George F. Ellis
Encyclopedia
George F. Ellis was a cattleman, pioneer in the field of beef cattle
production, and a published author. Born in Portales, New Mexico
May 11, 1903, he graduated from the Kansas State Agricultural College (now Kansas State University
) in Manhattan, Kansas
in animal husbandry
.
1947-1970. He had worked for 20 years in the ranching field and in agricultural extension work before joining the Bell organization as an assistant manager to Albert K. Mitchell in 1944.
In 1947, under the ownership of the Keeney family of Lubbock, Texas
, Ellis did pioneering work in the field of production testing in commercial cattle operations. In 1948 he inaugurated the ranch's testing program working with John H. Knox and others at the New Mexico State University Animal Husbandry Department. He was interested in increasing the weight-gaining potential of the annual calf crops and improving the type, quality and conformation of the ranch's output. He adopted sound range and water conservation practices, extended and improved the network of ranch roads and maintenance of fences and corrals and earthen tanks, and developed the "Perra Corrals". For his work he was selected New Mexico "Cattleman of the Year" in 1952. Ellis was a member of the Cattle Sanitary Board of New Mexico and a Director of the New Mexico Cattle Growers Association and New Mexico Wool Growers Association. He wrote articles for various publications such as New Mexico Stockman and American Hereford Journal, and gave presentations at various meetings such as the Hereford Congress in August 1954 in Colorado Springs. He served on the Board of Regents for New Mexico State University of Agriculture, Engineering, and Science, 1956-1958.
. He lived only two more years but in that time penned the book, The Bell Ranch As I Knew It. This book went on to win the Wrangler Award for Western Heritage from the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
in 1974 for best non-fiction book of the year.
The Museum gives the Wrangler, an impressive original bronze
sculpture
by artist John Free. It's awarded annually during the Western Heritage Awards to principal creators of the winning entries in specified categories of Western literature
, Western music
, film and television
.
In 1988, Ellis was honored along with his wife, Martha Downer Price(Mattie) Ellis by the Beef Improvement Federation with the Pioneer Award for their life long contributions to the industry. The impact of his work is further documented in the book, Courageous Cattlemen by Robert C De Baca, as one of 50 cattlemen and researchers who most influenced the performance movement in U.S. beef production.
Beef cattle
Beef cattle are cattle raised for meat production . The meat of cattle is known as beef. When raised in a feedlot cattle are known as feeder cattle. Many such feeder cattle are born in cow-calf operations specifically designed to produce beef calves...
production, and a published author. Born in Portales, New Mexico
Portales, New Mexico
Portales is a city in and the county seat of Roosevelt County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 11,131 at the 2000 census. Portales is located near the larger city of Clovis as well as Cannon Air Force Base, a major contributor to the economy of the region.Eastern New Mexico...
May 11, 1903, he graduated from the Kansas State Agricultural College (now Kansas State University
Kansas State University
Kansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States...
) in Manhattan, Kansas
Manhattan, Kansas
Manhattan is a city located in the northeastern part of the state of Kansas in the United States, at the junction of the Kansas River and Big Blue River. It is the county seat of Riley County and the city extends into Pottawatomie County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 52,281...
in animal husbandry
Animal husbandry
Animal husbandry is the agricultural practice of breeding and raising livestock.- History :Animal husbandry has been practiced for thousands of years, since the first domestication of animals....
.
Ranching
George Forbes Ellis managed the Bell Ranch, New MexicoBell Ranch, New Mexico
The Bell Ranch originated with two Spanish land grants to Don Pablo Montoya in 1824. Lying along La Cinta Creek near the Canadian River, the historic Bell Ranch is bordered by present day Conchas Lake in San Miguel County, New Mexico about 30 miles from Tucumcari...
1947-1970. He had worked for 20 years in the ranching field and in agricultural extension work before joining the Bell organization as an assistant manager to Albert K. Mitchell in 1944.
In 1947, under the ownership of the Keeney family of Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
, Ellis did pioneering work in the field of production testing in commercial cattle operations. In 1948 he inaugurated the ranch's testing program working with John H. Knox and others at the New Mexico State University Animal Husbandry Department. He was interested in increasing the weight-gaining potential of the annual calf crops and improving the type, quality and conformation of the ranch's output. He adopted sound range and water conservation practices, extended and improved the network of ranch roads and maintenance of fences and corrals and earthen tanks, and developed the "Perra Corrals". For his work he was selected New Mexico "Cattleman of the Year" in 1952. Ellis was a member of the Cattle Sanitary Board of New Mexico and a Director of the New Mexico Cattle Growers Association and New Mexico Wool Growers Association. He wrote articles for various publications such as New Mexico Stockman and American Hereford Journal, and gave presentations at various meetings such as the Hereford Congress in August 1954 in Colorado Springs. He served on the Board of Regents for New Mexico State University of Agriculture, Engineering, and Science, 1956-1958.
Writing
In May 1970, Ellis retired from the Bell coinciding with the change of ranch ownership from the Keeney family to William Lane of ConnecticutConnecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. He lived only two more years but in that time penned the book, The Bell Ranch As I Knew It. This book went on to win the Wrangler Award for Western Heritage from the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, with more than 28,000 Western and American Indian art works and artifacts. The facility also has the world's most extensive collection of American rodeo, photographs, barbed wire, saddlery, and early rodeo trophies...
of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...
in 1974 for best non-fiction book of the year.
Awards
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
by artist John Free. It's awarded annually during the Western Heritage Awards to principal creators of the winning entries in specified categories of Western literature
Western literature
Western literature refers to the literature written in the languages of Europe, including the ones belonging to the Indo-European language family as well as several geographically or historically related languages such as Basque, Hungarian, and so forth...
, Western music
Western music (North America)
Western music originated as a form of American folk music. Originally composed by and about the people who settled and worked throughout the Western United States and Western Canada. Directly related musically to old English, Scottish, and Irish folk ballads, Western music celebrates the life of...
, film and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
.
In 1988, Ellis was honored along with his wife, Martha Downer Price(Mattie) Ellis by the Beef Improvement Federation with the Pioneer Award for their life long contributions to the industry. The impact of his work is further documented in the book, Courageous Cattlemen by Robert C De Baca, as one of 50 cattlemen and researchers who most influenced the performance movement in U.S. beef production.
Further reading
- Ellis, George F.; The Bell Ranch As I Knew It, The Lowell Press: 1973, ISBN 0-913504-15-7 Illustrated by Robert LougheedRobert LougheedRobert Lougheed was an artist who has specialized in images of the American West.He was born in and raised on a farm in Massey, Ontario, Canada. He became an illustrator for mail-order catalogues and for the Toronto Star, but studied in his spare time at the Ontario College of Art and then at the...
. Photos by Harvey Caplin.