UTAH FAMILY WINS ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP AWARD

DENVER, Colo. -- (August 3, 2000) - Looking over the hundreds of acres that comprise Johnson Ranch in Rush Valley, Utah, Darrell Johnson ponders a specific goal: He wants to restore the land to the pristine condition on which his ancestors homesteaded more than 140 years ago.

Photographs taken of the land in 1885 reveal good range and mountainsides untroubled by unruly juniper, which in large quantities is a proven foe to Western ranchers.

Through a series of range improvement measures such as prescribed burns and planting certain seeds, Johnson has improved the condition of the range. The improvements have done wonders for the environment and increased his animal unit months (AUMs) or the number of cattle he can graze on a given tract of land.

Johnson’s innovative practices led him to become this year’s NCBA Region VI Environmental Stewardship Award winner. The award was announced today at the annual Cattle Industry Summer Conference. Sponsored by Dow AgroSciences, the award is given annually to producers who exhibit innovative environmental practices while enhancing their bottom lines.

The Utah Cattlemen's Association nominated the family for the award.

“This family has taken land that had been abused over the years and turned it into range on which they could have a productive and profitable operation,” said NCBA President George Hall, a cattle producer from Mustang, Okla.  “Making such concerted efforts to maintain and improve the environment is critical to our industry.”

For Johnson, improving the environment is a matter of fiscal survival and obligation. His great grandfather, he said, was the first permanent settler in Rush Valley, and made his home on 40 acres of dry land, which he irrigated with a stream of water flowing from a large spring at the base of the mountain.

“We still see great potential in Johnson Ranch, and we are working every day to further realize that potential,” Johnson said. “We run our operation not only to make a living, but to increase productivity and properly manage our abundant natural resource to achieve long-term sustainability.”

The Johnson Ranch is a cow/calf operation that runs about 250 cows on nearly 5,000 acres of private land and 2,000 of leased federal and state land. The ranch uses a gravity sprinkler to irrigate about 100 acres of hay to feed its cows during calving and the winter seasons. The ranch is in a high desert valley at an elevation of 5,600 feet. The ranch has developed spring for stock water, with about 49,200 feet of pipeline installed to provide water in the pastures.

One parcel of the family’s land includes 25 acres that has been leased to the Bureau of Land Management. The bureau has done many improvements, and now there are 20 campsites and restrooms. The area is called Clover Springs Campground and is popular on weekends from early spring to late fall.

“This type of cooperation between agencies and organizations has typified our environmental efforts on the ranch,” Johnson said. “We also have a close working relationship with the Utah State Extension Service, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and Farm Service Agency.”

In 1962 Johnson began purchasing other family land from his uncles. The property was in poor condition because of heavy use and invasion of the juniper. At the time, the ranch used 50 animal unit months (AUMs) per 2,500 acres.

Ten years later, the family decided it had to do something about the condition of the range. It began strategies such as fencing the land to control the animals, controlling the juniper growth with a tractor, and using prescribed burns. The plan became more refined as years went by, and all these measures eventually increased the desirable forage. Instead of 50 AUMs on the 2,500 acres plot of land, the ranch now has 660 AUMs.

In doing the prescribed burns, the ranch kept the wild deer in mind. To dissuade them from being in the areas where productive cattle grazing could occur, the ranch planted clover grass higher in the mountains. The move successfully persuaded the deer to move to other areas. The ranch achieved its goal of leaving more forage for cattle, and it also provided extra forage for deer.

Because the area has limited cropland to produce hay, the ranch tried to manage its resources to provide as much grazing as possible before any supplemental feeding. This reduces costs and provides greater profitability.

The improvements the Johnson Ranch made have served as a model for others in the area. The Clover Creek Watershed Steering Committee -- a diverse group with members representing private landowners, federal, state, and local governments, and other interested resource users – spawned from the improvements on the Johnson Ranch. The committee presides over a research management project that oversees 91,000 acres.

“Most of our neighbors are now involved in land treatments and resource management plans that will restore a healthy, diverse plant cover, and, in turn, ensure higher quality water supplies,” Johnson said.

Besides all this, the Johnson Ranch has created an environment that is attractive to wildlife. Along with deer, several species of birds are found on the ranch. The Audubon Society recently held its annual spring outing on the Johnson’s property.

Also, two researchers recently set up camp on their land to observe ferruginous hawks that nest in a tree on the Johnson property.

All of these things, combined with low to moderate grazing to conserve the work they’ve done, are keeping with the tradition of the Johnson’s forefathers who saw great potential for this ranch in the high Utah desert.

“My family, including my wife, sons, daughters, sons-in-law and my father also has caught the vision of what Johnson Ranch could become, and committed themselves to realizing its potential,” Johnson said.

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See this winner's informational factsheet and reproducible images.

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