Jim and Mary Rickert
Majority Owners
Jim and Mary Rickert are the majority owners of the Prather Ranch. They came to the ranch in 1979 at the urging of Walter Ralphs to run the operation. Upon Mr. Ralphs’ passing, the Rickerts and one of Walter’s stepsons, Robert Newell, acquired ownership of most of the ranch. Jim is a fourth generation agriculturist with a background in meat processing, crop production and livestock. Mary grew up around cattle and has a true affinity for cows. Jim graduated from California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) with a degree in Agricultural Business and followed with a Master’s Degree from Purdue University in Agricultural Economics. Mary attended Cal Poly as a dairy science major and also received degrees from Simpson University in Business and Psychology.
Robert and Judy Newell
Active Partners/Owners
Robert and Judy Newell live in Southern California but are active partners in the operation of the ranch. Robert and Judy are both graduates of Stanford University and Robert practiced law in Southern California during his career as an attorney. The Newells are actively engaged on many levels with the operation of the ranch.
Craig Holbrook
Slaughterhouse Operations Supervisor
Craig Holbrook supervises the operation of the slaughterhouse on a day to day basis. Craig spends his days performing many jobs on the ranch, including slaughter, meat processing and working in the feed yard. Craig and his wife Myndy have three daughters: Baylin, Maren, and Reagan. Daughter Baylin is well known for the many meals she prepares for the crew on slaughter day and is always willing to help wherever needed on the ranch.
Mark Estes
Headquarters Manager
Mark Estes brings his extensive cattle experience to the Prather Ranch operation. Mark can be found performing a variety of tasks with the ranch as his role as manager of the Headquarters portion of the ranch and entire livestock operation. Mark is a graduate of Oregon State and has degrees in Animal Science and Range Management. Mark’s calm nature and patience is a perfect fit for handling the cattle and producing healthy beef cattle. Mark and his wife Laura have three children: Elizabeth, Sarah and William. Mark and his family spend many hours together working with the cattle on horseback.
Jesus Mozqueda
Hay Production Manager
On the Hay Ranch side of the operation, Jesus Mozqueda is in charge of the hay production every season. The ranch produces almost 10,000 tons of alfalfa, grass and rye hay. His family has a long history with Prather Ranch. Salvador, his father, lives on the ranch and maintains the center pivots and other irrigation equipment, and his brother Marco lives on the Hay Ranch and works on the hay crew and loads hay trucks. Jesus and his wife Veronica are the parents of Destiny and Jesse.
David Pudwill
Medical Sales Director
David Pudwill has nearly two decades of experience with FDA regulated products and spent much of that time working with collagen-based devices. David has served in senior leadership roles at AscentX Medical and ConvaTec, and previously worked at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and St. Jude Medical.
David holds a Master of Mechanical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University, a BSE in Biomedical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University, and a Certificate from HBX, now Harvard Business School Online.