11/10/2025
When folks ask about the origin of our IX cattle brand, we tell them it is steeped in history and represents tenacity, resilience and a commitment to doing things right. It isn’t just a brand, it represents the unique and progressive mindset of the man who cherished it. His extraordinary values, including compassion and diligence, are the very foundation upon which our operation is built.
George Howard (Hully) Newcom was born in Butler Co., Kansas before the turn of the 20th century. He was a sharpshooter, a surviving member of The Lost Battalion and a humble war hero. It was only after his death in 1977 that Jack discovered Newcom had saved countless soldiers’ lives during the war. Newcom was also a county sheriff and Democratic state senator; but above all, a dedicated cattleman. He called the Devil’s Claw Ranch, which is east of Russell Springs along the Smokey Hill River, home.
Newcom was old-fashioned, yet ahead of his time. He was a man of few words, but when he spoke, you listened. His profound “Newcomisms” around cows, money, and women still ring true today.
Unconcerned with convention, Newcom delighted in keeping a pot of chili on the stove year round, topping it off as needed with additional ingredients every couple days. That soup helped forge an unlikely relationship between an old rancher and a young cowboy.
Hully Newcom was many things to Jack — boss, mentor, and friend — and we are beyond grateful that he entrusted his coveted and beloved IX brand to us. We strive every day to uphold his values, and are so humbled and honored our girls wear his IX on their left side.
