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LandCAN Conservation Success Stories

LandCAN Conservation Success Stories

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LandCAN Conservation Success Stories

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Emmons Farm

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Emmons FarmConservation has been a cornerstone of the Emmons family approach for generations. Back in 1934, when a big flood occurred, Jimmy Emmons’ grandfather witnessed all of the topsoil to the depth of the plough plane had washed off into the river. The event became a personal warning sign of the need for soil and water conservation. Jimmy’s father would later experience a similar event.



 

Wilson Family Farm

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Wilson Family FarmDescribed by some as “pioneers” when it comes to demonstrating the importance of soil health, Jeremy and Sarah Wilson are showing that agricultural conservation can profit while improving the productivity of their land.   



 

Miller Ranch

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Miller RanchWhen Ken Miller took over the family ranch in the 80s, he knew the management practices he was taught growing up would need to evolve if he expected to pass on the family ranch legacy onto his children. In 1984, Ken and his wife Bonnie received a sponsorship to attend a holistic resource management school in Albuquerque, New Mexico. There they began to realize that their current management had little reasoning behind it besides the fact that it was “the way things were done”.



 

Black Leg Ranch

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Black Leg RanchIn the late 1800s, Jerry Doan’s great grandfather, George H. Doan, moved from Canada to homestead in the Dakota Territory. What began as a 160-acre homestead with a sod house has grown into a 17,000-acre farm and ranch. Jerry and his wife Renae own and manage the fourth and fifth generation Black Leg Ranch, and their children are poised to take the reins in the coming years.



 

Wilson Ranch

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Wilson RanchWilson Ranch, located northeast of Lakeside in the Nebraska Sandhills, is a fifth-gen­eration operation owned and managed by brothers Blaine and Bryan Wilson. The ranch consists of over 15,000 acres and over 1,100 head of cattle. The Wilson Ranch is a terrific example of economic viability co-existing with sustained conservation practices.



 

Shovel Dot Ranch

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Shovel Dot RanchThe Buell family is part of the fabric of the Nebraska Sandhills. For nearly 130 years, they have ranched in the region, while caring for the land, water, and wildlife that each Buell generation passed on to the next.



 

Shaw Family Farms

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Shaw Family FarmsNestled in the heart of Nebraska’s Rainwater Basin is Shaw Family Farms, a fifth generation row-crop and cattle ranch owned and managed by Steve and Vicki Shaw and their son and daughter-in-law Brian and Julie Shaw. The Shaw’s belief is that they have been successful “not just because of hard work, but also because of the land ethic passed down from the first generation.”



 

RuJoDen Ranch

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RuJoDen RanchThe O’Rourkes have implemented a variety of conservation practices to their land that has been in their family since 1950.



 

Rod & Amy Christen

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Rod & Amy ChristenRod and Amy Christen represent the next generation in outstanding land stewardship. Together with Rod’s father, Richard, and sister, Kay, Rod and Amy run a 275-head cow/calf operation near Steinauer, Nebraska.



 

Plum Thicket Farm

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Plum Thicket FarmLocated on the northern edge of the Nebraska Sandhills is Plum Thicket Farms, a diverse crop farm and cattle ranch owned and managed by Rex and Nancy Peterson, and their son Patrick and his wife Krista.



 

RGM Corporation

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RGM CorporationRodney Mathewson started a small farming and cattle operation near Potter, Nebraska in the 1940’s. His commitment to the health of the natural resources in his care was instilled in his son, Randy, and grandson, Beau, who run the ranch with their wives, Gina and Kahla, respectively.



 

Kalkowski Family Ranches

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Kalkowski Family RanchesKalkowski Family Ranches consists of land that Larry Kalkowski purchased and managed during his lifetime, as well as other land purchased by his four sons and their wives as a continuation of the main ranch.



 

Pelster Ranch

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Pelster RanchWhen Duane and Nancy (Malmsten) Pelster married in 1961, they began ranching with Nancy’s father Marden, who shared their focus on the value of the land. His belief was, “If you’re good to the land, the land will be good to you and future generations.” Marden, and his father before him, Carl, were determined to preserve the natural integrity of the ranch from the beginning of the operation in 1934.



 

K & W Farms

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K & W FarmsKurt and Wayne Kaup own and manage K & W Farms in Stuart, Neb., where they raise hogs and crops on the eastern edge of the Sandhills. With a commitment to improving natural resources, the Kaups are leaders in implementing no-till farming strategies combined with irrigation water management and the use of cover crops to improve the health of the soil, reduce erosion and recycle nutrients. Cover crops, in conjunction with the no-till farming, are promoting more soil organic matter and increasing the waterholding capacity of the soil.



 

Bluestem Valley Farms

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Bluestem Valley FarmsBluestem Valley Farms is a fourth generation family operation consisting of farming and ranching near Martell. Lyle and Alice Sittler and their daughter and son-in-law, Kristen and Todd Eggerling, work together to maintain all facets of the operation.



 

Beel Ranch

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Beel RanchIn 1937, Henry O. Beel purchased land located on the Brown and Cherry County line in the Sandhills of Nebraska. His son, Henry C. Beel, joined him 23 years later, and a legacy was born. In 1990, the third generation of Beels assumed stewardship of the nearly 22,000-acre cattle operation. Celebrating 75 years on the ranch, the Beel Family takes pride in looking back on the progress they have made, and looks forward to what lies ahead for future generations.



 

4-O Ranches

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4-O RanchesA.B. Cox is a third generation Sandhill rancher. His family has been ranching in CherryCounty for 103 years. He and his daughter, Scout, manage their cow/calf/yearling Calf Creek and 4-O Ranches, consisting of approximately 23,000 acres, with two invaluable employees, Gerry Ashwege and Justin Duffield.



 

Uptown Farms

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Uptown FarmsMatt and Kate Lambert of Uptown Farms were the inaugural recipients of the Missouri Leopold Conservation Award®, which honors Missouri landowner achievement in voluntary stewardship and management of natural resources.



 

Blue Bell Ranch

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Blue Bell RanchWhen you ask Herb Hamann about his conservation ethic and why he goes the extra mile to improve the land, he will simply give a shrug of the shoulders and say that “it’s just the right thing to do.” Herb and his wife Bev, along with their children, Breck and Arla, own and manage Blue Bell Ranch. The family is strong in their belief that their base asset is the grassland itself, and the cows are simply the tool to harvest the grass. 



 

Cammack Ranch

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Cammack RanchWith its commitment to conservation, Cammack Ranch is a place where soil, grass, cattle, wildlife and a family legacy all thrive.