Located in the heart of the Kansas Flint Hills, Downey Ranch is committed to stewardship with the mindset of always trying to do better. Owners Barb Downey and Joe Carpenter have incorporated numerous grazing management techniques to enhance rangeland health, minimize the need for harvested forages and meet the nutritional needs of their cattle with little supplemental feed.
For their efforts Downey and Carpenter were recognized as the 2024 Environmental Stewardship Award Program national winners during the recent CattleCon in San Antonio.
The couple is willing to try new, unconventional practices in a safe-to-fail manner.
“Don’t be afraid to try new things,” Downey explains. “Don’t be afraid to look stupid. Don’t be afraid to be unconventional.”
Working with the couple day-to-day on the ranch are key team members Luke Thomas and John Steinfort.
“We absolutely could not do this without the input and efforts from our entire team,” Downey adds.
Love for the Land
In addition to rotational grazing, they have a winter bale grazing program. The couple uses prescribed burning to enhance the mix of grass species in their pastures as well as control woody encroachment.
“If our grasslands, our cattle and our ranch are thriving, then our family thrives and that is the foundation for everything we have built,” Downey says. “The land is sometimes hard for a rancher to talk about because it is part of you, it’s who you are, your soul. We’ve given our lives to it so our kids can continue on.”
In the Beginning
Downey Ranch was started in 1986 by Downey and her dad, Joe. In 1995, Carpenter joined Downey, and they manage the ranch full-time. Three years ago, the couple bought out Downey’s siblings.
Today, the 550-head cow herd is comprised of registered and commercial Angus cows. The ranch is in transition, gradually displacing commercial cows with registered Angus females.
Although they are transitioning to be 100% seedstock, they maintain a commercial mentality, emphasizing hardiness, moderate size and reproductive efficiency.
“We are and will always have the heart of commercial operators,” she says. “Our registered cows are managed like commercials. We want cows that can forage and don’t need a lot of inputs.”
Their goal is to sell 250 bulls per year via a private treaty sale an auction format. Downey explains the two sale formats provide flexibility for buyers to purchase bulls in the way that works best for them.
Collecting and using performance data is an ongoing priority to drive genetic improvement of their herd.
The Next Generation
The couple has two daughters, Anna, a firefighter; and Laura, a vet student at Kansas State University who plans to return to the ranch and practice after finishing school.
When considering buying the ranch, Carpenter says it was a family decision discussing the future and generational transition.
The family is not afraid to experiment, viewing setbacks as opportunities to improve rather than reasons to avoid innovation.
“We focus on improving what we already have,” Carpenter says. “It’s easier to maintain a healthy native prairie than try to restore a degraded one. Manage what you have well.”
Through cutting-edge technology, grazing management and a willingness to adapt, the family is positioning their ranch for long-term economic and environmental sustainability.
