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I believe a man’s greatest possession is his dignity and that no calling bestows this more abundantly than farming and ranching. I believe hard work and honest sweat are the building blocks of a person’s character. I believe that farming and ranching, despite hardships and disappointments, is the most honest and honorable way a man can spend his days on this earth. I believe farming and ranching nurtures the close family ties that make life rich in many ways that money can’t buy. I believe my children are learning values that will last a lifetime and can be learned in no other way. I believe farming and ranching provides education for life that no other occupation teaches so much about birth, growth, and maturity in such a variety of ways. I believe many of the best things in life are indeed free: the splendor of a sunrise, the rapture of wide-open spaces, the exhilarating sight of your land greening each spring. I believe that true happiness comes from watching your crops ripen in the field, your cattle grazing peacefully, your children grow tall in the sun, and your whole family feel the pride that springs from their shared experience. I believe that by my toil I am giving more to the world than I am taking from it, an honor that does not come to all men. I believe that my life will be measured ultimately by what I have done for my fellowman, and by this standard I fear no judgment.
I believe when a man grows old and sums up
his days, he should be able to stand tall and feel pride in the life
he’s lived. “I believe in farming and ranching because it makes all
this possible. |
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Bay City Sentinel, November 2, 2017 |
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Wendt given the Matagorda County Silver Spur Award The Matagorda County Silver Spur Award is the most prestigious honor given by the ranching and livestock industry in Matagorda County. Established in 2017, the award is conferred upon iconic industry leaders whose unparalleled devotion to land and livestock has earned them notable respect and admiration from their peers. This year, the 2018 Matagorda County Silver Spur Award to Dan Wendt. Wendt has been raising cattle all of his life. Upon his birth Wendt was given a brand. At age 11, he won Grand Champion of the Matagorda – Wharton County Fair. He was an active part of 4-H club and went on to win many beef championships in his youth. Wendt earned his Eagle Scout and worked as a cowboy on long cattle drives around the county as well as escorted cattle by train to Kansas. There was no doubt in his mind, or his school classmates, that he was destined to be a rancher. Upon high school graduation, Wendt began helping his father, R.A., with the management of their herd. He also began working at Sun Oil Company in 1947, where he remained until he retired in 1970. In the 1940’s Dan and his father were crossing Angus bulls with Braford cows. They experimented with crossing Brahma and Hereford, and later turned to a milking Shorthorn. In 1953, Wendt, his father, R.A., and wife, Jane, visited a cattle sale at the King Ranch. It was there he realized the Santa Gertrudis Breed was what he and his father had been trying to achieve with various breeding combinations. His first Santa Gertrudis bull was purchased from the King Ranch. In 1954 Dan and his father formed “R.A. Wendt & Sons” herd #621 in the National Santa Gertrudis Breeders International. In Wendt’s words, “It was slow putting the herd together. We went to ranches looking for cattle but felt strongly about performance testing cattle from the beginning. We never used bulls that weren’t performance or gain tested... We also had very little land holdings. Money was tight, tight. Most of it was leased, far apart, and not all of it was high quality.” Jane and Dan were able to acquire an 18-wheeler of cattle from Richard King of King Ranch when he converted part of his land to farming. In the 60’s Mr. Wendt and his wife Jane focused on building up their herd and raising a family. In 1961, their commercial “Wendt Feedlot” was built and could feed 1,100 animals comprised of business for O. B Stanley grocery stores; Bay City, El Campo, and Katy Packing Companies; the Ashcraft family; and other large breeders in the county. Work hours were 4:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. Weather didn’t reduce those hours, in fact, in Dan’s words, “it made them longer.” In addition to commercial feeding, they gain tested and collected carcass data on Santa Gertrudis. Simultaneously, he maintained employment at Sun Oil Company to have medical insurance largely to support two of his four children who bravely and ultimately lost their battle with cystic fibrosis. In 1969 – Dan’s dad died. It was then they dissolved the “RA Wendt & Sons” partnership and transitioned to “Wendt Ranch”. In the 1970’s Dan Wendt served as Chairman of the Santa Gertrudis Steer Shows that took place in Houston, Mississippi, Mercedes, and Dallas. His daughters, Kathy and Nancy, won three of them with purebred Santa Gertrudis steers. Dan served as Chairman of the Santa Gertrudis Performance Testing Committee when Rockefeller was President of the Breed. At the time they had a Texas A&M professor on the committee. Many were not convinced of the importance of performance testing. In Dan’s words, “I had to fight to persuade membership of the importance.” In 1972, Dan was involved with the first embryo transfer. One of the most interesting parts of this work was when he and Jane traveled to South Africa with embryos implanted in rabbits. The rabbits served as the incubators for the embryos. In the 1980’s Dan served as President of the Santa Gertrudis Breeders International. Later, from 2007-2009, his late wife, Jane Wendt, served as the first – and only – female president of the breed. Dan and Jane worked together toward a common vision throughout their more than 60 years together. Dan is not shy in speaking to his partnership with Jane. She kept the records and when buyers or breeders called for information they spoke with Jane. In addition to building a herd and family together, they also heavily supported the youth – in Matagorda County, and both the Mid Coast and National Santa Gertrudis juniors by donating animals, providing mentorship, serving on committees, and buying animals at auctions. From the 1970’s-2000’s, Dan and Jane exported cattle internationally, largely due to their robust performance records and legacy of strong herd sires. Together, they did business in Argentina, Brazil, Morocco, Australia, Russia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Mexico, Canada, South Africa, and throughout the United States. In fact, in the 1990’s they were personal guests of the King of Morocco who purchased cattle and closed a restaurant to celebrate Dan’s birthday. It was Wendt Ranch policy to visit the country where their cattle were sold. They fulfilled this for all countries except Russia and Canada. In the early 2000’s, Dan and Jane had contiguous land holdings for the first time, and in Dan’s words, “This drastically cut down on windshield time.” In 2016, Dan and Jane transitioned the cattle operation to his daughter Nancy, her husband, Gene, grandson, Daniel, and his wife, Lauren Kubecka. Dan continues to help out by doing daily rounds. Wendt Ranch is now in its fourth generation of operation. To sum up Dan’s legacy, it would be one of clear vision, hard work, husband and wife partnership, resiliency, Christian faith, and commitment to family. His impact didn’t come from one big gesture or season, but rather a lifetime of routine and steady contribution to what he values. Our community and cattle our better for it.
Bay City Tribune, October 14, 2018 |
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Billy Mann 2019 Cattlemen's Silver Spur Award Winner Cattleman Billy Mann recently received the coveted Silver Spur Award from the Matagorda County Cattlemen’s Association. Mann was honored at the association’s banquet Oct. 15. The Matagorda County Silver Spur Award is the most prestigious honor given by the ranching and livestock industry in the county. Established in 2017, the award is conferred upon iconic industry leaders whose unparallel devotion to land and livestock has earned them notable respect and admiration from their peers. Presenting the award to Mann was Dr. Nancy Kubecka, whose father, Dan Wendt, received the Silver Spur Award in 2018. “This year’s recipient was born September second 1938 and has been a resident of Matagorda County for 70 + years,” Kubecka said at the banquet. “It is very difficult to describe the caliber of this individual in just a few words, but I will try. “Our honoree married his high school sweetheart and raised two sons here in Matagorda County,” she said. “He is also a very proud grandfather to his five grandchildren and seven great grandchildren, who have embraced their ranching heritage and brought certainty to the continuance of this wonderful legacy. “He continues to be active in our community not only being a member of the Cattlemen’s Association, but also serving on boards such as The Matagorda County Soil and Water Conservation District, Farm Bureau and The Bay City Lions Club, he is also a deacon at The First Baptist Church in Bay City,” Kubecka said. “In our recipients’ early farming years, there was no such thing as a cab tractor. He was mowing with a small International tractor, and then later updated to a Case iron lung 930 tractor. “Fence rows were cleared with a machete and old barbed wire was rolled up for future use. All used fencing staples were inspected and restored for reuse if possible,” she told the banquet audience. “Always recycling what could be, as to not waste any material. All the fence corners were dug and tamped by hand to perfection. No tractor implements to make working easier. “Things have certainly improved since the skid steer was a must have of all farm equipment. “During the summer, he and his sons would put up square bales in a hot barn and in other old available abandoned buildings that he could find,” Kubecka said. “Just about the time that he and his sons filled all the barns and his sons thought they were finished for the season, he would call up a neighbor and volunteer the three of them to help put up the neighbor’s hay. “His sons often joke that they never knew there were cartoons until they moved away and got married,” Kubecka noted. “His wife was the lucky one. She always had the task of providing a big breakfast with all the works, plus lunch and dinner for her two growing boys and her husband. “This was every weekday and every weekend. On birthdays and holidays, she would always be the recipient of the biggest gift; A new bull, farm implements or the addition of more cows. “Back in the day, it took the whole family working together. He is known for keeping long skinny record books of notes on all his cattle,” Kubecka said. “He knows everything about his cattle, when the calves were born and how much each calf weighed when they were sold. “When his sons thought it was time to go home for the evening, he would go park in the middle of the herd, turn off the truck, and tell the boys the history of each cow in the herd, teaching them the importance of knowing the smallest detail of the farm.” Kubecka commented that “The Farmers and Ranchers Creed is something we believe sums up the man that is receiving the Silver Spur award. Mann was joined by his family at the award presentation – his wife, Linda, his sons, Billy and Johnny, “and their wonderful families to receive this award,” Kubecka said.
Bay City Sentinel, November 14, 2019 |
