By Shelby Shank
Field Editor

For Giovana Benitez, ranching is a passion, but it’s also honoring a dream and building a legacy.

Benitez runs a cow-calf and stocker operation alongside her father on their 700-acre ranch in Edinburg, just north of the Texas-Mexico border.

The ranch began when Benitez’s father purchased the land in 2002 after her mother and brother passed away in an accident.

“It was my mother’s and father’s dream to own and operate a cattle ranch,” Benitez said. “When my mom passed away, my dad decided to sell all of his businesses and purchase the ranch to follow my mom’s dream.”

To honor her mother, Martha, and brother, Jesus, Benitez and her father named the ranch Jemar Ranch.

Benitez’s father had no prior experience in agriculture when he bought the land, which was initially used for row crops. He started growing watermelons, corn and milo.

In 2006, he switched from crops to cattle.

“At the beginning, the ranch had nothing,” Benitez said. “There were no fences, water troughs, pens. Nothing.”

Her father built the ranch from the ground up and volunteered at local feedyards and cow-calf operations to learn more about raising cattle.

And the ranch flourished under his direction.

Now, Benitez has taken the reins and is leading the decision-making for the ranch while working alongside her dad.

Innovation
Jemar Ranch is successful because, together, Benitez and her father continually look for ways to be more efficient.

Her father created a unique, collapsible fence that allows irrigation equipment to move easily between pastures while cattle are grazing.

The fence collapses to the ground, allowing the irrigation pivots to pass through and then be raised again to keep cattle in the pasture.

They also receive produce that has passed its shelf life from grocery store chains and use it in their feed rations.

“A local retailer mentioned they needed a place for their produce to go besides taking it to waste,” Benitez said. “I saw an opportunity and contacted my nutritionist to see if we could mix this into our feed. We tested the produce and were able to formulate a ration we feed our cattle.”

But the produce needs to be chopped before it can be fed to the cattle. So, Benitez’s father created a large grinder to break down the produce into smaller, more digestible pieces.

The produce they receive depends on the season. In the spring, they feed more citrus fruits or watermelons, and in the fall, they mix pumpkins into the feed.

This opportunity has allowed Benitez to decrease her cost of gains and work closely with her nutritionist.

Benitez carries on family’s ranching dream Giovana Benitez’s parents always wanted a ranch. After tragedy struck, her father sold everything to make that dream a reality. Now, it’s a legacy, and one Gio is proud to continue.

Water issues
“One of the major challenges we are facing at the moment is water shortages,” she said.

Benitez is fortunate to be in a district in the Rio Grande Valley that does have water and is able to use some of that water to irrigate pastures. However, they are not grazing like they used to.

“We are trying to keep most of our cattle in the pens in order to make sure we have enough grass to put in the mixer,” Benitez said. “It’s more efficient for us to chop it and mix it.”

Despite having irrigation water this year, the ranch still isn’t at capacity. Benitez is forced to make tough decisions on stocking rates when years of drought and water issues with Mexico make it tough to know how much water will be available each year.

Passion for agriculture
Benitez realized at the age of nine she had a passion for agriculture and working alongside her dad.

“I would get home from school and there was always a tractor waiting for me,” Benitez said. “My dad needed help at the ranch, and I would work for a couple of hours once I got home, have dinner and do my homework before I went to bed.”

She knew early on she wanted to stay on the ranch.

“Not coming back to the ranch was never an option,” Benitez said. “Working with my dad is awesome. He’s my best friend, and we do great business together. I always knew I wanted to work with him next to me.”

Benitez earned a double major in finance and economics before furthering her education through TCU’s Ranch Management Program.

She was still managing the finances during the nine-month, intensive course while her dad took care of the ranch.

“While I was learning at TCU, my dad was very open minded and putting into practice everything I was learning,” Benitez said. “It was really nice being able to ask my professor a question about what was happening at the ranch in real time.”

Each decision she makes impacts the ranch, and it’s a responsibility she doesn’t take lightly.

Benitez also earned a master’s degree in international agriculture, where she learned of opportunities to purchase cattle from Mexico at a lower rate, raise them to 750 pounds and sell them for a higher profit.

A lasting legacy
Benitez is leading Jemar Ranch into the future, while honoring her family’s legacy.

“It’s my biggest motivation every day, knowing that I’m following my mom’s dream and continuing my father’s legacy. I have a younger brother, and I want to make sure that he has the same upbringing that I did,” she said.

Watch a video with Giovana Benitez.