Wacey Kirkpatrick spent his childhood on a ranch near Hayes, South Dakota where his passion for livestock and love of the land took root early and has now intertwined into a ranch that supports livestock and wildlife while improving the overall health of the land and the ecosystems it supports. Seeking to strengthen forage quality and overall land productivity, Wacey began working with the Natural Resources Conservation Service through the Conservation Stewardship Program, as well as collaborating with the South Dakota Grassland Coalition and other ranchers experienced in soil health and conservation-minded management.

In 2020, he and his wife Jamie, along with their children, began leasing grazing land from an out-of-state landowner who primarily used the property for hunting. As they worked with others who also leased portions of the land, they identified opportunities to improve infrastructure, land health, and overall productivity. Concerned about the long-term viability of sustaining economic production and ecosystem health, Wacey shared his observations with the landowner, who agreed with the need for better management.

After outlining a plan to address the effects of past mismanagement and restore the land’s viability, Wacey was presented with a once in a lifetime opportunity.  Completed at the end of 2021, the previous landowner agreed to sell the land, and the Kirkpatrick family achieved a lifetime goal of purchasing their own ranch.

Working first with the World Wildlife Fund, the Kirkpatrick family installed fences around expired Conservation Reserve Program land, farm ground, and constructed waterlines and water tanks to allow them to better utilize the ranch for grazing. Once fences were established, although food plots existed on the property at the time of purchase, they proactively managed existing food plot areas to aid the return of wildlife by planting multi species mixes, aiming to keep a living root in the soil as much of the year as possible to provide forage and habitat. Improving the overall health of the ecosystem for wildlife, they are now seeing increased numbers of pheasants, Hungarian partridges, and have even seen transient elk and a river otter on the property since taking over.

Over the past six years, the ranch has experienced significant improvements to the mineral and water cycles resulting in increased vegetation production which has allowed them to improve their grazing efficiencies, bringing even more acres of grassland into healthier condition.  

The Kirkpatrick family’s progress demonstrates the impact of partnering with available programs and adopting practices that support long term land health. If you are interested in exploring similar opportunities, reach out to your local service center to learn what conservation techniques, planning, or programs may fit your operation.

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