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Ranching for Profit School

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Transform your ranch in one week at the Ranching for Profit School

This one-week investment with our expert instructors offers exactly what you need to boost profits, improve land health, strengthen business relationships, and enhance your overall satisfaction with your operation.

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Increase profit and cash flow
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Improve management and relationships
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Improve land and livestock health
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Reduce stress and workload
Instructor working with student individually at Ranching for Profit School
Instructor taking questions during lecture at Ranching for Profit School
People meeting and networking at the Ranching for Profit School
Students working in workbooks at the Ranching for Profit School
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Ranching for Profit School group work

Ranching for Profit class structure

  • Short, dynamic lectures
  • Fun demonstrations
  • Video presentations
  • Group and individual tasks
  • Real case studies
  • Daily homework to apply concepts to your own ranch
  • Individual coaching after hours

How the Ranching for Profit School works

The Ranching for Profit School is held at various locations across the country every year. To register, click the button below, choose which upcoming RFP School you would like to attend and fill out the form.

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Pre-work

When you enroll in the Ranching for Profit School, we send you pre-work to complete prior to class. The pre-work will familiarize you with the RFP principles and make it easier to apply RFP concepts to your ranch during class.

Class Materials to Prepare

Some pre-work will ask you to bring selected, summary financial information to class. In the evenings, there will be optional time for you to apply lessons learned in class to your business. This information is treated with strict confidence, and you don’t have to reveal any more than you want to.

Class Schedule

Classes start at 3 PM on Sunday, with an optional get-acquainted reception at 2:30 PM. The day wraps up with a 7:30 PM dinner hosted by RFP. Monday through Friday, sessions run from 8 AM to 5 PM, and on Saturday from 8 AM to noon.

Class Size

Expect 24 to 54 fellow ranchers.

The benefits don’t end at the bell. Ranching for Profit School alumni have the opportunity to join two of our nationally recognized programs that offer continued support.

RFP Online

RFP Online offers a collection of support materials that help you apply the principles of the RFP School directly to your operation.

Executive Link

Executive Link is a network of Ranching for Profit alumni who provide accountability and support to one another.

Ready to get started?
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Who should attend the Ranching for Profit School

At the Ranching for Profit School, we welcome ranchers from all different backgrounds, ages, education levels, and operations. Our material is for anyone who wants to take their operation to the next level.

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Education Level

No prior education is required. Our classes are designed to meet you where you are, whether you have an MBA or didn’t finish high school.

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Groups

We strongly recommend that the management team attends together, so everyone is on the same page. Discounted tuition is offered for attendees within the same ranch.

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Age and Experience

Students must be at least 18 years old to attend. We have attendees at all experience levels, whether they are just starting out or sixth generation ranchers.

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Operations

We teach principles that apply to any business, regardless of the scale or what you grow/raise. Most attendees raise livestock and are large enough to support a family, but every school has a diverse mix.

If this sounds like you, enroll in the Ranching for Profit School today!

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Explore the Ranching for Profit School curriculum

Learn what you need to succeed

Most Ranching for Profit School sessions are 7 days, but some sessions are 5 days. Both options cover the same curriculum, and the outlines are available to download in advance.

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Day 1

Overview

Identify worry areas to address during the class. Review principles to derive maximum value from the Ranching for Profit School.

Day 2

Economics & People

Learn and apply the 3 secrets for increasing profit. Establish clear goals, roles, and performance targets for yourself and your team and hold everyone accountable. Develop a management succession plan.

Day 3

Economics & Ecology

Project and manage cash flow. Understand your ranch’s ecosystem, assess its health, and identify tactics for improvement. Increase the carrying capacity of your ranch.

Day 4

Finance & Grazing

Calculate key financial benchmarks and use them to find strengths and weaknesses. Learn and apply the 5 Grazing Principles in ways that make sense economically.

