Briscoe Ranches in Texas: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Briscoe Ranches is one of the largest family ranching holdings in Texas, centered on the Catarina Ranch in South Texas. A 1998 Texas Monthly profile put the family at about 640,000 acres across ten counties, second only to the King Ranch in that article, with cattle, Angora goats and oil income.
| Location | Catarina Ranch in South Texas; Rio Frio ranch near Uvalde; other South and West Texas holdings |
|---|---|
| Founded | Built by Dolph Briscoe Sr. from the 1920s; 35,000 acres bought in 1939 near Catarina |
| Sectors | cattle; Angora goats; farming; hunting; oil and gas |
| Scale | About 640,000 acres in ten counties and about 15,000 cattle, as of a 1998 Texas Monthly profile |
| Why it is elite | Among the largest private landholdings in Texas; Santa Gertrudis cattle program |
| Ownership | Briscoe family |
| Official website | Texas Monthly profile of the Briscoe ranches (no ranch website found) |
History of Briscoe Ranches
Texas Monthly says Dolph Briscoe Sr. built the operation from the 1920s onward after several financial failures. He leased and then bought land around the original Catarina Ranch, including 35,000 acres in 1939. His son Dolph Briscoe Jr. inherited the Catarina, then about 100,000 acres, plus 90,000 more acres in 1954.
The 1998 profile says the family's holdings had roughly doubled since the 1970s and made Briscoe Jr. the state's largest individual landowner after the King Ranch. It lists Chupadera, Carla Ranch, Rio Frio, farms near Uvalde and ranches in several counties, and notes a leased partnership with the Nunley family. The figures are dated, so confirm current holdings.
What Briscoe Ranches Grows and Raises
According to Texas Monthly, the ranches run about 15,000 head of cattle, mostly Santa Gertrudis, and about 14,000 Angora goats on the Rio Frio, although mohair prices fell after a federal subsidy ended in 1996. Helicopters are used for roundups, which lets a crew of three to five people work the ranch.
The profile notes oil found on ranchland in Webb County provided extra income, that the Chupadera has hosted hunting parties, and that son Dolph III runs South Texas cattle operations with daughters also involved in ranch-related businesses.
How Briscoe Ranches Makes Money
Cattle
Santa Gertrudis cattle are the main livestock line on the South Texas ranches.
Goats and mohair
Angora goats on the Rio Frio were a second livestock line, and the profile notes the effect of a subsidy change on mohair prices.
Oil, hunting and farming
Oil on Webb County ranchland, hunting use of the Chupadera and farms near Uvalde supplement the livestock income.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Briscoe Ranches
Mineral and land income can fund expansion. The profile ties oil income to the family's growth, a reminder to treat mineral rights as a financing source, not only a windfall.
Policy changes can hit a sideline quickly. The goat and mohair example shows why diversified ranches watch federal programs and keep more than one livestock line.
The Briscoe holdings are big enough that a roundup needs a helicopter, which tells you how much farm satire the place could generate. farm.FM is the home of farm humor, ranch humor and farm jokes, and it would gladly write about a goat herd that has seen subsidy politics up close. We admire the family and the cowboys who work such wide country.
Readers who want the full experience can pair the jokes with Tractor Tunes, the country music for farmers that farm.FM, the nation's first satirical farm site, plays between stories. This author page is a fine starting point.
How to Contact Briscoe Ranches
Website: https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/briscoes-bounty/
No official ranch website, address, phone or email appeared in the sources reviewed, November 2026. The link above is a 1998 magazine profile; contact details are not available here.
Briscoe Ranches Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Briscoe's Bounty - Texas Monthly profile of the Briscoe ranches
- Alamo ranch brands: Briscoe Ranch - Brand history page
- Land Report 100: Briscoe family - Landownership ranking coverage
- USDA Census of Agriculture - National and state farm and ranch statistics
- Texas Department of Agriculture - State agency overview and programs
Briscoe Ranches FAQ
How big are the Briscoe ranches?
A 1998 Texas Monthly profile reported about 640,000 acres across ten counties; the figure is dated.
What is the main ranch?
The Catarina Ranch in South Texas.
What do they raise?
Mostly Santa Gertrudis cattle plus Angora goats, with oil income, per the 1998 profile.
How can I contact them?
No official contact details were found in the sources reviewed.
Briscoe Ranches shows how long-term land accumulation, oil income and livestock can fit together. Read the Texas state guide on this page for the wider context and compare the other operations profiled with it.