Donato Ramos named
L.I.F.E. Rancher of the Year

In the shadow of his grandfather Donato Guerra, young Donato Ramos began his lifelong passion for land, cattle, wildlife, and natural resource conservation on a family ranch.
"I've always loved being this close to ranching and going about the things you do on a ranch -- brush sculpting and getting as much water to as many places as possible," Ramos said. "Ranching in South Texas is very challenging because of weather factors and the quality of the range land, but somehow we've made it work. To be recognized for something I truly love, this is a humbling experience," he said of the recent recognition as Rancher of the Year by the Laredo International Fair and Exposition.
Ramos said he considers himself "a progressive rancher," but also one who tries to balance revenues with the disproportionate increases in the cost of some mainstay ranching commodities like hay, wire, and steel posts.
"I have really worked our land. I've never stopped short of trying to improve the soil by breaking the hard pan. I even invented an implement for that purpose. I came across the idea by experience, which is how you learn," Ramos said.
Ramos said that conservation of natural resources will become an increasingly important consideration for all ranchers. "It has become an integral part of my ranching practices -- that and wildlife diversity. In the end, all of this helps to make ranching a more profitable proposition," he said.
Ramos began raising Polled Herefords in 1964 and became a leader in the industry. In 1983, he was elected president of the Texas Polled Hereford Association and since that time has served not only at the state level but also at the national level. He engineered the merger of the Polled Hereford Association and the Hereford Association into the American Hereford Association. He served on the board from 1993 until 2001, ending the longest tenure served by any member on its board of directors, and served as vice-chairman of the board during 1999 and 2000.
As thorough as he is in any other endeavor, Ramos studied and learned everything he could about cattle breeding. He began the artificial insemination of his registered cowherd and would even travel into Mexico to assist other breeders in A.I. to develop better cattle through genetics. He also worked on cross-breeding his Herefords with other breeds of cattle. He wanted to develop a breed that would tolerate the South Texas heat and sparse grazing considerations. In 1992 Ramos cross-bred Senepols with Polled Herefords, creating Senefords, which is an F1 cross. He felt that they would acclimate to the South Texas environment. In 1995, he was elected president of the American Senepol Cattle Breeders Association.
It was around this time that Ramos began his wildlife management program in earnest, as he felt that his young sons were more interested in fishing and hunting than in raising cattle. He experimented with different kinds of feeding programs to build up his deer population. He was very innovative in his feeding programs and range conservation practices, even planting luceana plants and bringing in cottonseed to supplement his deer's diet. He also began working on deer genetics and would bring in does from other ranchers in different areas of South Texas to breed with his bucks to diversify his genetics. He has been very adventuresome in developing his deer program as well as his fishing program. He started doing pond management and building tanks all over his ranch, recognizing the immense value of water in this dry climate. He brought in several different types of fish for his tanks to determine which did the best.
Ramos has diversified into raising Quarter Horses and breeding them. Over the years he has held four registered cattle production sales at his San José Ranch and sold and attracted cattle buyers from throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
In August 1998, he was selected as the Soil and Water Conservation District, Region III, Area and South Texas Conservation Rancher. He is a former board member of L.I.F.E. and has assisted L.I.F.E. on its Advisory Committee for many years, and has remained a strong supporter of L.I.F.E.'s goals and ideals.
Ramos was appointed a Commissioner of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission by Governor Rick Perry in August 2001, a fitting appointment for strong a proponent of the outdoors and its value to all Texans.
Ramos is a founding partner in the law firm of Person, Whitworth, Ramos, Borchers and Morales, L.L.P. He has practiced law for over 30 years in Laredo and has tried many significant and landmark cases during his career throughout South Texas.
In 1994, Ramos was appointed to serve on the Texas Board of Law Examiners by the Texas Supreme Court and served in that capacity until August 2001, when he was elected vice-chairman of the Board. He has served on various other State Bar of Texas committees and boards involving his practice of law as well as being a member of several legal associations, and has been a guest lecturer at legal seminars throughout the state.
In a life filled with professional accomplishments and accolades, Ramos said he is proudest of his three children, Judy, a psychologist; Donato, Jr., a second year law student at the University of Texas Law School; and Alfredo, a junior at Vanderbilt University. He volunteered many hours as his children were growing to their various school and extracurricular activities. He served as president of St. Augustine High School Board. He also volunteered as basketball and football coach at St. Augustine. Ramos said he is happiest when he is at his ranch surrounded by his children, his cattle, and the land which he truly loves.