Day 5

Grazing & Production

Create a property development plan. Troubleshoot pasture and animal performance problems. Drought proof your business. Improve your livestock nutrition and reproduction.

Day 6

Ecology & People

Develop a business structure that fits your environment. Explore the profitability of alternative production strategies. Find strategies to manage identified worry areas. Participate in an objective, peer-review board meeting.

Day 7

People & Management

Draft an action plan that applies Ranching for Profit principles to the challenges facing your ranch. Determine a policy for working on your business on a regular basis.

Find a Ranching for Profit School near you

Ranchers travel from all over to attend the Ranching for Profit School. Being away from home allows ranchers to minimize distractions and meet a diverse group with different ideas. Regardless of which location you select, the materials and experience will be the same.

Abilene, TX

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Billings, MT

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Colorado Springs, CO

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Okotoks, AB, Canada

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Phoenix, AZ

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Rapid City, SD

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Saskatoon, SK, Canada

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Wheatland, WY

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Meet your instructors

All of our instructors at the Ranching for Profit School have real world experience in ranching and are dedicated to helping you succeed. You’ll find our instructors are passionate about the RFP principles and have experience applying them to their own business.

Meet Our Full Staff
Dallas Mount, Ranching for Profit School Instructor
Dallas Mount
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Dave Pratt, Ranching for Profit School Instructor
Dave Pratt
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John Locke, Ranching for Profit School Instructor
John Locke
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Melinda Sims, Ranching for Profit School Instructor
Melinda Sims
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Shanon Sims, Ranching for Profit School Instructor
Shanon Sims
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Jordan Steele, Ranching for Profit School Instructor
Jordan Steele
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Caitlin Word, Ranching for Profit School Instructor
Caitlin Word
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Scenic Ranch Landscape

RFP School Tuition

From investment to profit

At the Ranching for Profit School, you’ll get incredible value in top-notch instruction and one-on-one coaching with an expert. You’ll leave with new knowledge and a customized action plan to drive immediate and lasting improvements on your ranch. Most of our alumni say the tuition quickly pays for itself with their increase in profitability following the course. You’ll find this investment not only covers its cost but also delivers significant, generational results.

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What your money covers:
  • Pre-work materials
  • Workbook
  • Reference manual
  • Share drive access
  • Daily refreshments
  • Sunday night dinner
  • Weekday lunches

First person from your business: $3,000
Each additional person from your business: $2,500
Alumni repeat: $1,000

Payment plans are available!

Words from Ranching for Profit School alumni

Scenic Ranch Landscape

Enroll in the Ranching for Profit School today

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Frequently Asked Questions

Do you offer scholarships?

No we don’t. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t scholarships available. Attendees have found financial assistance to attend RFP from a variety of sources including lending institutions, conservation districts/groups, industry trade groups, state workforce service centers and others. Contact those organizations you are partnering with and see if they want to support your attendance.

Though we don’t personally offer scholarships, we do offer a simple payment plan.

Is there anything I should prepare for or bring to class?

Yes. When you enroll you will be sent pre-work to complete prior to class. Some pre-work asks you to bring selected financial information to the class. All information is treated with strict confidence, and you don’t have to reveal any more to anyone than you want to.

In class, we won’t work on your specific financials but will use a case study to learn the process. In the evening hours, after class, there will be optional time for you to dive in to your specific numbers and make your plan for moving forward. If you are starting from scratch or getting ready to make a complete shift in your enterprise mix, then bringing past financial data is a waste of time. We will build the plan based on educated guesses looking forward. If you are looking to make changes to what you are currently doing, then having some summary financial data will be helpful. Do not bring reams of paper showing all the business transactions from the past 3 years! The following will give you an idea of the types of financial data that will be helpful:

  • Inventory of livestock/crops
  • Estimates of livestock/cropping performance (weaning rate, gains, breeding rates etc.)
  • Feed usage and costs
  • Vet costs by livestock class
  • Equipment inventory value
  • Total utilities, insurance, professional fees etc.
  • Total fuel, fertilizer, pesticide, seeding expenses

In addition to your completed pre-work, please wear comfortable clothes including a light jacket. (We like keep the classroom cool.)

