{"id":467170,"date":"2026-10-15T21:22:13","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T21:22:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/467170\/"},"modified":"2026-10-15T21:22:13","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T21:22:13","slug":"texas-tech-helps-keep-ranching-in-the-family-texas-tech-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/467170\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas Tech Helps Keep Ranching in the Family | Texas Tech Now"},"content":{"rendered":"

Anish Quenim coordinated the effort to connect university entities to community members
\n and family ranchers.<\/p>\n

\t\tCREATORS<\/p>\n

\"Portrait
\n\"Portrait<\/p>\n

Succession talks for any family business \u2013 be it the fictional Roys of the HBO show
\n \u201cSuccession,\u201d or the real-life examples of the Murdochs or the Guccis \u2013 can be challenging
\n at the best of times and ruthlessly dramatic at the worst.<\/p>\n

\u201cSuccession triggers a nerve,\u201d said Anish Quenim<\/a>, instructor and director of the Alderson & Griffin Center for Family Business & Entrepreneurship<\/a> (AGCFBE) at the Jerry S. Rawls College of Business<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s like you\u2019re telling the family someone\u2019s going to die. The truth is, it\u2019s
\n not planning to die; it\u2019s planning if dead.\u201d<\/p>\n

The same difficulties that face families in the public limelight are the ones facing
\n ranching families across the U.S.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Texas Tech University<\/a> is providing some much-needed support to those ranching families.<\/p>\n

Quenim co-led the development of the Families in Ranching Succession Toolkit (FIRST),
\n which officially launched Sept. 25 during a McCoy Family Speaker Series<\/a> event held by the AGCFBE at the Museum at Texas Tech<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In total, current and former representation from 12 different Texas Tech entities
\n contributed to FIRST:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Three community entities also contributed to the toolkit: the Ranching Heritage Association,
\n the Lubbock County Office of Dispute Resolution and icebreaQers.<\/p>\n

The toolkit consists of five chapters and provides readers with activities to complete
\n as they start to tackle the complicated work of succession planning. Readers start
\n with understanding key terms in chapter one and end with chapter five, which features
\n the Lubbock-based Welch Cattle Company, considering milestones and how family meetings
\n will run.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jim Bret Campbell<\/a>, executive director of the NRHC, sees FIRST as addressing a need for families that
\n serve vital roles across several facets of the U.S.<\/p>\n

\u201cRanching is a distinct way of life, as well as a business, and its culture and values
\n of hard work, integrity, honesty and determination contribute to society as a whole,\u201d
\n he said. \u201cIt is critical to our economy and national security that we are able to
\n feed ourselves and ensure that we are not dependent on foreign imports.\u201d<\/p>\n

The FIRST Step<\/p>\n

The origin of FIRST stemmed from conversations Campbell had with Rod Williams<\/a>, vice provost for Outreach & Engagement, and Quenim, who had previously worked in
\n Outreach & Engagement before joining Rawls College. At the time, Campbell and his
\n family were navigating their own succession planning and needed some guidance.<\/p>\n

The trio realized there was a need that Texas Tech could better address: how can the
\n university help ranching families navigate succession planning?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reason succession is generally a problem is this one word: communication,\u201d Quenim
\n said.<\/p>\n

He speaks from experience; he\u2019s a fourth generation of a family business and is specifically
\n interested in helping other family businesses find their own success.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"AnishAnish Quenim speaks to an audience at the FIRST launch during the McCoy Family Speaker
\n Series.<\/p>\n

Quenim and the FIRST team eventually presented an early draft of the toolkit to their
\n target audience: the ranching families themselves.<\/p>\n

The reaction was not exactly warm.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were like, \u2018What the heck are you guys talking about?\u2019\u201d Quenim remembered, laughing
\n at the obviousness that comes with hindsight.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Quenim said the ranchers liked what the toolkit was trying to convey, but they had
\n some issues with the language the writers used. They wanted something more straightforward
\n than an academic publication.<\/p>\n

One of the ranchers who provided feedback was Mark Kirkpatrick, who runs Stoker-Kirkpatrick
\n Ranches with his brother and three cousins.<\/p>\n

Kirkpatrick is a bit of a rare case. He says that ranches typically last about three
\n generations, yet he is the sixth generation on his mother\u2019s side and fourth on his
\n father\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Succession had been on his mind for some time, so having a chance to guide FIRST in
\n any way was an exciting opportunity for him. And despite the more academic language
\n of that early draft, he could tell there was something special with the toolkit.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere\u2019s the problem with succession planning: it\u2019s the one thing you know you need
\n to do, and it\u2019s the last thing that you want to do because it requires a lot of time
\n and work and emotional investment,\u201d he said. \u201cBut the more you do ahead of time, the
\n easier you make it on the next generation.\u201d<\/p>\n

While FIRST moved through the revision process and the language was finetuned and
\n made more approachable, Quenim looked to support ranchers in a meaningful and long-lasting
\n way.<\/p>\n

