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LandCAN Conservation Success Stories

LandCAN Conservation Success Stories

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LandCAN Conservation Success Stories

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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.



 

Combatting Cheatgrass On Private Ranch Lands In Wyoming Benefits Sage Grouse

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Sage Grouse Initiative enrolled landowner DeWitt Morris is setting an example for how to protect Wyoming’s sagebrush range from the threat of noxious weeds.



 

Grassland Love Affair

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Honesty, integrity, and productive partnerships thrive amid the native grasslands, wetlands, gravel-bottom creeks, and calcareous fens of Blue Bell Ranch in northeastern South Dakota.The reason: Herb and Bev Hamann, the ranch’s owners and land stewards for the past 45 years.



 

Big Visitors, Big Challenge

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Thousands of Pacific walruses now show up, raising concerns and sparking a community-wide effort to help the massive marine mammal survive in a dramatically changing environment.



 

Herricks Dairy

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Herricks DairyJack and Pat Herricks, along with two of their three children, operate a 600-cow dairy farm in Cashton in the rolling hills of Monroe County.



 

Full Belly Farm

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Full Belly FarmLocated northwest of Sacramento, Full Belly Farm is co-owned by Andrew Brait, Paul Muller, Judith Redmond and Dru Rivers. They began farming together in the 1980’s when many farms were failing and there was no established organic produce marketing system.



 

Giacomazzi Dairy

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Giacomazzi DairyDino Giacomazzi is a fourth-generation dairy farmer whose farm is comprised of 900 dairy cows on 900 acres in Hanford where the farm has operated since 1893. Dino represents what it means to farm responsibly and sustainably, enhancing natural resources as part of his work.