McCoy's Farm & Ranch Family: The Ohrt Family

Congratulations to this month’s Farm and Ranch Family, the Ohrts! Tommy and Sheila have two kids, Clint (17) and Amy (13), who work alongside Tommy to help make the ranch they live on such a success. Tommy works

as the ranch foreman for the Ruschhaupt and Son Ranch and strongly relies on Clint and Amy to help out.

The Ruschhaupt and Son Ranch has been passed down from generation to generation and been in operation for around 100 years. Tommy has worked for the current owner for about 16 years now.

The 20,000-acre ranch is located in Victoria, TX (Region 6). The ranch is mainly a cow calf operation. They run commercial cattle and keep all the yearlings, getting them ready to go to the feedlots. Tommy shared that they have around 1700 momma cows and add about 1100 yearlings come fall. They also farm both oats and coastal hay, which are mainly used to help keep the livestock fed.

Everyday, the livestock has to be fed and checked. Additionally, there are usually fences to build and other daily tasks that have to be completed.

Since Sheila works an eight to five job as a coder for Citizens Medical Center Hospital in Victoria, both Clint and Amy are vital to the ranch operation. Clint and Amy both attend school and still help their dad out on the daily. “We kind of do everything, Clint, Amy and I,” Tommy said. “We all work together. If we are going to work cows, we all mount up to go pen the cows.”

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n addition to the cattle, “we raise our own horses and I train them all,” Tommy said. “I have been teaching Clint how to train them to be cow horses or roping horses, whatever we need on the ranch.” They also run a lot of cow dogs, which the kids love to train.

Tommy used to have an eight to five job but he felt as if the ranching life suited him better. “Ranching is nice because you do something different everyday, sometimes something different three or four times a day but it is never the same old thing everyday,” Tommy said. He also enjoys it for his whole family, especially the kids. “It keeps them busy and out of trouble while teaching them how to work hard,” Tommy said.

Both Tommy and Sheila believe that the ranching lifestyle has taught their kids the power of honesty, as well as what it means to work together. “It doesn’t take just one of us to be successful, it takes all of us,” Sheila said. They also hope that they have taught their kids to let Godbe their number one.

When they aren’t working on the ranch, the family enjoys going to church together on Sundays and going to rodeos. Clint is a member of THSRA and he competes in tie down and team roping. Amy, a member of TJHRA, does pretty much everything you can think of it when it comes to rodeo. She competes in breakaway, goat tying, team roping, barrels, poles and ribbon running. Sheila loves that rodeo has taught Clint and Amy that “working hard doesn’t only pay off in daily life but also in the practice pen and arena.” The family really enjoys the friends they have gained through their rodeo opportunities.

Luckily, the Ohrt’s have a McCoys in Victoria and they often shop there. “We get all our fencing supplies and lumber for the cattle pens, as well as material to repair the floor in cattle trailers there,” Tommy said. The family is honored to be named this month’s McCoys farm and ranch family!