Barb Downey and her husband, Joe Carpenter, owners of Downey Ranch Inc. near Wamego, were honored with the 2024 Environmental Stewardship Award by the NCBA in San Antonio, TX. The Environmental Stewardship Award Program (ESAP), established in 1991, recognizes outstanding land stewards in the cattle industry. Each year, one national winner is selected from seven regional winners across the country, each undertaking unique stewardship efforts suited to their environment and resources.

Downey and Carpenter are dedicated to sustainable land management, using various grazing techniques to improve rangeland health, reduce the need for harvested forages, and meet their commercial cow-calf herd’s nutritional needs with minimal supplemental feed. They employ rotational grazing and a creative bale grazing program for winter feed. Additionally, Downey Ranch uses prescribed burning to diversify grass species and control woody encroachment. The couple also integrates new technology to improve cattle well-being, enhance land management, and reduce labor. Beyond managing their own ranch, they actively share their practices by hosting tours for industry groups, students, and other stakeholders. “If our grasslands, our cattle and our ranch are thriving, then our family thrives, and that is the foundation for everything we have built,” said Downey. “The land is sometimes hard for a rancher to talk about because it is part of you, it’s just who you are, your soul. We’ve given our lives to it so our kids can continue on.”