Nolan officially became a rancher at the age of 10, when he bought his first calf, which he bottle-fed by hand.

Competitive sports dominated Nolan’s teenage years. He excelled not only in baseball but in football and basketball too. This meant he had to make a difficult decision to sell his cattle, but his passion for ranching continued.  

Although Nolan and Ruth were constantly traveling for baseball, they always came home to Texas in between. So after Nolan won the World Series in 1969 with the New York Mets, he bought his first ranch in South Texas. 

During the off-season, Nolan worked hard to train for baseball and on the ranch, working with the animals he loved. Dedicated on and off the mound, Nolan took his ranching operation seriously and studied while on the road between games. 

After baseball, Nolan partnered with a few other master cattle ranchers to launch Nolan Ryan Beef. The brand has been producing high-quality Texas beef for 20 years and can be found in Kroger supermarkets across Texas and Louisiana, as well as in many professional baseball stadiums around the state of Texas.

After 38 years of professionally ranching cattle, Nolan was presented the Golden Spur Award from the Ranching Heritage Association, which recognizes leadership and exceptional service to the ranching community.  

Now, after 47 years of experience in cattle ranching, Nolan has created a new kind of retail experience by opening a boutique butcher shop in Round Rock. The shop is a place where locals feel warm and welcome, out-of-town visitors feel inspired, and Nolan himself feels at home.