The FIRST Movement<\/p>\n

Quenim stressed that he and his team view FIRST as a starting point on the path of
\n succession planning.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe whole goal with broader impact is you don\u2019t just end it with a survey or research
\n paper. It might be that, and plus, plus, plus,\u201d he said, raising his hand in the air
\n and making rhythmic chopping motions. \u201cThis is a movement; it doesn\u2019t end with me
\n or with FIRST. Hopefully what we\u2019ve built will be the reason why a ranch stays within
\n a family or the family stays in the ranch.\u201d<\/p>\n

A two-week microcredential continuing education course for families interested in
\n beginning succession planning was designed to complement FIRST. The toolkit\u2019s five
\n chapters will be repurposed into course modules with achievable goals.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Quenim said the course will first be offered in spring 2027 and is open to ranching
\n families across the U.S.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He also spent this past summer modifying the Family Enterprise course (MGT 4377) offered
\n through Rawls College to gain community-engaged learning<\/a> (CeL) designation. He wants to work with family businesses and use their unique situations
\n as case studies for students to directly help the families start succession planning.<\/p>\n

Though the course is not about ranching specifically, the Kirkpatrick family is serving
\n as this semester\u2019s case study.<\/p>\n

\u201cSuccession is not just for ranching families; it\u2019s for any type of business,\u201d Kirkpatrick
\n said about his interest in volunteering with the CeL course. \u201cThe thing is, in agriculture
\n and small family businesses, they\u2019re so busy trying to make a living running the operation
\n they can\u2019t spend time thinking about succession planning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Quenim also understands the busy schedules of small family businesses and hopes the
\n upcoming Succession Room project with the Office of Dispute Resolution for Lubbock
\n County can help in this regard.<\/p>\n

Set to launch in early 2027 during the next McCoy Family Speaker Series event, families
\n will be able to book appointments through the Office of Dispute Resolution for Lubbock
\n County to engage in mediation and succession services to create a continuity path
\n for the family business.<\/p>\n

Quenim hopes the toolkit can offer families an introduction to a wider range of services
\n and assistance.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not a one and done,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s about hovering around in our orbit.\u201d<\/p>\n

And the \u201cBig Bang\u201d for FIRST was this past McCoy Speaker Series event.<\/p>\n

The FIRST Launch<\/p>\n

The morning of the McCoy Family Speaker Series on Sept. 25 featured a classic Lubbock
\n storm. Rolling thunder served to herald the launch of FIRST, and the mood inside the
\n museum was as electric as the lightning dancing across the sky.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Texas Tech President Lawrence Schovanec<\/a>, hair and suit drenched from his walk in \u00a0the storm, welcomed attendees as they settled
\n into their seats.<\/p>\n

\"TexasTexas Tech University President Lawrence Schovanec welcomes attendees and speaks about
\n the importance of engaged efforts like FIRST.<\/p>\n

\u201cSuccessfully transferring these enterprises from one generation to the next is important
\n not only to the families themselves, but also to the rural communities in which they
\n exist and to the economies they support,\u201d he said. \u201cThat makes today’s perspectives
\n on what you\u2019ll hear so very important and relevant.\u201d<\/p>\n

Campbell led a panel session as three ranching families \u2013 Kirkpatrick, John and Bonnie
\n Welch and Jody and Betsy Bellah \u2013 discussed their family histories, business dynamics
\n and succession planning experiences.<\/p>\n

And while each family shared unique perspectives, they all touched on having difficult
\n conversations and prioritizing the family\u2019s well-being above all else as their primary
\n motivation.<\/p>\n

\u201cSuccession planning is a different animal in my mind,\u201d Kirkpatrick told the audience.
\n \u201cWe try to come up with a plan that keeps the ranch together as long as we can, with
\n the understanding I’m more concerned about my family members. I want them to be able
\n to sustain a lifestyle, and at some point, if that means selling the ranch, that means
\n selling the ranch. You just have to be realistic about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"PanelistsFrom left, Jim Bret Campbell leads a panel discussion on families in ranching with
\n Betsy and Jody Bellah, Bonnie M. Welch and John Welch, and Mark Kirkpatrick. <\/p>\n

After the panel discussion, attendees were invited to a lunch-and-learn session that
\n served as a preview of the upcoming microcredential course.<\/p>\n

But before that, Vice Provost Williams helped close the McCoy Speaker Series event
\n and spoke about the importance of FIRST and the role of engaged scholarship at Texas
\n Tech.<\/p>\n

\u201cEngagement is the front door of our university,\u201d he said. \u201cIt’s the front door that
\n our faculty and staff and students walk through to meet with community partners. It’s
\n the front door that community partners walk through to come work with us.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe FIRST program, from its very inception through the middle to where we are today
\n and where we’re going tomorrow, embodies everything that we want to showcase and call
\n engagement here at Texas Tech University.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Anish Quenim coordinated the effort to connect university entities to community members and family ranchers. CREATORS Succession talks…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":467171,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[168,170,169],"class_list":["post-467170","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-lubbock","tag-lubbock","tag-lubbock-headlines","tag-lubbock-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/467170","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=467170"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/467170\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/467171"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=467170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=467170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=467170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}