2025 Rancher of the Year
Will Vogt
2025 Rancher of the Year
Will Vogt
Will Vogt was born in Haverford, Pa in 1952. He is a graduate of the Haverford School and Tufts University. After college, he worked initially for a bank in Philadelphia, but his family’s legacy and roots in Texas were too strong for him to stay away for long. From 1979-1982, in lived in Houston and worked for a small oil and gas company. When the oil business crashed in 1982, he moved to the family ranch in Hebbronville. Although a stranger, he was welcomed by many people in Hebbronville and immediately fell in love with ranch life in South Texas.
With a local hunting guide, he founded Solid Game which has organized thousands of quail hunts and helped hunters from across the country enjoy our great local resource of wild quail. He is a passionate quail hunter himself and has been breeding and raising hunting dogs for many years.
Will is currently the Chairman of the Board of Mestena Oil and Gas, a family-owned mineral company with extensive holdings in Jim Hogg County.
Headquartered at Balderas Ranch, Will and his brothers have been directly involved in the cattle business since 1990. As descendants of W.W Jones, they are committed to being good stewards of the land and preserving the ranch for future generations, some of whom are already involved in the operation.
The Vogt’s original Red Angus herd was assembled under the direction of foreman Jim Smith. With the watchful eye and leadership of current foreman William Barfield, the herd has continued to grow and the business now includes producing American Red calves as well as Angus bulls that are popular with other Jim Hogg County ranchers.
Will and his wife Jennifer have two children Whitney and Townsend.
Rancher of the year honorees
1988 – Ascension Martinez+
1989 – Charles W. Hellen+
1990 – Denis McBryde+
1991 – Dr. Homero T. Martinez+
1992 – Felix Stroman+
1993 – Alfonso Montalvo
1994 – Santiago De Los Santos+
1995 – E.G Nava+
1996 – Jack Fulbright+
1997 – Alec Holbein+
1998 – Tom Harper+
1999 – J.R. “Dick” Holbein+
2000 – Perry Weid
2001 – James C. “Chris” Hellen+
2002 – Horacio “Lacho” S. Ramirez+
2003 – Dr. Mike Vikers, DVM
2004 – Bill Barfield
2005 – Harold L. Henry (Vaquero)
2006 – Samuel Torres (Vaquero)
2007 – Erasmo Alarcon, Sr.+ (Vaquero)
2008 – Eliseo Cremar, Maximillo Cremar+, Ramiro Cremar, Transito Cremar+, Eddie Cremar, Willie Cremar, Juan Escamilla, Sr.+ (Vaqueros)
2009 – Modesto Garcia+ (Vaquero)
2010 – Rogelio Hinojosa+ (Vaquero)
2011 – None
2012 – Eduardo Garza
2013 – AC Jones IV
2014 – Alfredo Villarreal Jr.
2015 – Miss Marta Gutierrez and Mr. Isidro B. Gutierrez Jr.
2016 – Mr. Ernesto Rivas Gutierrez
2017 – Thomas A. Dickens
2018 – Humberto D. "Beto" Martinez
2019 – Frank Armstrong
2020 - Charles W. "Bill" Hellen
2021 -
2022 -
2023 - Victor Manuel Garcia
2024 - Robert Fullbright