At Wine Glass Ranch, the Pribbenos’ philosophy is to seek profit per acre, homing in on the efficiency of the rangeland. This perspective drives their genetic decisions and their grazing management plan where they implement an intensive rotational grazing system with 90 paddocks and 200 miles of cross fencing. Wine Glass Ranch aims for a 50 % heifer breed-up rate because this allows them to find and keep the most fertile females that need minimal management. They expect their cattle to be hardy and adapt easily to the harsh environments they live in.

Logan’ s experience in the fast-paced, competitive environment of Silicon Valley prepared him to make prudent business decisions while also prioritizing the health of the land and livestock. He knows that without thriving natural resources like grass, water and wildlife, they won’ t have a productive herd to support their family. A big blessing for Logan and Brianna is the opportunity to raise their two daughters on the ranch and teach them the values of living off the land.

“ What I love most about this lifestyle is the strategic planning with my family, especially my father, to move the ship in the right direction, at the right time,” Logan said.“ I love aligning our incentives and looking at ways we can weave in caring for the grasslands into those incentives.”

Ellis considers G Bar C ranch to be a living laboratory and opens their gates to research projects and studies— documenting the positive impact they are making on the ecosystem. In this way, they share data and tell a story about the benefits of cattle ranching to communities, watersheds, forages, wildlife and the soil.

DIRECTIONS 2025

“ Ranching is a life-long apprenticeship. Your knowledge and skills come from the previous generation, those who’ ve had the responsibility to care for the landscape before you. It’ s not something you can learn in a four-year program. You’ re constantly teaching yourself and learning from your own experiences, too. It’ s quite beautiful,” Ellis said.

Their mission is to nurture the environment and improve their ranching practices by keeping an open mind, embracing new ideas and sharing their knowledge freely. This mission guides their actions— using no-till practices, implementing seasonal cover crops, and following a grazing management plan. They have increased carbon sequestration, aided pollinator success, and restored nutrients to the soil. These practices have an added benefit of filtering and purifying water running downstream into the Trinity River, a major water source for Texans.

From her days of papers and projects in college, Ellis continues to embrace documenting progress and striving for improvement. She does this not only for the land’ s benefit, but for her 10-year-old son, who has the chance to carry on the legacy Ellis and her father are landscaping. There’ s nothing more special for Ellis than to watch her son learn the same lessons her father taught her.

Logan, Bill and Meredith prove there is incalculable value returning to the farm or ranch after time away with new skills, perspectives and ideas to make the operation successful for future generations. They all echo each other, saying there is no more satisfying or noble pursuit than raising cattle and stewarding the gifts the land provides.

Bill Legg makes soil health a top priority, and his cattle flourish because of it.

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