If you break down on a Wyoming road, you can count on one of your neighbors stopping to help. And if you come across someone else broken down along the road, you stop and help. That’s the Wyoming way.
Wyoming ranchers Art and Catherine Nicholas, who own Wagonhound Land & Livestock Company, LLC near Douglas, are helping tomorrow’s ranchers on their road to the future. Their $2.5 million gift—doubled to $5 million by state matching program—supports the UW Ranch Management and Agricultural Leadership Program.
“Wagonhound Land & Livestock is thrilled to partner with the University of Wyoming with our investment in the Ranch Management and Agricultural Leadership Program,” says Andrea Nicholas Perdue, CEO of Wagonhound Holdings. “As stewards of the land and advocates for sustainable agriculture, we are excited to contribute to the cultivation of future leaders in the industry.”
Wagonhound Land & Livestock is a 300,000-acre ranch raising Red Angus and quarter horses located south of Douglas on Wagonhound Creek. The ranch also includes farm, outfitting, and guest operations.
Their brand, which dates back to territorial days, is the quarter circle, bar, quarter circle. The Nicholases have owned the ranch since 1999.
Art serves as a director emeritus on the board of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum and the investment committee of the American Quarter Horse Association. Catherine is a director of the American Quarter Horse Foundation and serves on the board of the Cowgirl Hall of Fame. The couple has an expansive Western art and book collection, and they support the Traditional Cowboy Arts Association. They both have a background in investing.
Art Nicholas grew up on a cattle ranch in Nebraska and, while in the Navy, he moved to San Diego, California, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from San Diego State University. He has over 40 years of experience in investing, co-founding Nicholas-Applegate Capital Management and serving as chairman and CEO. Before that, he was a portfolio and bank manager.
Catherine Nicholas has over 30 years of experience as an investment analyst and portfolio manager. She founded Nicholas Investment Partners, which is advised by Art. Previously, she served as global chief investment officer for Nicholas-Applegate Capital Management. She earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration cum laude and her MBA in finance, both from the University of Southern California.
The nature of ranch management and agricultural leadership today requires professionals to have an integrated understanding across a broad array of disciplines.
They also have to demonstrate strong interpersonal skills that allow for effective teamwork, collaboration, and development and retention of talent—all of which are addressed in the UW Ranch Management and Agricultural Leadership Program. Initially launched in 2021, the program provides future generations of ranchers and agricultural producers with in-depth hands-on programs that honor the tried-and-true while developing the technologies of tomorrow.
The program provides a real-world multidisciplinary education to Wyoming’s students and professionals in ranch management and agricultural leadership. It seeks to integrate classroom learning with practical experience and to connect students with producers and industry professionals.
The program also facilitates an annual seminar series, Ranching in the West, held at community colleges throughout the state. The series includes a one-day leadership summit and is attended by professionals and students alike. The series offers insights into how Wyoming ranches and businesses and agencies are dealing with real-world challenges.
Students in the program learn animal science, rangeland management, agricultural business and economics, agricultural communication, organizational leadership, and political science. They also are prepared as employees, managers, and leaders through courses that address communications, conflict, ethics, collaboration, human resources, policy, and much more.
The program meets the needs not only of students but also members of the larger community within the state who are engaged in ranch management and agriculture. It offers professional development for current ranch managers and agricultural leaders, a bachelor’s degree in ranch management and agricultural leadership, and graduate degrees and advanced certifications. The curriculum is guided by experts—ranch owners, agency professionals, agribusiness leaders, industry executives, elected officials, academics, and UW alumni.
Each level of education—certification, bachelor’s, or master’s—is designed to incorporate workforce development, practical experiences, research-based technical knowledge, real-world problem-solving, and making connections with industry leaders throughout the West. For example, students working on their bachelor’s degrees complete three internships with government agencies, working ranches, nonprofits, private organizations, and/or associations important to Western livestock agriculture.
Our future is stronger when we come together and help each other down that road. The Nicholases are doing just that.