State's top land steward puts 'beliefs' to work

By MONETTE TAYLOR | South Central Texas Edition

Jess Womack has put in many years work on the 150-year-old ranch in Victoria County. He and his wife's philosophy is to work the ranch so it produces as much possible, but without hurting the land. -Staff photo by Taylor

August 22, 2002 -- When Lou and Jess Womack were named Texas' top land steward, the Victoria County landowners knew their efforts to restore their share of the 150-year-old, original McFaddin Ranch were working.

The original McFaddin Ranch joined the Garcitas Ranch to include some of the most fertile farming land in Texas, and has been in operation during the entire time. The ranch now includes about 10,000 acres.

"We're very much a working ranch. We believe in working the ranch and we believe in making it produce as much as we can without hurting it (land)," said Womack.

It is that philosophy that earned the couple the 2002 Lone Star Land Steward award.

Womack and wife Lou, and their four children, along with cousins who own adjoining ranches, have diversified their land. Now, along cattle, the Womacks offer paid hunting leases for "normal" game, such as deer, hogs, ducks, geese, quail and turkey; and alligator hunts for anyone looking to hunt on the "wild side." (The year before last, the average alligator harvested was 9'7" in length, far above the average in the state, Womack pointed out.)

The ranch endeavors for the Womacks include running over 300 head of mostly Brangus cows and Charolais bulls. The cattle can graze on the over 4,000 acres of easement along the Guadalupe and San Antonio rivers. The easement, with the National Resource Conservation Service for the Wetland Reserve Program, gains grazing acreage, but it prohibits agricultural practices and development.

"We have a lake and a marsh that are the main components of the Wetland Reserve Program Easement (WRPE) that we sold to the National Resource Conservation Service," said Womack.

"It is the largest WRPE in the state of Texas, or it was when I did it, four years ago. It's one of the top 10 largest in the United States."

Two other cousins are joining Womack in the endeavor and expect the acreage to total close to 18,000 acres, once it is all completed.

A drive through the ranch shows the acreage is lush, making it hard to realize there was ever a drought in the area.

"This used to be a grass savanna. All this part of the country ... and that's where the prairie chickens were so numerous out here," said the rancher.

Womack and his wife have plans to return the prairie chickens to the ranch, and are working removing mesquite that has grown up since the initial removal in the '50s. Certain areas of mesquite will be left in order to create pathways and safe havens for game, said Womack.

While they run about 300 head of cattle now, there are big plans in the future for the Womack Ranch. With their oldest son, Jess Jr., who recently graduated from the ranch management program at Texas Christian University, the Womacks are looking to add to their herd.

"We're going to increase that number (300) drastically, in the next year or so, because we're getting out of the farming business and going to put those farm fields into improved grasses," said Womack.

His plan is to increase his steers to between 750 and 1,000, one to two times a year for sales, and to continue with the 300 cows. Plus, there are Lou's 25 Longhorn "momma" cows and a bull. "They're her babies," Womack laughed.

The land was originally mostly farmland, with huge crops of cotton, corn and milo. Now, the cotton is leaving the land.

"I made the decision we wouldn't do that (cotton) anymore. We made the decision to sell the easement and to permanently restrict it and take care of it, so I saw no reason to poison it with chemicals needed to grow a cotton crop," he added.

Since all of the run-off on the ranch runs into the easement, he decided it would not work.

"This is some of the finest farmland on what used to be the McFaddin Ranch, but it's not big enough to justify me buying all the equipment to farm," he said.

Womack said the wildlife population, in the past few years, has greatly increased. Although the ranch had been "over hunted" when he purchased it, times have changed.

"Under our management, the turkeys out here have literally exploded. Our bobwhites (quail) dropped off dramatically in the last seven years. We think that by getting rid of the mesquite and burning ... both winter and growing season burns ... we think we'll increase the quail population by doing that," said Womack.

He is introducing Tifton 85, gig Bermuda and Burr-Medic clover into his pastures, along with Eastern Gamma Grass. Womack believes the future of his ranch will include a lot of the Gamma Grass.

"It's a native grass that was almost extinct, because the cattle and buffalo liked it so much. They ate it down to the ground and it couldn't rejuvenate itself," said Womack.

He said that in one 2.8-acre pasture, he harvested nine round bales and could still do two more cuttings. The grass is nutritious and good for the cattle.

Working with the Natural Resource Conservation Service, the Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department and Ducks Unlimited, Womack has developed some of the best waterfowl habitat in the state.

"You can't name many ducks that don't come down here," he said.

Three years ago, TPWD estimated there were 45,000 ducks and 45,000 geese on the ranch. Womack was told he had the highest concentration of waterfowl on private preserve property on the coast. Along with that, there are also deer on the land.

"Victoria County is a one-buck county, and that's fine. I understand that for the north part of the county, but we're in the south part where these ranches are a little bit bigger and better managed than the little

"ranchettes" and what-not north of town. We're covered up with deer to the point when TPWD comes out here, they'll be out here three weeks to do the first of three night-time deer counts," said the rancher.

He contributes the big changes to the ponds and marsh on the ranch and said it certainly changes the "dynamics" of a ranch for hunters.

At this point in his life, Womack and his wife are just looking forward to continuing to live the good life, have fun and spoil future grandkids.

"Now, I can't wait to have grandchildren, to bring them up and spoil the fool out of them and give them back to their parents and say, 'Here's payback!'" laughed Womack.