Reliable access to water is critical in the arid American West. It sustains nature and the communities who call it home. From above, streams and rivers of the region appear like ribbons of green, weaving through the dry landscapes. Waterways on working lands across the West play a vital role in agricultural productivity and the available water supply to surrounding communities.

Colter McCumber is a generational rancher and steward of his land in Hot Springs County, Wyoming. His roots run deep in the Big Horn Basin, where his father still tends to the original family homestead raising alfalfa hay. McCumber and his brother operate a well-drilling company by day, with his heart long set on a different dream—to own and operate a cattle ranch. When an opportunity arose to purchase a ranch, McCumber and his wife, Linda, seized it, undeterred by the property’s challenges. 

The ranch next to his father’s was far from turnkey—miles of dilapidated barbed wire, saggy fences in disrepair, ancient irrigation ditches crumbling, and overgrown fields scarcely resembled productive land. Yet, with grit and determination, Colter, Linda, and their three children rolled up their sleeves to restore the land, driven by a vision to produce high-quality beef to feed the nation.

A pivotal moment came when McCumber discovered programs offered by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the assistance they provided on his father’s property converting outdated field ditches to efficient gated pipe systems. Enthused by those improvements, McCumber visited the NRCS field office in Thermopolis, Wyoming, to explore opportunities for his own ranch. Daniel Burton, NRCS Rangeland Management Specialist, and Holden Hergert, District Conservationist, began working with the McCumber family in 2022. After a site visit, they determined McCumber’s operation qualified for cost-share assistance through the NRCS’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). 

Burton noted, “McCumber qualifies as a beginning farmer rancher, which makes him eligible for higher payment rates and advance funding,” a testament to USDA’s commitment to support the next generation of farmers and ranchers.

Over the next three years, McCumber and NRCS began a series of large-scale projects. Fences which posed barriers to wildlife were replaced with wildlife-friendly fencing as part of the Big Game and Migration Initiative launched in 2022. The fencing allowed him to secure his cattle while still allowing safe passage for the region’s iconic wildlife.

Improving and replacing fencing is imperative to cattle ranchers like McCumber. “I was getting calls my cattle had escaped to the local golf course, but [I] wanted to make sure to disrupt local wildlife as little as possible,” he said.

The second, and most ambitious project, overhauled the ranch’s irrigation system. Over 7,000 feet of inefficient dirt ditches were replaced with buried pipelines drastically eliminating hazards to livestock, reducing water loss from evaporation, and infiltration. Additionally, more than 6,000 feet of gated pipe were installed across five hay fields modernizing the ranch’s water management system. What was once a 15-year plan to install gated pipe was achieved in just three years with the added benefit of buried pipelines.

Inspecting the gated pipe just beside his home, McCumber beamed, “This time in June last year I would have barely finished one watering, but now, I’m already on my third, it’s been life changing.”  

The impact of these upgrades has been profound. Fields that once took three weeks to irrigate can now be watered two or three times in the same period with less effort thanks to the efficiency of the new system. By minimizing water loss McCumber can now deliver more water to his fields, boosting productivity and improving soil health for future generations.

Looking ahead, McCumber and NRCS are exploring further improvements including new livestock watering systems, cheatgrass management, and additional fencing. These efforts will expand his production of high-quality beef to meet the needs of consumers across the country. 

Burton, who has worked in the Hot Springs NRCS office for three years, appreciates McCumber’s hard work and ambition. “Wyoming ranchers like Colter are stewards of the land and pillars of our community,” he said.

Through voluntary NRCS programs like EQIP the McCumbers, and other ranchers across the West, are helping to address water resource concerns and strengthen our nation’s food supply. Reach out to your local service center today to see how Wyoming NRCS can help you.