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The FUTURE of Gerts Was Made in the PAST Since 1866, Lackey Ranch, located in the rolling hills of South Texas, has grown and expanded by purchasing surrounding land and making sound business decisions. One such decision was made in 1950 when Vachel Lackey became one of 12 breeders to form the Pioneer Santa Gertrudis Breeders organization. Their first annual sale was held in San Antonio in 1951 and, in 1952, Lackey, along with the other pioneer ranches purchased El Torazo for $40,000. By Hannah Johlman, Freelance Writer

A 1954 advertisement for the Pioneer Santa Gertrudis Breeders stated: “Our investment in El Torazo is evidence of our determination to make Pioneer Santa Gertrudis Breeders the outstanding group in the field. Santa Gertrudis breeders own more land, more cattle, more fine animals than any others except the King Ranch. Visit our ranches. See the ‘get’ of El Torazo.” Today, Lackey Ranch continues with genetics from El Torazo and consists of more than 6,200 acres throughout Dewitt, Karnes, Bee and Goliad coun- ties and is home to 400 commercial Santa Gertrudis cows, 155 registered Santa Gertrudis cows, 200 Santa Gertrudis-cross cattle and around 200 registered Brangus cows, none of which would have been possible without the leadership of Page Saunders. “Page [Saunders] was a Lackey granddaughter and the first family member to actually live on the ranch,

except for the people who started the ranch in 1866,” says Ricky Curry, Lackey Ranch manager. “Over the years, Page grew up with Vachel on the ranch, and she just got a love for the Santa Gertrudis cattle. Those were the only cows she ever really wanted on the ranch, so that’s what she raised.” When Saunders moved to the ranch from Colorado in 1978, her living situ- ation consisted of an outdoor kitchen and a concrete bathtub, but she was dedicated to the job ahead of her and the breed of cattle that she believed in. Saunders forged ahead with help from her daughter, Briana, who began show- ing cattle in San Antonio and Houston, and friend and fellow Santa Gertrudis breeder, Ben Alexander. In 2015, Saun- ders’ daughter and son-in-law, Larry Franke, became the sixth generation of

Lackey ranchers. They continue to be heavily involved in the Santa Gertrudis breed. “Membership in SGBI is a two-way street,” Franke says. “Good data is the new mainstay for any breed, and breed- ers must collect accurate data just as BELOW: Page Saunders continued to work alongside her ranch hands, helping sort cattle and making ranch decisions until her health prevented her from doing so in 2015. ABOVE: Lackey Ranch purchases their bulls from many Santa Gertrudis breeders. This bull came from the Corrazon Pitchford Ranch in April 2017.

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Always working toward a better cow herd, fertility is the No. 1 goal for Lackey Ranch, with heavy weaning weights and phenotype being close seconds.

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SANTA GERTRUDIS USA