Wagon Wheel Ranch of Yuma has been selected as the recipient of the 2025 Colorado Leopold Conservation Award.

The award honors ranchers, farmers and forestland owners who go above and beyond in their management of soil health, water quality and wildlife habitat on working land.

The Kenny and Jody Rogers family are cattle ranchers and owners of Wagon Wheel Ranch in Yuma and Washington counties. They will be presented with the award in June at the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association’s Annual Convention. They receive $10,000 for being selected.

Sand County Foundation and national sponsor American Farmland Trust will present Leopold Conservation Awards to landowners in 28 states this year. In Colorado the award is presented annually with Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, American AgCredit, CoBank, Farm Credit of Southern Colorado, and Premier Farm Credit.

Given in honor of renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, the award recognizes farmers, ranchers, and forestland owners who inspire others with their dedication to environmental improvement. In his influential 1949 book, A Sand County Almanac, Leopold advocated for “a land ethic,” an ethical relationship between people and the land they own and manage.

Colorado landowners were encouraged to apply, or be nominated, for the award last year. Applications were reviewed by an independent panel of Colorado agriculture and conservation leaders. Among the many outstanding landowners nominated for the award were finalist Camblin Livestock of Maybell in Moffat County.

About Wagon Wheel Ranch

The Rogers family is the hub of the aptly named Wagon Wheel Ranch.

Kenny Rogers humbly acknowledges being the latest spoke in a long line of ranchers who have worked in concert with the landscape.

He likens the grit of his ancestors to early homesteaders who weathered storms, both literal and figurative, and were determined to remain on the land caring for cattle.

“Their stamp on the operation cannot be overlooked,” Kenny said. “Enough credit may never be given to those early generations.”

“It required years of trial and error, expansion when possible, and careful nurturing what assets, land, and animals we had, to arrive where we are today,” he added.

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When it was Kenny and his wife Jody’s turn to take over Wagon Wheel Ranch’s day-to-day operations from his parents, Francis and Mary Rogers, they were spread thin between raising crops and cattle. Considering the labor needs and soaring costs of inputs and equipment to grow irrigated crops, they opted to focus on raising purebred Angus cattle. Leasing their farmland allowed them to better manage their cattle and grassland.

Today, multiple herds are rotationally grazed on 1,959 acres cross-fenced into 10 paddocks (ranging in size from 150 acres to 260 acres), with a corral and water tank at the center. Cattle walk less than a mile to get water from any location.

The Rogers family has long utilized a “take half, leave half” approach to grazing the fragile soils prevalent on their ranch. In 2023, they received assistance from the Natural Resources Conservation Service to improve their grazing plan. The plan’s rotational grazing system allows for proper distribution of cattle and ample rest time to aid the health and vigor of grasses. An adaptive drought contingency plan considers plant height, and local rainfall and moisture levels, when making grazing management decisions.

Wagon Wheel Ranch’s stocking rates have always been under the industry standard to maintain high quality forages. The significant amounts of grass left over after cattle have grazed a paddock is attributed to an increase in deer, pronghorn, and grassland and upland birds found on the ranch.

Kenny and Jody ranch with their son Jace, daughter Hollie, son-in-law Jerrod Massey, and grandsons Mason and Carter.

The Rogers family enrolled highly erodible former crop fields and grasslands into the federal Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). The seed package they chose when planting grasses for CRP contained native plants that benefit wildlife. Although the CRP payment is less than potential income from crops, they say the net positive in terms of conservation is immeasurable.
To conserve water in the Ogallala aquifer, the Rogers family upgraded the nozzles on the center irrigation pivot they use to grow livestock forage. It led to a 15 percent reduction in their water usage.

The positive impacts of the Wagon Wheel Ranch stretch beyond the landscape and community of Yuma County. Kenny was a founding board member of the North American Weed Management Association, and past president of its Colorado affiliate.
Kenny’s peers credit him with being a stalwart leader for the agriculture industry and having a knack for gently guiding young ranchers toward finding and incorporating their own best conservation practices.