Ellison Ranching Company in Nevada: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Ellison Ranching Company is a family-owned cattle and sheep operation in Elko and Lander counties, Nevada, headquartered at the historic Spanish Ranch. It was started in 1910 and, according to a King Ranch Institute profile, ranked seventh among the largest cow-calf operations in the United States in a 2020 National Cattlemen's Beef Association report. Few Nevada ranches combine that much deeded land, public-land grazing and generational continuity.
| Location | Elko and Lander counties, Nevada (headquarters at Spanish Ranch) |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1910, by Ephraim P. Ellison |
| Sectors | Angus cow-calf; Rambouillet sheep; farming; feedlot and packing investment in Idaho |
| Scale | About 156,000 deeded acres plus roughly 2 million acres of federal grazing land; about 15,000 cattle including roughly 8,500 mother cows; about 8,000 sheep (as reported by the King Ranch Institute) |
| Why it is elite | Ranked seventh among the largest U.S. cow-calf operations in a 2020 NCBA report; more than a century of family ownership |
| Ownership | Family company; Peter Ellison, great-grandson of the founder, is president |
| Official website | King Ranch Institute profile of Ellison Ranching Company |
History of Ellison Ranching Company
The Ellison story starts in 1910, when Ephraim P. Ellison began assembling the ranching operation that still carries the family name. The company's headquarters, the Spanish Ranch, has a long ranching pedigree of its own, and Western Horseman has written about the Spanish-influenced stockmanship associated with the place.
Leadership has stayed in the family. Peter Ellison, the founder's great-grandson, has been a director since 1978 and president since 1988, according to the King Ranch Institute profile. The same profile notes that the company has historically run with zero debt and healthy reserves, a posture that helped it get through the Great Depression and later droughts.
What Ellison Ranching Company Grows and Raises
The company runs several working ranches: the Spanish Ranch, the PX Ranch, the 71 Ranch and Fish Creek Ranch, which is operated as a farm. Together they support about 15,000 head of cattle, mostly black Angus, including roughly 8,500 mother cows, along with about 8,000 Rambouillet sheep. Deeded land of about 156,000 acres is paired with roughly 2 million acres of grazing allotments managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service, which is the normal Great Basin model: private meadows and hay ground anchor the operation while the public range supplies summer and spring forage.
General Manager Ira Wines oversees cattle, farming, feedlot and sheep operations with about 60 full-time employees. The company uses artificial insemination, embryo transfer and DNA testing to improve herd genetics, and it owns a feedlot and has invested in a packing plant, both in Idaho.
How Ellison Ranching Company Makes Money
Calf and cattle sales
The core revenue stream is a large Angus cow-calf herd. Calves can be marketed as feeder cattle, and the company's own feedlot in Idaho gives it an option to feed cattle rather than sell them at weaning. The profile describes genetics work with artificial insemination, embryo transfer and DNA testing, which supports the quality and consistency buyers pay for.
Sheep and wool
The Rambouillet flock of about 8,000 head adds a second livestock enterprise to the business. Sheep diversify income across lamb and wool markets and use range resources differently than cattle, spreading risk across species.
Farming and processing investments
Fish Creek Ranch is operated as a farm, which supports the livestock system with feed. The company's recent investment in a packing plant points toward participation in beef processing, though the profile does not describe the plant's revenue and none is stated here.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Ellison Ranching Company
First, conservative finance is a competitive advantage. The company's long record of low debt and cash reserves, as described by the King Ranch Institute, let it ride out depressions and droughts that forced other outfits to sell.
Second, scale in the West is often built on a mix of deeded and public land, so permits and allotments are assets that deserve management attention. Third, genetics technology and feeding or packing investments show how a cow-calf business can move up the value chain.
Running 8,500 mother cows and 8,000 sheep from a headquarters called Spanish Ranch gives the Ellisons a roll call of livestock that most farm satire writers could only dream of. When we browse the cattle and sheep stories at farm.FM, the farm humor and ranch humor always come back to the same truth: out in Elko County, the only thing bigger than the sagebrush is the grazing allotment. Nevada ranch life supplies plenty of farm jokes, but this one is told with real respect for a century of keeping the books clean.
If the name is new to you, farm.FM is the nation's first satirical farm site, with Tractor Tunes country music for farmers on the side. One of its regular writers keeps a whole archive of stories like that.
How to Contact Ellison Ranching Company
Website: https://krirm.tamuk.edu/ellison-ranching-company-a-century-of-heritage-vision-and-family/
No official company website or public phone was found in our research, so the link above is the best verified public profile of the operation. Ranch headquarters are at Spanish Ranch in Elko County, Nevada. Confirm contact routes through the Nevada Department of Agriculture or local Elko County extension before traveling.
Ellison Ranching Company Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- King Ranch Institute profile - Independent profile of the Ellison family and ranch operations
- Western Horseman: Old Spanish Ways - Magazine coverage related to the Spanish Ranch tradition
- Nevada Department of Agriculture divisions - State agriculture department programs and divisions
- USDA NASS Nevada - Official Nevada agricultural statistics
- USDA FSA Nevada - Farm Service Agency state office information
Ellison Ranching Company FAQ
When was Ellison Ranching Company founded?
Ephraim P. Ellison started the ranching operation in 1910, according to the King Ranch Institute profile.
How big is Ellison Ranching Company?
The profile reports about 156,000 deeded acres, roughly 2 million acres of federal grazing land, about 15,000 cattle and about 8,000 sheep.
Where is the headquarters?
The headquarters is the Spanish Ranch in northern Nevada, and the company operates in Elko and Lander counties.
How can I contact Ellison Ranching Company?
We did not find a public official website or phone number. Use the verified profile link on this page and contact Nevada agricultural offices for guidance.
Ellison Ranching Company shows how a Nevada family can combine deeded ground, public-land grazing, careful finances and a willingness to invest beyond the ranch gate. For more on the state's agriculture, climate and programs, read our Nevada farms guide, then explore the other profiled ranches.