About our Speakers

Walt Davis

Walt Davis is a fifth generation rancher with interests in southeastern Oklahoma and west Texas. He grew up on the Texas ranch working with cattle, sheep, and goats. He attended Texas A&M College were he completed a BS degree in animal husbandry and eighteen months graduate work in animal breeding. In 1962 he took over as manager of the Oklahoma property and established a high tech operation using the "best" practices of soil fertilization, weed control, animal health, and animal nutrition supplementation. This approach resulted in tremendous production but very poor profitability and an obvious decline in health of the local environment. In 1974 the decision was made to shift the management of the operation toward a lower input, more sustainable program. It was soon apparent that making this management successful would require a better understanding of grassland ecology, grazing management, and of how forages and grazing animals interact. This started a search for knowledge and re-education that continues today. The change in management philosophy has resulted in an operation that is both more profitable and more stable. The health of the soil-plant-animal complex has increased with a corresponding decrease in plant and animal diseases and pest organisms. The need for pesticides of all types has been greatly reduced and in most cases eliminated. No purchased fertilizer material has been used in twenty years, but soil productivity continues to increase. Perhaps the greatest change is the fact that today both the people and the animals of Davis Ranch enjoy their lives.

Walt is a past president of both HRM of Texas and HRM of Oklahoma. He works, since 1986, as a management consultant with clients in both arid and humid regions and teaches seminars on resource management.

Kelly M. Forell

Kelly Forell is a Certified Public Accountant and began working from her home full-time in July 2005. She spent six years working for a regional public accounting firm and four years teaching Agricultural Business Management through the Oklahoma Career Tech system.

Forell currently assists ag managers in planning for the financial and managerial future of their operation. There is enough information right now to project the capital needs of a business next year. There is also enough information about the operations side of our business to develop a plan to meet those capital needs. Forell uses a basic economic approach and enterprise analysis to help operators develop financial projections. She also addresses some delicate succession planning issues operators tend to avoid.

Forell grew up on a small family farm in central Kansas. She and her husband Guy have three children ages 10 and 9 and reside north of Alva, Oklahoma. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science from Kansas State University and went on to receive her Master's in Education with an emphasis on accounting from Northwestern Oklahoma State University.

Forell is also a graduate of the Ranching for Profit School and continues to facilitate their Executive Link meetings. She has also completed the teacher training program for Agri-Solutions headquartered in Brighton, IL. She thoroughly enjoys helping people and serves on the board of the Oklahoma Land Stewardship Alliance and Comanche Pool Prairie Resource Foundation headquartered in Coldwater, KS.

Wally Olson

Wally has been blessed with living a life made up of working with livestock. He grew up in the northern Flint Hills of Kansas and earned a B.S. from Kansas State. He started out ranching in 1976, and after ten years figured out that production without profit will not get you ahead. To keep things going, he custom baled hay, which was difficult with the philosophy that he would rather be covered in cow manure that have one drop of hydrolic oil on him!

From 1987 tell now Wally has managed the Kelley Ranch near Vinita. At the same time, he started seeking how to profit from ranching. He attended a Ranching for Profit course in 1988 and also some Holistic Resource Management courses. The big change came when he started to work with Bud & Eunice Williams on stockmanship and marketing. This has enabled him to run many different kinds and types of animals. This plant and animal diversity leads to profit.

Kit Pharo

Kit Pharo grew up on a ranch in eastern Colorado. In the early 1980's he and his wife, Deanna, had an opportunity to lease and manage a ranch of their own. Kit's initial goal was to show everyone how to wean bigger calves and succeed at ranching. Fortunately, that was a very short-lived goal. He soon discovered that bigger calves did not create bigger profits.

The past twenty years have been devoted to creating a very efficient and profitable cow/calf operation. The Pharo's have sought out and learned from some of the most profitable ranches in North America. Their goal now is to increase profits while improving the land and their lifestyle. It has nothing to do with weaning bigger calves.

Kit has some very unique and innovative management ideas and philosophies that differ substantially from traditional ways of thinking. Many of these philosophies are shared in a newsletter he mails out to over 20,000 cow/calf producers. To receive this free newsletter, call 1-800-311-0995 or send an email to Kit@PharoCattle.com. For more information about Pharo Cattle Company, visit their website at www.PharoCattle.com.

Bob Steger

Bob Steger has over 30 years ranching experience on leased, owned, or partnership ranches and over 25 years experience consulting on multiple species management and holistic management concepts in the states from Texas to Nebraska, and west and in Mexico for two ranches. He has taught 22 years total at Texans A&M, New Mexico State University, Sul Ross State University, and Angelo State University. He currently operates several small places near Mertzon in West Texas.

He has a BS and MS from Texas A&M University and a Ph.D. from the University of Wyoming. He has attended the following additional courses: Holistic Management by Allan Savory; Holistic Ranch Management by Stan Parson; and is a Ranching for Profit Writer for the Stockman Grass Farmer as well as speaker at their conferences. He has over 50 years experience with cattle, sheep, goats, and wildlife.

Ann Wells

Dr. Ann Wells graduated from Oklahoma State University School of Veterinary Medicine and has more than 20 years experience in livestock production, including producing and selling lamb and now grass fed beef. In private practice for eleven years and having worked for ATTRA for nine years, Dr. Wells now has her own business, Springpond Holistic Animal Health, in Prairie Grove, AR. Currently, Dr. Wells works with producers and educators across the country in developing sustainable animal health management plans.

Operating a sheep and goat veterinary practice sparked her interest in complementary veterinary medicine. Her philosophy is to focus on the health of the animal through controlled grazing management and stress reduction techniques and strategies. Dr. Wells has also raised organic fresh-cut herbs, sheep, and dairy goats. Products from these sources were direct-marketed to restaurants, up-scale grocery stores, specialty food stores, and individuals.