28 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN January 2025 PEOPLE Stockmanship Success Three Renowned Livestock Handling Clinicians Share Their Perspectives on Low-Stress Cattle Handling JESSIE TOPP BECKER | NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN MANAGING EDITOR If you’ve ever been driven to research low-stress cattle handling tips or sought to improve the stewardship practices on your operation, you likely came across demonstrations or articles featuring some of the country’s most renowned livestock handling clinicians – Dean Fish, Ron Gill, Ph.D., and Curt Pate. These three individuals have decades of experience conducting stockmanship trainings, most notably as part of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Stockmanship and Stewardship program. In this article, they share their perspectives on low-stress cattle handling and stewardship practices. Meet the Experts As the ranch manager for the Santa Fe Ranch Foundation, R. Dean Fish works to develop problem-solving research for fellow beef producers. In addition to his work with the foundation and being a member of the NCBA Stockmanship and Stewardship team, Fish also raises commercial Angus cattle and club calves. Fish is passionate about spreading the stockmanship and stewardship message as he has seen the benefits in his own and other operations where the principles are implemented. “In my opinion, there is an economic benefit to proper cattle handling and stockmanship, as well as instilling pride in what we are producing,” he says. Ron Gill, Ph.D., has worked for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension for 40 years, where today he is a professor and Extension livestock specialist. In addition to conducting numerous stockmanship trainings, he is co-founder of the Stockmanship and Stewardship program and has worked with NCBA and the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program to conduct more than 200 stockmanship trainings since 2008. Gill is also president of Gill Cattle Company where he runs a commercial cow-calf operation in north central Texas. Over the past 17 years, Gill has traveled the country conducting stockmanship demonstrations; he is passionate about teaching others about low-stress cattle handling. “The feedback from these trainings and results on my own operation continue to fuel the desire to keep doing stockmanship trainings,” Gill says. “Attendees would nearly always have some level of success in performance or some savings in facility design.” For more than a decade Curt Pate has conducted demonstrations and clinics on stockmanship, colt starting, horsemanship and safety. He teaches techniques to put the proper pressure on cattle at a different angle and at varying amounts that helps move them comfortably and without a bad experience. His ability to conduct horsemanship and stockmanship demonstrations, along with his ability to communicate effectively, make him one of the most sought-after clinicians. Pate’s enthusiasm for promoting good stockmanship is for the benefit of animals and people. “Beef quality assurance is the modern term for a good stockman. It’s been happening since biblical times and there are certain practices that create better BQA and stockmen,” he says. “I have made this a passion and study for myself and enjoy sharing what I’ve learned.” Expert Advice NC: What is something you wish producers better understood about low-stress cattle handling? Fish: Low stress does not always mean low pressure. There are times when a significant amount of pressure needs to be applied to get the animal to respond as we are asking. Gill: It is not hard to accomplish, but it does often require people to break some old, learned behavior, and that is very difficult for some people to do. Second, it can save an operation a lot of money on infrastructure and it can make you more money on improved performance. One unsung advantage is the safety and reduction in injury to people and livestock that can occur with improved stockmanship. The best thing about this whole thing is that it does not cost you money to implement better stockmanship. Pate: Using proper pressure and understanding the value of properly releasing that pressure are priorities.
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