Alabama Farm Receives Regional Environmental Stewardship Award

NEW ORLEANS (Feb. 1, 2023) – The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) announced today that Carter Cattle Company, LLC, in Pintlala, Alabama, was selected as one of seven regional winners of the 2022 Environmental Stewardship Award Program (ESAP). The farm was recognized during the 2023 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show in New Orleans.

“Farming and ranching families across the country continue to incorporate practices that protect and preserve land and water resources for future generations,” said NCBA President Don Schiefelbein. “These regional winners represent the cattle industry’s commitment to environmental stewardship.”

Established in 1991, ESAP celebrates outstanding land stewards in the cattle industry. The regional winners will compete for the national award, which will be presented during NCBA’s Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C., April 24-27, 2023. The 2022 Environmental Stewardship Award Program Regional Winners are:

• Region I: Lamb Farms, Inc., Oakfield, New York
• Region II: Carter Cattle Company, LLC, Pintlala, Alabama
• Region III: Huth Polled Herefords and S&H Livestock Enterprises, LLC, Oakfield, Wisconsin
• Region IV: Parks Ranch, Goliad County, Texas Region V: Mannix Brothers Ranch, Helmville, Montana
• Region VI: Fulstone Ranches, Smith, Nevada
• Region VII: Jorgensen Land & Cattle Partnership, Ideal, South Dakota

“The Carter family is the embodiment of farmers and ranchers being the original environmental stewards,” said Michelle F. Elmore, Alabama Beef Cattle Improvement Association executive secretary. “The Carters strive to expand their education, apply hard work and new innovations to leave a more sustainable farm to future generations and provide a safe, healthy food supply.”

Sustainability began as a lifestyle more than a practice seven generations ago in the mid-1820s when the farm was established. Management decisions are made with the future in mind, with a forage-based feeding program through rotational grazing a priority. Rotational grazing has been vital to improving the overall health of the farm ecosystem, soil health, forage base, watershed, livestock and wildlife. Through conservation incentives offered under the Watershed Project and Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the Carters installed 2,000 feet of water lines to two new water troughs, protected 1,250 square feet of heavy use areas and built 1,300 feet of fence to exclude cattle from Pintlala Creek. These efforts help the Carters utilize the land in the most effective way for their cow herd while protecting natural resources. In addition, being good stewards doesn’t stop at the farm gate, as both Will and Monnie Carter are veterinarians who care for other animals in their community.

“We are in the cattle business, but we are in the grass business first,” said Dr. Will Carter of Carter Cattle Company. “Our job is to manage the grass and allocate it to the cattle that then take the resource and produce something of greater value.”

ESAP is generously sponsored by companies and federal agencies who share the cattle industry’s commitment to caring for the environment and protecting natural resources. Sponsors including U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, Corteva Agriscience, McDonald’s, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service partner with NCBA to promote environmental stewardship throughout the beef supply chain. 

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