Nebraska Ranch Receives Regional Environmental Stewardship Award

SAN DIEGO (July 8, 2025) – Wine Glass Ranch in Imperial, Nebraska, was recognized today by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) as a 2025 Regional winner of the Environmental Stewardship Award Program (ESAP). Regional awards were presented during the cattle industry’s Summer Business Meeting in San Diego, and the National winner will be announced during CattleCon 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee, in February.

“It is an honor to recognize these cattle producers for their commitment to conservation,” said NCBA President Buck Wehrbein. “Not only are they protecting natural resources for future generations, but they also serve as stewardship role models for producers across the country.”

Established in 1991, ESAP celebrates outstanding land stewards in the cattle industry. Regional ESAP winners come from every corner of the country and undertake stewardship efforts unique to their environment, landscape and resources. The 2025 Environmental Stewardship Award Program Regional winners are:

• Region I: Whispering Hills Farm, Lawrenceburg, Kentucky
  
• Region II: M&D Overstreet Ranch, Kathleen, Florida
  
• Region III: Smith Family Farms, Bankston, Iowa
  
• Region IV: McFaddin Ranch, Victoria, Texas
  
• Region V: G&G Livestock and Cathey Cattle Company, Polson, Montana
  
• Region VII: Wine Glass Ranch, Imperial, Nebraska
  

“Wine Glass Ranch believes we cannot carry out our tradition of producing world-class beef without approaching sustainability with an open mind,” said Steve Hanson, owner of Hanson Family Farms & Sillassen Ranch. “The Pribbeno’s successful rotational grazing and no-till-eco-fallow practices prove our industry can uphold traditions while paving the way to an even stronger and more resilient future.” 

Jeff and Connie Pribbeno and their son and daughter-in-law Logan and Brianna Pribbeno own and operate Wine Glass Ranch, located in western Nebraska near the Colorado border. The Pribbenos believe long-term care for their operation's ecology translates to profitability, which is why they have married together the values of ranching for profit and environmental stewardship to make a living. The cow-calf, stocker and grain operation thrives despite the arid climate and fragile sandy soil. The family installed more than 200 miles of cross fence, creating 90 paddocks for their rotational grazing system. At any given point, 95% of the ranch is resting, and this practice has increased plant diversity and the return of native grasses such as Sand Bluestem and Indian grass, a species difficult to grow in sandy soil. With a focus on soil health, the Pribbenos work closely with several state and federal agencies on conservation projects and those partnerships have helped them with their stewardship efforts. 

“This ranch has been in my family for 140 years, and we are the stewards of the ground,” said Logan Pribbeno with Wine Glass Ranch. “We are grazing the best and leaving the rest for the benefit of our soil health.”

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, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service partner with NCBA to promote environmental stewardship throughout the beef supply chain. 

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