We provide each student with a workbook, scratch paper, pencils, erasers, calculators and everything else you need to learn how to get in control of your business.

What is your refund/cancellation policy?

We have a flexible cancellation policy where your deposit can be rolled to another school within 13 months as long as you let us know at least 7 days prior to the start of the school. If you complete the Ranching for Profit School and at the end believe you have not received your money’s worth, we will refund the fee according to our policy. Please read our refund and cancellation policy.

Can I bring my children/baby into the classroom?

Think of the classroom as a boardroom. This is a place where $100,000 or more decisions are being made. All participants have a lot invested in being there and we need to minimize distractions in the classroom. It is not appropriate to bring your children and expect them to stay with you in the classroom. Nursing mothers, or parents with young children have attended and have brought a caregiver with them who doesn’t attend the class. Sleeping infants on occasion are fine, but do not plan to bring your infant or other small children to the classroom all week.

Do I need to stay at the hotel where the school is held?

No, but we recommend that even if participants live nearby, they stay at the venue so that they can participate in the informal after-hours discussions. Some people commuting to the school have a harder time focusing on $100,000 issues facing their business because they are distracted doing the $10/hour chores at home before coming to class.

When are you going to hold a school in my town?

Occasionally our Ranching For Profit Schools change location, but typically they are held in the same location and the same time of year, annually. The week-long curriculum is the same regardless of the school’s location.

We encourage you to travel to a Ranching For Profit School if we are not offering one in your area. Many of our alumni report that their best experience attending a RFP school is when they attend a school completely out of their area. After all, who’s problems are easier to solve? Yours or someone else’s? You can see all the silly things your neighbor does and often scratch your head wondering why they waste their time doing those things. What if you could sit with ranchers from a completely different part of the country and they had the opportunity to review your business? Don’t you think they would find things you hadn’t even considered?

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Michelle Champman, ranch management facilitator

Michelle Chapman ranches with her family in Northwest Oklahoma. She and her husband, Jesse, manage his family’s ranch as well as Michelle’s family ranch. They have been managing the ranches for the past 20 years together. Jesse takes care of the production while Michelle does all of the financial side. Michelle uses her business and accounting degrees to do all of the financial side of the business and has a firm grasp of the RMC economic and financial procedures. They attended RFP school in Jan 2013 and immediately joined EL in Feb. They spent the next 7 years learning and growing their business through EL and the help of board members. Michelle has attended 3 of the RFP schools over the last 8 years.

Michelle and Jesse have 3 children, Caleb, Audra, and Aimee. Caleb has attended the youth RMC school as well as RFP school. Both of the girls have attended the Youth RMC school, Aimee has attended twice. The family has a firm belief in all that is taught and learned through RMC.

Andrea Davis Cetina, Ranch Management Consultants

Andrea Davis-Cetina is the director of marketing for RMC, she manages all of our social media accounts providing business resources for ranchers and farmers. She also assists in marketing our programs through our online presence and oversees ProfitTips. Andrea knows from personal experience the difficulty in accessing quality agricultural information, she prides herself on sharing information that can help improve business operations on any ranch or farm. Andrea holds a BA in Sustainable Agriculture with a focus on Local Food Systems from Hampshire College. When not in front of her laptop, she can be found out in the vegetable field where she is the owner/ farmer of Quarter Acre Farm, a certified organic vegetable operation on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

Jamie Rasnake, Ranch Management Consultants

Jamie Rasnake is the bookkeeper for RMC. Jamie is a native of WY, born and raised in Torrington area. Jamie’s responsibilities include oversight of accounts payable and receivable, payroll and financial record keeping. Jamie has a degree from the University of WY in Ag Business. Jamie and her family also raise cattle and farm near Torrington, WY. She is married to Tim and has two kids, Kaylee and Chase.

