940-362-4555

Donnell Cattle Co. is a fourth generation cattle operation owned and operated by Tommy and Janet Donnell and their children. The Donnell family has ranched in west central Texas since 1876, when they moved from Hickory County, Missouri to Eliasville, Texas. Thomas F. and William L. Donnell were first drawn to the Clear Fork River as a potential site for a mill. Here they built the first flour mill west of Fort Worth; and it remained the only one until the 1900s. The area also proved to be good cattle country, and the Donnell Brothers ran large numbers of cows on open range. Janet’s family first established a presence in Texas in 1882, when her great-grandfather, James E. Ross of Mexico, Missouri, bought land near Baird. He sent his son, Hugh W. Ross, Sr., to operate the land when he was 23 years old. The Ross family ran cattle on this land until 1974, when Hugh W. Ross, Jr. leased the ranch to Tommy and Janet. The Donnell-Ross link ties two families with strong commitments to faith, family, and work ethic. Indeed, Donnell Cattle Company continues to operate today by the traditional values and ideals of its forefathers. Tommy and Janet are proud to have as business partners their children, Matt and Regan Donnell, Cody and Ann Donnell Cauley, and grandchildren Cooper and Carson Cauley, and Griffin Elizabeth, and Sadie Jane Donnell. Both the Donnell and Ross ranches were commercial operations until 1994, when Tommy and Janet committed their efforts to the registered Angus business. Recognizing the need ranchers have for reliable, high quality, uniform, and consistent genetics, the decision was made to purchase foundation females of donor quality. Utilizing technologies such as embryo transfer and artificial insemination, along with unbiased evaluation and rigid culling, the Donnell herd is competitive with the top registered Angus operations nationwide.