Bold Ranch, owned and operated by Bob and Annette Bold of Winifred, Mont. was recognized as a 2012 regional Environmental Stewardship Award Program (ESAP) winner during the 2012 Cattle Industry Summer Conference in Denver, Colorado.
Bold Ranch is the Region V ESAP award winner and will compete with six other regional winners for the national award, which will be announced during the 2012 Cattle Industry Annual Convention and Trade Show in Tampa, Florida.
The Environmental Stewardship Award Program is sponsored by Dow AgroSciences, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS); U.S. Fish and Wildlife; the National Cattlemen’s Foundation; and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. This annual award recognizes the outstanding stewardship practices and conservation achievements of cattle ranchers across the nation.
Nominated by the Montana Stockgrowers Association (MSGA) after winning the 2012 Montana Environmental Stewardship Award, Robert and Annette Bold have engineered significant environmental improvement and productivity gains on their ranch since 1979. Their diversified operation includes cattle grazing on native rangeland, no-till crop production, and a cattle feeding operation. The Bolds’ commitment to environmental stewardship and enhancing the natural resources on their land includes a soil reclamation project, implementing no-till farming practices to decrease erosion, improving water resources to distribute livestock more evenly, and protecting streams on their land.
In order to improve the environmental quality of their operation, the Bolds have worked closely with Central Montana Extension Service, Bureau of Land Management, and other organizations. Through collaborating with these organizations, the Bolds have implemented conservation and stewardship measures such as converting saline seep lands into productive winter and fall grazing lands, developing a significant resident elk herd on their property, and enhancing riparian areas and watersheds for long-term sustainability.
“The work of the Bold family demonstrates the positive impact that environmental consciousness can play in the sustainability of a ranching operation, as well as the health and well-being of the landscape, wildlife populations, and local communities,” said Ariel Overstreet, MSGA’s director of communications.
