T&T Cattle: Thoman family raises grass-fed beef with proven genetics

Bobby and Erica Thoman of T&T Cattle raise registered Red Angus cattle on a ranch 20 miles northwest of Riverton, with help from their seven children.

An engineer by trade, Bobby is constantly seeking new enterprises and competitive advantages in ranching in order to maintain profitability and quality in his program. 

His ranching philosophy prioritizes going back to the basics while maintaining modern strategies in order to make passing on the ranching way of life to the next generation an attractive and attainable goal. 

Early lessons

Growing up on a ranch near Kemmerer, Bobby spent most of his childhood raising cattle in tough, high-elevation conditions. After the cattle market crashed in the early 1990s, Bobby’s family sold their livestock and converted to a farming operation in Fremont County.

As one of 12 children, Bobby says there was always an unspoken rule about pursuing careers outside of agriculture, rather than coming back to the ranch. 

“My parents were generous and hardworking people, but it was always implied the ranch would not support us forever,” Bobby says. 

After graduating from the University of Wyoming with an engineering degree and working in consulting for several years, Bobby turned his attention back to ranching.

“I think agriculture is in the blood,” Bobby says. “It doesn’t take too long for it to start pulling you back.”

Grass-fed genetics 

Bobby’s venture back into ranching took off with the establishment of Lost Wells Cattle Company – a grass-fed beef program formed in partnership with his brother Brendan. What began as a way to sell beef from extra 4-H steers quickly developed into a thriving business.

“We started from the marketing end and worked our way backwards,” Bobby says. 

From the start, the brothers prioritized profitability and quality. Their desire to market a “known product” led to the decision to build up a herd of registered Red Angus cattle with proven genetics and pedigrees. 

To stay profitable, the Thomans knew they needed their livestock to be hardy and efficient in order to thrive on grass with no grain inputs. They focused on achieving these goals through genetics. 

Recognizing another opportunity for growth, the Thomans began developing their genetics program – T&T Cattle – from the registered herd. 

Brendan left the partnership a few years ago, but Bobby and his family continue to raise breeding stock on the family ranch northwest of Riverton.

Today, T&T Cattle markets their bulls as a cooperative producer in Pharo Cattle Company and utilizes Lost Wells Cattle Company on the marketing end for culls and steers.

Staying competitive

Bobby believes there are several ways to “hack the system” in ranching and emphasizes doing so is essential to success. His business philosophy is a careful balance of going back to the basics while weighing considerations for the future. 

T&T Cattle prioritizes working with nature to produce functional cattle requiring minimal input. Improving soil health through rotational grazing, calving in sync with nature and culling for fertility are all ways the Thomans have improved their herd.

“I’m a firm believer in form follows function,” Bobby says. “When you start raising cattle unsuited for your environment, you get away from what nature intended.” 

Success is proven by the presence of fertility and longevity in breeding stock, according to Bobby, who maintains extensive records each calving season on traits like calving ease, maternal ability, udder conformation, calf vigor and birthweights. Anything falling short of expectations is culled.

“The cow works for me, not the other way around,” Bobby says. “A lot of things work when you have cattle that work.”

Additionally, Bobby recognizes staying competitive means keeping up with the times while implementing practices to keep ranching attractive to the next generation.  

“We’re trying to ranch the way our grandparents did, but input costs are 10 to 20 times higher than they were back then,” Bobby comments. “It’s not feasible anymore.”

“We’ve got to find better ways to get the next generation excited and interested in ranching,” he continues. “The measure of any operation’s success is being able to pass it on to the next generation.” 

The next generation

Each of the Thomans’ seven children are involved with agriculture at varying levels. 

The youngest three – Gabriella, Genesis and Giana – enjoy spending time with animals on the ranch during weekends, while the oldest four – Cole, Caden, Talon and Averee – grew up helping out with calving, selling beef at farmers markets, keeping records and working cattle alongside their dad, uncles and cousins.

Cole and Caden both live and work on ranches in Wyoming, and Talon is attending college while continuing to help out at home.

Averee is a senior at Riverton High School where she serves as vice president of the Riverton FFA Chapter. Averee says showing cattle and working alongside her family has given her unique perspectives on the value of hard work and perseverance.

“Agriculture has been the base of so many lessons in my life,” Averee says. 

She plans to attend nursing school following graduation but says the value of growing up in agriculture will always remain with her.

The Thomans are committed to finding ways to ensure the ranching tradition stays sustainable and profitable for generations to come. 

For more information on T&T Cattle, visit lostwellscattle.com/genetics/ or e-mail Bobby at rthoman@wyoming.com.

Grace Skavdahl is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.