WINE GLASS RANCH HONORED WITH PRESTIGIOUS NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP AWARD
During CattleCon 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee, Wine Glass Ranch in Imperial, Nebraska, was announced as the 2025 Environmental Stewardship Award Program( ESAP) National winner. The award was presented to the Pribbeno family for their outstanding conservation achievements and exemplary practices.
“ 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.”
Jeff and Connie Pribbeno and their son and daughter-inlaw 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.
“ You don’ t build something like this without a lot of thinking and dreaming and sharing it together,” reflected Pribbeno.“ Achieving these goals together; there’ s nothing better.”
The Pribbenos prioritize continual education, learning from peers and experts across the beef industry to adapt their grazing strategies, herd genetics, water management and other business decisions. They are unafraid to make necessary changes that will ensure their profitability and the longevity of their land.
ESAP identifies outstanding land stewards in the cattle industry. The regional award winners were recognized in 2025 at the Cattle Industry Summer Business Meeting.
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. For more information, visit www. environmentalstewardship. org.
2025 REGIONAL WINNERS:
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 www. NCBA. org NATIONAL CATTLEMEN 7