The 6666 Ranch in Guthrie has received one of seven regional Environmental Stewardship Award Program (ESAP) awards and will be in the running to receive a national award in January.
The regional winners were announced during the 2015 Cattle Industry Summer Conference, recognizing them for their outstanding stewardship practices and commitment to protecting farm and ranch land.
According to the National Cattleman’s Beef Association, until the drought began in 2011, 6666 Ranch had supported a cattle herd since 1868. To protect the rangeland, preserve more than a century of genetics, and save the livelihoods of dozens of families in a sparsely populated area, the entire cattle operation was relocated to other states.
“Now that the area has received some beneficial rains, the cattle are coming back. Under the leadership of the owner Mrs. Anne Marion, the goal at 6666 Ranch is to return the land to the way it was back in the 1870s, to a condition that is conducive to a thriving cattle herd and abundant wildlife,” said ranch manager Joe Leathers.