Kori Lower, Ranch Management Consultants

Kori Lower is the events coordinator and office manager for RMC. She joined the team in 2023 and is thrilled to be working with a company that focuses on family ranchers. She has worked for years in administrative roles, previously working in the healthcare sector. She has called Wyoming home since she was young. Her husband and two children are hockey fans and enjoy watching the Colorado Eagles and the Colorado Avalanche.

Melody Villard, ranch management facilitator

Melody Villard attended the Ranching for Profit School in 2011 and saw the benefit of becoming an EL member immediately after the school. Together with her husband, Albert, they spent 6 years learning and growing themselves and their business in the EL. The Villards own and a range sheep operation in northwest Colorado. They have four children: son, Kelton and daughters Chloe, Rylee and Tess. Strategic thinking, creative problem solving, and adaptability are some of her top strengths lending to positive and productive discussion and outcomes.

Derek Schwanebeck, ranch management facilitator

Derek Schwanebeck ranches with his family in the Sandhills of Western Nebraska near Ellsworth. Derek and his wife Leesa are graduates of Ranching for Profit and long time members of Executive Link. Derek shows a unique skill in asking the questions no one else has considered and pushing EL members to create the businesses they want to build. Through experience with his board and in his business Derek understand the facilitative processes used in EL and often employs the processes during board meetings to help members get results. Derek is passionate about education for ranchers hosting annual grazing schools and stockmanship classes on his ranch that are attended by ranchers from across the US and Canada.

Kyle Marshall, ranch management facilitator

Kyle Marshall, an EL member for 8 years, displayed a knack for identifying core issues and helping his boardmates identify and evaluate options. In addition to restructuring his own ranch to increase the carrying capacity and produce a healthy profit, Kyle helped many of his boardmates produce powerful results. Kyle lives with his wife Kristin and their children Trent, Chloe, and Cody on their ranch in the Sandhills of Nebraska where their main enterprise is custom grazing. They enjoy life on the ranch and chasing their kids around to all their activities, especially rodeo.

Roger Ingram

Roger Ingram retired in 2017 after a long and distinguished career with University of California Cooperative Extension. Roger taught hundreds of ranchers how to use cell grazing to improve their land and increase their profit. Roger earned BS and MS degrees from Texas A & M. He’s been helping Executive Link members identify core problems and create plans to overcome them since 2006.

Toby Holsted, ranch management facilitator

Toby Holsted and his wife Heidi, along with their two children, Eli and Landry Kate operate a small ranch in SW Oklahoma. They run a mix of owned and custom cattle of various classes. Using sell/buy marketing and grazing plans to decide which class and how many. Along with a strong focus on timing so that the business works around the family, not the family around the business.

Toby grew up on a large scale family owned stocker operation with a sizable farming enterprise. After taking RFP in 2014 and joining EL shortly after, he branched out on his own in order to implement the RFP principles. Toby was an EL member for 5 years and has taken the RFP class numerous times. In that time, he learned the value of simplification and the need to find and fix the actual problem, not just the symptoms.

Greg Glenn, ranch management facilitator

Greg Glenn, along with his wife Anna and their four children, live in central Maryland, just west of Washington D.C.

After earning a BS Ag Economics from Virginia Tech, Greg started Rocklands Farm in 2010 on his family’s farm. It is a diversified operation including livestock production, direct to consumer meat sales, agricultural education, vineyard & winery, and events.

As an EL member since 2017, Greg has enjoyed helping EL members challenge their paradigms, establish their mission & vision, define core value for the business, cherish quality of life balance, and utilize RMC processes to find clarity amidst complexity.

