ISSUES AND POLICY
Bonds Leads TSCRA
Stepping up when needed, Pete Bonds is the newest in a long line of impressive TSCRA leaders By Larry Stalcup
Pete Bonds, TSCRA president D
ON’T TRY TO TELL PETE BONDS “YOU CAN’T MAKE MONEY IN THE CATTLE business.” With diversifi ed cow-calf, stocker and feeding pro- grams that stretch across 8 states and 2 countries, Bonds is
a fi rm believer that the beef industry yields a great way of life and good profi t potential. And he’s dedicated to making sure southwestern ranches of all sizes can operate without excessive interference from state and federal regulatory agencies. Bonds, whose operation is headquartered in Saginaw, just north
of Fort Worth, is president of Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA). He had served as director, second vice president and fi rst-vice president, and was scheduled to become president in 2015. But with the tragic loss of Clay Birdwell — elected president in March 2013 — who passed away in the summer of 2013 after a long battle with cancer, Bonds began his term early. “Clay was a prince of a fellow who was a wonderful leader for
TSCRA,” Bonds says. “The best words to describe Clay would be honesty and integrity. If you were around Clay much at all, you learned something valuable from him. We were all blessed to have him as a friend and leader within our industry.” Like Birdwell, who made
countless trips to Austin and Washington, D.C., to represent Cattle Raisers, Bonds has learned to balance his own business with representing TSCRA and its more than 16,000 members. He and his wife, Jo, have 3 daughters. Mis- sy helps run many of the ranch programs. Bonnie ranches with her husband Clint Anderson in Texas and Colorado. April has recently earned her MBA from Georgetown University. The Bonds operation owns cattle in 26 Texas counties, Okla-
78 The Cattleman December 2013
From left, seated, Jo and Pete Bonds. Standing from left, Missy Bonds, TSCRA director, Bonnie Anderson and April Bonds.
thecattlemanmagazine.com
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