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K MEMBER PROFILE k

ROCKIN 3T RANCH Combining performance traits and the show ring to raise quality Santa Gertrudis cattle

D evotion to the Santa Gertrudis breed and passion for red cattle is what drives Rockin 3T Ranch. Santa Gertrudis breeder Colby Threet is an up-and- coming breeder who owns and operates Rockin 3T Ranch, Ennis, Texas, with his father, Scott. Colby started raising Santa Gertrudis cattle for the show ring, but soon realized the value of perfor- mance traits that his customers desire. Colby was not raised around cattle, but his father, Scott, grew up around farming and he encouraged Colby to be in FFA. As an athlete and self-pro- claimed “preppy,” Colby wasn’t so sure at first. But he gave it a try. He first started with pigs, then his FFA advisor convinced him to show Santa Gertrudis for their slick hair and affordability. As a kid playing football and showing cattle, the convenience of Santa Gertrudis grew on him and he started to get more involved in showing. In 2006, he became a member of the National Junior Santa Gertrudis Asso- ciation and began showing Santa Ger- trudis and competing at the National Junior Santa Gertrudis Show (NJSGS). “Becoming a junior member gave me an opportunity to be around other breeders and learn more about the breed,” Colby says. “I’m the type of guy By Kelsey Pope, Contributing Writer

who can talk to anyone and so I wasn’t shy about learning from other breeders and making new connections to stay in contact with them.” After high school graduation, Colby attended Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas, to play football. He still owned cattle and showed in open shows as well as the NJSGS until he was 21. Colby graduated college in 2013 with a degree in animal industries and moved back home to be near the cattle and

work for Mueller Inc., a metal building manufacturer, for five years. He then decided to join the family’s pallet manu- facturing business, Threet Pallet LLC.

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TOP: The Threet family, left to right, Colby; mother, Mindi; father, Scott; and sister, Kayla. ABOVE: Colby Threet and his fiancée, Hannah Chaffin. LEFT: Lead herd sire Rockin 3T’s Syrus 2/5.

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SANTA GERTRUDIS USA