Dallas Mount, Ranching for Profit School Instructor

Dallas Mount is the owner of Ranch Management Consultants (RMC) home of the Ranching for Profit School and the Executive Link program. Dallas has led RMC since 2019 and worked with hundreds of ranchers across the US, Canada and Australia to position their business for economic profit and ecologic health. After working with University of Wyoming Extension for 18 years, Dallas started teaching the Ranching For Profit School in 2012 and quickly established himself as an elite instructor. Dallas holds a BS and MS from Colorado State University and has spent time working in cow-calf, feedlot, yearling, haying and grazing operations. Dallas, his wife Dixie, own and manage a grazing operation near Wheatland, WY. RMC is focused on creating profitable businesses, with healthy land and happy families.

Robert Brosius

Robert Brosius grew up on a family ranch in the Sandhills of Nebraska. He holds a BS in Agri-Business and a minor in Animal Science. After college, Robert and his wife, Jennifer, started ranching on their own. Robert says, “This was when our real education started.”

Robert and Jennifer attended Ranching For Profit school in 2006 and immediately started implementing the principles they learned there. With the RFP tools the Brosius Ranch cowherd grew and new opportunities arose. After 18 years of leasing ranches the couple has transitioned to managing a large ranch in Southwest Nebraska. The ranch employees 12 full-time employees, maintains three cow herds, raises their own replacement heifers and bulls as well runs their own steers along with purchased calves over as yearlings.

Jennifer Brosius, ranch management facilitator

Jennifer Brosius grew up on a farm/ranch near the Platte Valley in Nebraska. She graduated from Chadron State College in Nebraska with a major in Agri-Business. Jennifer started her career in the banking business as a teller then worked her way into credit analysis and agricultural/commercial lending before moving into human resources. In 2019 Jennifer and Robert transitioned from leasing ranches to managing a large ranch in Southwest Nebraska. Jennifer is a full-time employee of the cow/calf and yearling ranch doing ranch analysis and serving as a day worker for the different herds.

Andrew Morris, Ranch Management Consultants

Andrew Morris grew up in Ohio on a beef and crop farm. He attended Ohio State University, Ag Tech Institute, majoring in beef management. When he married his wife Abby in 1996 they began their own beef operation with registered and commercial cow/calf and a retail grass finished beef enterprise. While searching for ways to improve their business they found RMC and attended their first Ranching for Profit School in 2017. Armed with new tools and a desire to expand the business, Andrew retired from a firefighting career and moved their operation to southeast Oklahoma in 2018 and began ranching full time. With the help of Abby and their 3 children Cole, Josie, and Lane they developed a working ranch from the ground up with cow/calf, small ruminant and hunting enterprises. Andrew and Abby have been Executive Link members since 2019 and credit much of their success to the program. Andrew is passionate about the experience he has had in EL and is excited to be able to share the same opportunities with others. Andrew and Abby are taking advantage of their success and currently living near Salmon, Idaho and enjoying all that comes with life in the Rockies.

Caitlin Word, Ranching for Profit School Instructor

Caitlin Word serves as the content and delivery coordinator for RMC. Caitlin grew up on large-scale cow/calf ranches in west Texas and southeastern New Mexico before completing a bachelor’s degree from West Texas A&M University, followed by a master’s degree in ruminant nutrition from New Mexico State University. After graduation, Caitlin worked at Noble Research Institute for 6 years as a grazing livestock and regenerative ranching advisor. There, she consulted ranchers on livestock, grazing, and general ranch management through the lens of reducing reliance on inputs and creating resiliency within their operations. Caitlin attended the Ranching for Profit school for the first time in 2021 and was immediately captivated by the systems approach to management, and the way traditionally intimidating or convoluted concepts were simplified and made easy to both navigate and apply. She has a passion for both learning and teaching, having completed Understanding Ag, Soil Health Academy, HMI, and Savory trainings, in addition to completing the KRIRM Texas Farm Credit Advanced Ranch Management certificate. Caitlin and husband Kenny reside in south-central Oklahoma with their son, Lucas, and enjoy spending their free time hunting with their dogs, on the lake or the coast, or frequenting the show barn.

