Seven cattle operations have been recognized by the National Cattlemen's Beef Association as regional winners of its annual Environmental Stewardship Awards Program. The regional winners:

“For generations, cattlemen and cattlewomen have shared a commitment to improving their operations with an understanding that better management techniques improve the productivity of our farms and ranches," said NCBA President Marty Smith. "Those improvements allow us to produce high-quality beef while also giving back to our communities in the form of beautiful open spaces, wildlife habitat and of course, a high-quality beef product. These seven operations provide an excellent demonstration that agricultural stewardship can improve habitat and the environment everywhere across the nation.”

The operators of these seven cattle operations will advance to be considered for the 2021 National Environmental Stewardship Award, to be announced in 2021.

Learn more about the winners in these videos.

Region 1

SK Herefords is in Medina, New York, and was established in 1996 after a merger between two livestock farming operations: one owned by Phil Keppler and his wife, Dawn, and by David Schubel. Both families share a vision to produce high quality beef while protecting the land, water, and wildlife habitat. 

Region 2

Since 2005, Southern Cross Farms in Eupora, Mississippi, has been committed to continuously improving their conservation practices. Over the years, Gary and Nancy Jackson have developed their property and operation to be a model farm for environmental and economic sustainability.

Region 3

Euken-Myers in Lewis, Iowa, is a fifth-generation cow-calf, feedlot, and row crop farm. Over the past 40 years, Randy and Jill Euken have worked to implement the best practices for environmental stewardship on their operation, which now includes their daughter, Michelle Myers, and her husband, Steve.

Region 4

The Double C Cattle Company is a 20,000-acre cow-calf operation near Springer, Oklahoma. The goal of the Coffey family is to demonstrate that cattle ranching and conservation can go hand-in-hand.

Region 5

Beatty Canyon Ranch in Kim, Colorado, has long served as an example of cutting-edge conservation. Controlling invasive species, grazing management, and a focus on wildlife habitat are just some of the practices used to better the cattle, the grass and the soil. The ranch is operated by by Steve and Joy Wooten, along with their daughter, Arin Burnham, and her husband, Brady.

Region 6

Boies Ranch is a multi-generation cow-calf operation located in northeastern Nevada. In the 1990s, Steve and Robin Boies made significant changes to how they manage the operation in order to protect and improve their rangeland for both cattle and wildlife.

Region 7

Johnson Farms of Frankfort, South Dakota, is operated by Alan and Mickie Johnson along with their son, Brian, and his wife, Jamie. The Johnson family is dedicated to improving their soil health through holistic management decisions.

Established in 1991, by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association to recognize outstanding land stewards in the cattle industry, the Environmental Stewardship Award Program is sponsored by Corteva Agriscience; McDonald’s; USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Cattlemen’s Foundation.

Source: National Cattlemen's Beef Association, which is solely responsible for the information provided and is wholly owned by the source. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.