The Bonds Ranch out of Saginaw, Texas was founded in 1933 by P.R. “Bob” Bonds. Bonds Ranch originated after a portion of the Mary Hicks Ranch was purchased, north of Saginaw, Texas. Surprisingly, Bob was not a cowboy himself, so he hired Owen “Big Pete” Burnett in 1942. Burnett also mentored Bob’s youngest son, Pete Bonds after Bob passed away in 1954.
In the beginning, the ranch earned a reputation for producing top-quality Hereford cattle, the operation expanded after Pete assumed management in 1976. Pete expanded its cow/calf genetics, grazing yearlings on leased and purchased lands in various states, and finishing cattle in feed yards.
As time changed, so did the Bonds Ranch, integrating 21st-century business practices into centuries-old ranching traditions. Electronic ID tags and computers are used alongside cowboys and horses.
Bonds Ranch remains a family operation, with Pete operating the ranch alongside his wife, Jo, and their daughters, Missy, Bonnie, and April.
Missy and April work alongside Pete at the ranch headquarters, while Bonnie, her husband, Clint Anderson, and their children split time ranching in Texas and Colorado.