Jordan Steele, Ranching for Profit School Instructor

Jordan Steele is director of operations for RMC. Jordan grew up on a cow-calf operation near Aladdin, WY before completing his Master’s Degree in Agricultural Economics at the University of Wyoming. After college, Jordan worked for the Kansas Farm Management Association through Kansas State University for 7 ½ years where he specialized in agricultural business recordkeeping, financial analysis and interpretation, and income tax preparation for farmers and ranchers in 17 counties of NW Kansas. Being familiar with Ranching for Profit principles since college, Jordan attended his first full RFP school in 2017 and was instantly hooked on how well the program delivery ties together the people, money, and production areas of ranching.
Jordan and his wife Jori welcomed their first child in August 2022 and are excited to be back in the Cowboy State of Wyoming. Both have a heart for lifelong learning and continue to improve on their own ranch management skills. In their free time, Jordan and Jori enjoy team roping, hunting, and anything else horseback.

Shanon Sims, Ranching for Profit School Instructor

Shanon Sims was born and raised on a holistically managed, family owned cow/calf and stocker operation in southeastern Wyoming. The Sims family motto is “never stop learning” and he has fully embraced that philosophy, earning a BS in Animal Science from the University of Wyoming, completing Ranching For Profit twice, Holistic Management training twice, the High Plains Ranch Practicum once, along with many workshops and hosted educational opportunities. Through all of this, he has learned that the best way to learn is to share experiences (especially failures), ideas, and theories. He operates Sims Cattle Company, LLC along with three other generations currently active (though in varying degrees!) in the business. Shanon and his wife, Melinda, were active in Executive Link for two years and used that time create a business that is (hopefully) attractive to their children, Kagan and Jentry.

Melinda Sims, Ranching for Profit School Instructor

Melinda Sims graduated from the University of Wyoming in 2000 with a degree in Animal Science, focusing on production. While at UW she met and married her husband, Shanon. After college they began working for the family business, Sims Cattle Company, in McFadden, Wyoming. They have two children, a son, Kagan, and a daughter, Jentry, who are the fifth generation on the ranch. Throughout her 22 years on the ranch, Melinda has become very involved in every aspect of ranching, from daily management of animals and land to long term planning and business management. She attended Ranching For Profit in 2020 and 2021, and has been an Executive Link member for 2 years. Melinda strives to understand holism, how it applies to Sims Cattle Company. She has worked diligently with Shanon and his family to breed profitable cattle that work in their environment using Ranching for Profit principles.

John Locke, Ranching for Profit School Instructor

John Locke is a partner in the Locke Division of JD Hudgins located in Hungerford, TX. John is a gifted instructor and connects with participants because he has been in their shoes. John grew up raising registered Brahman cattle and still is heavily involved in the family’s business, but knew there was more to ranching than raising quality cattle. John and his family got involved in Ranching for Profit and were members of Executive Link for 6 years during which time John took on a larger leadership role in their business and has become a leader in regenerative grazing. John is passionate about the principles taught at Ranching for Profit and has experienced firsthand the transformation of the application of those principles can make in a ranching business.

Dave Pratt, Ranching for Profit School Instructor

Dave Pratt is one of the most sought-after speakers on sustainable agriculture and profitable ranching in the world today. He has taught the Ranching for Profit School in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia and Africa.

Dave grew up on a small ranch and worked for cattle and sheep ranchers in Northern California where he learned ranching from the bottom up. In addition to his practical roots, Dave holds BS and MS degrees from the University of California and Washington State University. A Range and Livestock Advisor with the University of California Cooperative Extension Service for 15 years, Dave researched cell grazing and strategic issues impacting the sustainability of ranches.

In 1991 Dave began working with Stan Parsons, the founder of Ranch Management Consultants. He started teaching the Ranching for Profit School in 1992. When Stan retired in 2001, Dave and his wife Kathy, bought RMC. In 2019 after many successful years they sold the company to Dallas Mount.