WYOMING RANCH WINS ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP AWARD

DENVER, Colo. -- (August 3, 2000) - About 15 years ago, Danny Hanson took a long look at his cattle operation and thought about what he could do better or differently to enhance his profit and improve the land.

His ultimate goal is that the condition of the land and the profitability of the ranch remain so that his sons can eventually earn a living in the cattle business. For him, the answer to maintaining his ranch is a holistic approach. He said the method has lowered his financial inputs, increased the profitability of his operation and improved the ecological condition of the land.

Hanson’s results are the reasons he was named the NCBA Region V Environmental Stewardship Award winner today at the annual Cattle Industry Summer Conference. Sponsored by Dow AgroSciences, the award is given annually to a cattle producer who performs innovative environmental practices while maintaining profitability. The Wyoming Stock Growers and their state cattlemen's award selection committee members nominated the family for the award. The state selection committee consists of federal and state government agencies, conservation groups, and agricultural groups.

“In the early 90s, I attended holistic management classes,” Hansen said. “I learned about goals, and a new and interesting way of looking at grass. With a change in my own mindset, I learned I could produce a lot more forage for our livestock and the wildlife as well.”

The Hanson ranch is located in Lusk, Wyo. The Hansons proudly point out that Lusk is located in the least populated county in the least populated state in the nation.

Hanson’s present day operation differs greatly from the way it operated during the 1980s. The ranch now uses only one tractor instead of five. It has only one hired man, compared to four in the 80s. It purchases hay instead of producing it on farm. In spite of all these cutbacks, the operation grazes cattle on more acres of land. Before the operation became more efficient, it needed 50 acres per animal unit month. Today it grazes on 20 acres per animal unit month.

Lusk is located in East Wyoming. It includes pine tree forests, woodlands, rolling grasslands, lush creek bottoms and short grass prairie.

The Hansons are involved in Agriculture in the Classroom, a program through the local elementary school that allows children to visit the ranch. The students participate in discussions on life cycles, forage identification and riparian management, including watershed species identification.

As the family has moved toward its holistic approach, they have enhanced the environment. The water and minerals have increased, and the vegetation has become more plentiful and palatable. They’ve increased their herd and wildlife numbers have also become more abundant.

Hanson was responsible for the inception and development of the Niobrara Land Use Plan and the Niobrara Resource Association. He assisted the Bureau of Land Management in rewriting the Newcastle Resource Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement. Niobrara is the country in which Lusk is located.

Hanson Livestock property is used for seasonal hunting, photography and resource education.

The Hansons are involved in the voluntary water quality-monitoring program established by the Niobrara Conservation District. The program is an important demonstration that agriculture is not the sole cause of water degradation.

Abundant dung beetles help control the manure problem. The remainder is used as fertilizer. The ranch uses no chemicals on its land.

About seven years after beginning the holistic approach, Hansen Livestock now produces more pounds of beef and has a better standard of living.

“Our two sons now have a real future on the ranch,” Hanson said. “And our family is reaching goals we thought were unattainable in the 1980s.”

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See this winner's informational factsheet and reproducible images.

Producer-directed and consumer-focused, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association is the  trade association of America’s cattle farmers and ranchers, and the marketing organization for the largest segment of the nation’s food and fiber industry.