About Gary Markham

Gary Markham grew up in the Texas Panhandle in Motley County, surrounded by the Matador Ranch and its neighbors, the Spur, the 6666's, the Pitchfork, the JA's, and many other large ranches. There was a lot of land and not many people, but a lot of beef cows. It was a good place to learn to like cows. 

Start of El Rancho de Trabajo

About ten years ago, Gary bought some land about twenty miles south of Houston to build a house on. Needing some cattle to run on the rest of the place, longtime friend and fellow Aggie, Bruce Buffaloe, sold Gary his first Red Brangus heifers. Bruce even threw in the use of some Red Brangus bulls (needing to get them off his pasture and onto someone else's during the drought). Bruce kept selling Gary more cows. Before long Gary had to buy some more adjacent land to run all his cows and Bruce's bulls on. Then he needed more cows, and so on. Fortunately, Bruce had plenty of good Red Brangus cows to sell, and there was more land to be bought. Gary's father-in-law, Bob Tollett, came up with the name "El Rancho de Trabajo" one hot and humid summer day while they were building fence. At that time we thought it might have been El Rancho de 'MUCHO' Trabajo. A rancho is a small ranch that requires a lot of work. 

El Rancho de Trabajo grows up

When the Genetic Edge IV Sale occurred in March 1999 Gary had to be in New York on business. No problem. Bruce was there and conversed with Gary over their cell phones to buy more registered Red Brangus heifers for Gary.  Included in those was the show heifer, Miss Oak Creek 280F, a Premier daughter never beaten in her class in over 120 shows across the state on the junior show circuit. She has won championships in Houston, the Belt Buckle Bonanza and the Fall Classic, including Champion American Heifer at the Central Texas Fair and Reserve Champion Overall at Fort Bend County Fair TCCA Show. She had a bull calf by her side, out of Mr. UV Jackson 41/D.  Jackson was the high selling bull at the sale. Fortunately, Bruce hauled this cow home to his Buffaloe Cattle Company ranch in Victoria, where she was bred to the two time Grand Champion Red Brangus Bull, CX Chief Cardinal 847/G. Another bull calf, GM Mustang Chief 280/K, resulted from this mating. Thank you Don and Bruce! 

Steadily Growing!

The next year Gary bought nine of the best Red Brangus heifers at the 2000 Genetic Edge V Sale in Houston, and later three more from Dennis Kmiec's Triangle K Farms. During this time Gary also acquired a possession interest in the bull, CX Mr. Powerdrive 269/G, a half brother to the bull that was to be grand champion at both San Antonio and Houston in 2001.

At the 2001 Genetic Edge VI Sale in Houston Gary bought three more of the best Red Brangus heifers, including BCC JR Inca Maiden 22/J, which Bruce Buffaloe said was the best heifer he had ever produced. She came bred to CX Powerman 307/H, who was the 2001 Grand Champion Red Brangus Bull at both the San Antonio and Houston open shows. A bull calf, GM Bruce 22J/L, was born last September. He is going to be a good one.

El Rancho get help

While Gary was increasing his cow herd, Joe Taylor came to be foreman and help Gary take care of them. Joe grew up on a ranch in Eastern New Mexico. Like the Texas Panhandle, it was a good place to learn to like cows. Joe appreciates the "trabajo" in our name more than Gary. He works with the cows every day.

Our Breeding Philosophy

We run our cows on mostly native gulf coast pastures, because we believe that is what most cow-calf producers in our area do. We try to keep the cows that do best on the native forage and pass that ability on to their offspring. Purebred cattle that have been pampered all their lives on knee-deep irrigated and fertilized grass may not do too well when put out in the typical gulf coast prairie, especially in a dry year. We want to sell breeding cattle that will do what the Red Brangus breed is supposed to do - thrive and do well in our hot, humid, sometimes dry in the summertime and wet in the winter, climate. We feed supplemental hay and range cubes in the winter, but make them eat native grasses the rest of the year.

Come on out to El Rancho de Trabajo anytime and you can help us with el trabajo or just visit and look at some of the best Red Brangus cattle in the breed.