Date:
8/4/2003 12:00:00 AM
Title:
North Dakota Ranch is ESAP Region VII Honoree
Barenthsen Red Angus Ranch Wins Environmental Stewardship Award
North Dakota Ranch is ESAP Region VII Honoree
Washington, D.C. (August 5, 2003) – Mark and Kathy Barenthsen, owners of Barenthsen Red Angus Ranch, have been selected as regional winners of the Environmental Stewardship Award, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) announced today. Barenthsen Red Angus Ranch is one of seven regional winners nationwide, and represents NCBA’s Region VII, which includes North and South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas.
Sponsored by Dow AgroSciences, the Environmental Stewardship Award Program (ESAP) recognizes cattle producers whose stewardship practices are inventive, cost-effective and contribute to environmental conservation. The recipients of this top U.S. beef industry environmental award are selected by a committee of representatives from university faculty, federal and state government agencies, and conservation and environmental organizations.
“We’re so proud of our ESAP winners and the philosophies they embody,” says NCBA President Eric Davis. “Ranchers like the Barenthsens have an innate love for the land that benefits the environment, their communities, their businesses, and serves as an example for all of us.”
The Barenthsen ranch is in its fourth generation, and consists of 5,480 acres of owned and leased grass and cropland. The Barenthsens run 200 head of Red Angus cattle on 2,300 acres of pasture land, and hold an annual production auction, as well as selling cattle private-treaty. In addition, they farm approximately 2,500 acres of small grains including durum, barley, oats, flax and peas. The remaining acreage is used to produce feed for the cow herd.
North Dakota State University Extension Specialist John Dhuyvetter says, “As they have developed their enterprise, their attention to quality and their innovation in marketing and service has quickly built a following of producers in the region.” Dhuyvetter adds, “Most outstanding, however, are the family and community values displayed by the Barenthsens and the pride they take in what they do.” He recalls the teamwork that Mark and Kathy share on the ranch with their four daughters, Jessica, Emily, Kayla, and Aleah.
The Barenthsens utilize the land to its maximum capability through a rotational grazing system. In 2000 they began working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to develop grass and wetlands easements. They have spent a great deal of time replacing the old fence lines in this area with 18,290 feet of fence combining what was once two separate pastures into four 160 to 200 acre cells. Also helping wildlife, as well as cattle, are the 30,000 feet of shelter belts. As a further benefit, these trees provide relief from wind and erosion, and hold back drifting snow.
Tracey Koester of the North Dakota Stockmen’s Association says, “The Barenthsens believe in marketing their greatest resource, their grass, through their cattle. This basic philosophy has helped them set the standard for how they manage their grass and farmland, water resources and cattle.”
The Barenthsen Red Angus Ranch will be formally recognized as a regional ESAP winner at the 2004 Cattle Industry Convention and Trade Show in Phoenix, Ariz., next January, when the national award winner will be announced.
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Editor’s Note: For additional information, news releases and fact sheets on individual winners, contact NCBA’s Washington office at 202-347-0228.
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.