Working Ranch Magazine March/April 2025

stewardship of the land, which will be preserved through the dedicated efforts of ranchers,” said Clement. He is working to foster that appre ciation and understanding of agri culture in his children even though they are young. He includes them in ranch work every chance he gets. He is also showing them the importance of creating their own path by found ing his own cattle company with his wife, Juntos Pastoral Company, and Bloody Buckets Cattle Company with his siblings, both operations raising American Quarter Horses and Santa Gertrudis cross cattle. Clement and his father got together with some of the best leaders in the agriculture indus try to start The Land Board to help advise agriculture operations on their strategic planning and governance. Clement does not want his children to be burdened with carrying on the heritage, but instead to provide them with a seat at the table to learn should they want to carry on the ranching tradition. “I want my children to feel the need to want to serve these lands and not feel like they have to. I want them to feel that it is their honor to be part of these legacies, not their burden. The same way my parents, some of my family, and other mentors in my life made me feel,” said Clement. James is dedicated to preserving his rich ranching heritage but continues moving forward with innovation and an open mind.

RAHM CARRINGTON

the ranch managers,” said Clement. He believes that ranching and being a Marine are extremely complemen tary to each other, especially in ‘ser vice over self,’ a quality that Clement exemplifies so well. Clement takes advantage of every opportunity to get closer to his ulti mate goal of being able to ranch full time. Whether that is leasing more land, buying more cattle, or breeding more horses, he focuses his effort on making sure every decision he makes will help him attain his ranching goals. He also sees the importance of keeping doors open and not getting backed into a corner. It is especially important to him that his children can ranch one day if they choose to. “If I’m not able to grow our operations and have an oper ation that can serve multiple people then I’m not doing right by my family,” said Clement DATA AND DEDICATION This is why he chooses to diversify his knowledge as much as possible. He is learning to ranch more efficiently and implement better production practices through agricultural tech nology such as carbon credit and sequestration. Clement’s full-time job is serving as the Senior Vice President of Grass and Rangeland at EarthOptics. EarthOptics is a soil data measure ment and mapping company that provides farmers and ranchers with vital soil data to increase yields and improve soil health more effectively. Clement wants agriculture produc ers to be more vocal about the posi tive effects that livestock have on the

land and climate. He notes that agri cultural technology companies like EarthOptics can prove with data that soil health improves with livestock and proper management of the land. Clement is passionate about ensur ing that future generations have the same opportunity to grow up and work on the land. While concerned about Texas ranching culture as the state loses more land each day to urban development, he’s encouraged to see that the younger generation of ranchers are committed to upholding the legacy of their operations. “People are realizing that ranchers are as important to the health of this earth as anyone else in this world. We must cultivate enthusiasm in the next generation. The most impactful contribution we can make is through

Clement, his wife Paige, and their two children reside in Kingsville, Texas.

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