Kansas Ranch Honored with Prestigious Environmental Stewardship Award
2024 regional ESAP winners also recognized at CattleCon25.
February 6, 2025
The National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) named Downey Ranch, Wamego, Kan., as the 2024 Environmental Stewardship Award Program (ESAP) national winner. The award, which annually recognizes the outstanding stewardship practices and conservation achievements of cattle producers, was presented to Barb Downey and her husband, Joe Carpenter Feb. 5 during CattleCon 25 in San Antonio, Texas.
"We are stewards of the land; we’ve been entrusted with it, and we want to make sure what you see today continues on,” said Downey. “What we do every day in some way, shape or form is in service to that mission.”
“If our grasslands, our cattle and our ranch are thriving, then our family thrives, and that is the foundation for everything we have built.” — Barb Downey
Located in the heart of the Kansas Flint Hills, Downey Ranch is a commercial cow-calf operation committed to stewardship. Carpenter and Downey have incorporated numerous grazing management techniques to enhance rangeland health, minimize the need for harvested forages and meet the nutritional needs of their cattle with little supplemental feed. In addition to extensive use of rotational grazing, they utilize a novel bale-grazing program to help cover winter feed needs. Downey Ranch utilizes prescribed burning to enhance the mix of grass species in their pastures, as well as control woody encroachment. The family has integrated new technology to enhance cattle well-being, improve land management and reduce labor needs.
In addition to incorporating these resource management practices on their ranch, Downey and Carpenter are willing to share their experiences with others. Downey Ranch hosts multiple tours for industry groups, students and other stakeholders.
“If our grasslands, our cattle and our ranch are thriving, then our family thrives, and that is the foundation for everything we have built,” Downey said. “The land is sometimes hard for a rancher to talk about because it is part of you. It’s just who you are, your soul. We’ve given our lives to it so our kids can continue on.”
“Conservation practices of cattle farmers and ranchers across the country help to preserve natural resources and provide wildlife habitat," said NCBA President Mark Eisele. “The stewardship efforts of Downey Ranch and other ESAP winners confirm our industry's commitment to protecting the land and water for future generations."
The 2024 regional winners are:
Region I: Angus Glen Farms LLC, Watkins Glen, N.Y.
Angus Glen Farms is a cow-calf operation in the iconic Finger Lakes Region, an agricultural area that sees more than 1 million visitors each year. Cattle are used as a tool to improve the soil, forest and forage health. Cattle are moved daily to manage and reduce runoff into nearby Seneca Lake while also promoting soil health, forage and tree growth, and improving the health of the cattle. In winter months when grass is not available, they practice bale-grazing to reduce soil compaction and improve soil health in needed areas. The Chedzoy family hosts “pasture walks” educating other producers, conservation professionals and visitors about their stewardship practices.
Region II: Kempfer Cattle Co., Deer Park, Fla.
Kempfer Cattle Co. is a 25,000-acre diversified ranch in central Florida. Since 1898, six generations of the family have implemented stewardship practices to conserve land and water resources. The purebred Brahman and commercial cattle operation also includes a variety of ventures, including a sod company and sawmill. The Kempfer family collects and stores rainwater in stock tanks, which reduces the strain on natural water bodies, particularly during drought conditions. They also prevent overgrazing and soil erosion around rivers and streams, preserving ecological balance and protecting riparian areas. By actively managing and controlling the spread of invasive plants, the ranch preserves biodiversity, protects sensitive ecosystems and maintains the integrity of native plant communities.
Region III: Little Timber Farms, Blackduck, Minn.
Located in northern Minnesota, Little Timber Farms is owned and operated by fourth-generation farmer Rachel Gray and her family. Over the years, the farm transitioned from dairy and crop production to cow-calf and the current heifer development operation. Gray recognized that the nutritious grass would benefit growing heifers through effective rotational grazing, and her family strives to improve the operation through healthier soil and healthier cattle. The family also takes protecting the Red Lake Watershed seriously as water eventually flows into Hudson Bay. Due to the family's conservation practices, the farm has become a haven for wildlife and waterfowl, and species diversity has increased.
Region IV: Blue Ranch, Moore County, Texas
With perennial water flowing and native grasses perfect for rotational grazing, Rex and Susan McCloy saw an opportunity to expand their extensive farming and cattle operation. A decade later, the Blue Ranch just south of Dumas in Moore County, Texas, is a benchmark for stewardship that yields highly efficient cattle production and a thriving wildlife habitat, while managing constant environmental improvements to the sundry rolling prairie in the northwestern Texas Panhandle. The McCloys’ goals are to achieve the highest levels of environmental, economic and social sustainability through holistic management practices; improve riparian areas to reduce erosion; create higher wildlife populations through improved natural habitats; and promote sustainable grazing practices by advocating at the local level and beyond.
Region V: LeValley Ranch, Hotchkiss, Colo.
LeValley Ranch in Hotchkiss, Colo., is a commercial cattle operation that seamlessly integrates federal and private rangeland to support livestock production, wildlife habitat, and range vigor with plant diversity, while also directly connecting to consumers and their community through direct marketing of beef. For five generations, the LeValley family has been stewards of the land. They achieve their goals through an overall philosophy of land health and management that concentrates on allowing time to rest, grazing moderately, and creating pastures where they are utilized in a different rotation in consecutive years. Diversification has also played a role in the ranch's success with income support from a big game and bird hunting enterprise as well as through involvement in the beef supply chain with Homestead Meats processing facilities and retail store.
Region VI: Cottonwood Ranch, Wells, Nev.
Cottonwood Ranch is a six-generation cow-calf and horse operation in Wells, Nev. The Smith and Molsbee families are at the forefront of sustainable cattle ranching realizing that wildlife, healthy lands, and livestock can coexist and thrive together through managing both private and public lands as a whole. The ranch has an extensive history of working with federal and state partners to implement conservation practices and is a leader in utilizing virtual fencing for cattle. Cottonwood Ranch has implemented intensive grazing management strategies on their private land that have created more diverse meadows. Diversification has also played a role in the ranch's success, with the families expanding their business to include an events venue, hunting operation, veterans' retreat and birding and wildlife learning center.
Downey Ranch was the Region VII winner.
Established in 1991 by the NCBA to recognize outstanding land stewards in the cattle industry, the ESAP is sponsored by USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Corteva Agriscience, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Cattlemen's Foundation. For more information, visit www.environmentalstewardship.org.
Editor's note: This story was adapted from releases provided by NCBA. [Lead photo by Shauna Hermel.]
Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA, Vol. 17, No. 2-A
Topics: Award winner , Events , Pasture and Forage , Sustainability , Success Stories
Publication: Angus Beef Bulletin
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