arrived!

All in a Day's Work:

Cooking on the Matador Ranch sells for only

$20 (plus tax).

Call 806-347-2600 or come by the Matador Ranch Store to get your copy today.

Join us during the Quiet Season

June 1 through August 31

is the Quiet Season

at the Matador Ranch.

The lodge is open to non-hunting guests by prior arrangement.

See the web site for details and pricing or

call 806-347-2600.

Palmer, Russell Attend NCBA Convention

James Palmer (left) and J.D. Russell attended the National Cattleraisers Beef Association Convention in Floriida.

"What an interesting time for cattlemen and women to meet and discuss business, renew friendships, and set direction for the future of our industry," said Palmer.

2012-2013 Hunting Season
Promising

by Les Woolsey

The 2013-14 hunting season is starting to set up nicely. We had almost 2 inches of rainfall in January, which is above average for that month. We remain optimistic for the upcoming season.

We are gearing up for spring turkey season. Our mild winter, thus far, has confused even the old thunder chicken. You would think it is spring the way several of our toms have been strutting around. Demand for our turkey hunts has exceeded supply. I very much appreciate the sportsmanship and mutual concern for conservation demonstrated by a number of our customers who have opted for one bird versus two and then finished up hunting hogs and coyotes, which in itself can be a blast.

Give me a call. We are booking our fall trophy whitetail hunts, and the calendar is beginning to fill.

Schedule Your Whitetail Hunt Today!

Call Les Woolsey now to book your hunt.

Call 806-347-2645.

Ranch Welcomes New Camp Men

Gary Lee Price

New camp man at Wolf Creek is Gary Lee Price. Price comes to the Matador Ranch from the Cave Ranch in Afton. A native of Blooming Grove, Texas, Gary Lee earned a degree in animal science from Texas A&M University.

Colton Russell

Headquarters camp man is Colton Russell. A native of Matador, Russell basically grew up on the ranch; his father is J.D, Russell, who only recently left to manage the Spring Creek Ranch in Kansas. Colton is a graduate of Clarendon College, and he has worked at several ranches throughout the area.

Hog Hunting on the Matador