2014 TSSRM President John Walker, Outstanding Rangeland Stewardship Award Recipient Joe Leathers with 6666 Ranch and Michael Willson

Texas Section Society for Rangeland Management UOutstanding Rangeland Stewardship Award

Joe Leathers (6666 Ranch)

The Four Sixes Ranch

The Four Sixes (6666) is one of the most storied ranches in the history of the Lone Star State, and one of the

most successful remaining examples of the 1880’s big ranching endeavors. The accounts of Captain Samuel

“Burk” Burnett’s establishment in the rolling plains of Texas are fascinating, but perhaps more impressive is

how this organization maintains a high level of stewardship and continues to meet the demand for quality

beef on such a large scale.

Approximately 143,300 acres in the heart of the

Rolling Plains, the 6666 headquarters is located in

King County, Texas, near the town of Guthrie.

The ranch is owned and operated by Anne

Burnett Windfohr Marion, current president of

Burnett Ranches, LLC and great-granddaughter of

Captain Burnett. With the support of Mrs.

Marion, 6666 Ranch Manager Joe Leathers has

implemented practices that not only reflect good

stewardship but also increase profitability. Brush

management, livestock water development, and

prescribed burning are all tools that are being

used in combination with proper grazing

management, maintaining a strong forage base

through the most extreme conditions. “Anne’s

passion for this land is the driving force behind

the entire operation,” adds Leathers. “Without

her involvement and support, none of this would

be possible.”

King County, Texas and the 6666 Ranch

The ranch’s resident veterinarian and Horse

Division Manager, Dr. Glenn Blodgett, now

directs the breeding program. Modern

technology allows for semen to be cooled,

frozen, and shipped almost anywhere in the

world. 14 pastures make up approximately

5,000 acres of annual grain crops, improved

grasses, and native rangeland, which are

managed primarily for horse production.

Livestock

The 6666 breeding programs and renowned genetics have set them apart in the equine and cattle industries.

Producing superior Quarter Horses for ranch work and racing, the Sixes stock consistently rank among the

best in the breed.

6666 horses grazing on wheat pasture

When fully stocked, the ranch maintains a breeding herd of about 4,500 Black Baldy and Angus mother

cows. These cattle are split among multiple herds that graze the same management unit throughout the

year. Conservative stocking rates help to ensure that the pastures are not overgrazed and give the manager

more options when Mother Nature throws a curveball. With 51

pastures encompassing over 138,000 acres of rangeland,

management units vary in size from a few hundred to nearly

16,000 acres. The continuous grazing system reduces costs

associated with labor, and livestock are rotated in and out of

various herds depending on age, quality, and production. Fall

calves are weaned and shipped to the Dixon Creek ranch in

Carson County to graze on the strong short-grass prairie of the

Texas Panhandle and add weight before going to the feedlot.

However, market demands over the past several months have

the management re-considering some strategies. For instance,

they are planning to ship calves to market after weaning, rather

than risking a negative market adjustment with thousands of

pounds of beef on hand. They are also studying the transition

from a fall to spring calving program, evaluating the impacts this

would have on the land. “This would coincide with the growing

season and better meet the nutrient demands of the lactating

cow,” says Reggie Hatfield, 6666 Wagon Boss. “There are bene-

fits to both spring and fall calving, but we feel like Mother Nature

could really play a bigger role in getting those cows ready to

breed back.”

6666 Black Angus cattle on Loamy Prairie

sites

Extreme drought conditions over the past four years have also caused the 6666 manager to take evasive

action, moving livestock around the country to maintain numbers and save the forage resources on the

Texas ranch. “When we felt like the drought would persist at home, we began looking for places that were

not experiencing the same conditions where we could re-locate the herd,” comments Leathers. “We

completely de-stocked in Guthrie and shipped cattle to Nevada, Montana, South Dakota, and Nebraska. It

was a risky decision, but high cattle prices and the acquisition of long-term leases in these other states now

gives us an opportunity to expand the herd. We have started bringing in some replacement heifers, and

once the land has had a chance to fully recover we will restock the ranch in Texas.”

Challenges of the Rolling Plains Region

Livestock production in the Rolling Plains region of Texas presents a number of challenges on any scale, but

with a grazing system that includes over 143,000 contiguous acres and such a wide range of ecological sites,

these obstacles are multiplied.

In the mid-1990s, the ranch management began a mechanical

brush treatment program, manipulating the invading mesquite

and red-berry juniper that had drastically altered the landscape.

Over the last twenty years they have been able to reclaim tens of

thousands of acres of productive prairie by dedicating full-time

equipment and operators to the task.

Clay Loam site that has undergone

mechanical brush treatment

This constant fight against invasive tree species is now entering round 2, as they recently started

mechanically treating these acres for a second time over. “We mainly grub the flatter, more productive

areas,” explained Hatfield, “The steep areas, hillsides, and draws are left alone. There isn’t much to gain by

removing those trees as far as return on investment, and we feel like those sites are better left undisturbed.

We leave a few scattered trees for shade and try to avoid removing many of the beneficial brush species.”

The wildlife are benefitting from this practice as

well. Lotebush, ephedra, and sumac are left “no

farther apart than you could toss a softball”, and

despite the extreme drought conditions of the past

four years, whitetail deer and quail are found

throughout the ranch in ample numbers. The

grassland habitat that has been created by this

brush management program demonstrates the use

of edge-effect. “We know that this will be an

on-going battle,” said Leathers, “We will never

eradicate the mesquite or juniper, but we can

continue to control their encroachment in order to

utilize the moisture that we do receive for forage

production.” Operators are careful to leave beneficial brush

species when treating invasive juniper and mesquite

The biggest problem faced by ranchers in this area, according to Leathers, is the availability of quality

livestock water. Good quality groundwater is hard to find, making it more difficult to distribute livestock

water and support the grazing system. To address this concern, the 6666 use a system of ponds to capture

and store surface water. Keeping these ponds functional requires maintenance, and involves planning

strategy. Below normal rainfall over the past four years caused many of the ponds to dry up, presenting

Leathers with the opportunity to shift focus from brush management and perform some much needed pond

upkeep. “The dry conditions were

really slowing the brush grubbing, so

the decision was made to remove

the grubbing attachments, replace

them with buckets, and start

cleaning out ponds. Since then we

have cleaned out over 100 ponds,

and now that we have received

some rain we can start grubbing

trees again.” Surface ponds, windmills, and solar pumps are all used to provide

livestock water

Although the 6666 property contains a wide variety of rangelands, managing forage on relatively un-

productive sites is a key aspect of their success. Ecological sites such as Very Shallow and Gyp are

represented in large measures across the ranch and average about 550 pounds of grass production per acre.

Other significantly represented sites are Loamy Prairie, Loamy Bottomland, Clay Loam, and Shallow, where

grass production values are consistently greater than 2000 pounds per acre. Leathers and his staff have a

keen awareness of the plant communities in relation to livestock performance, managing each pasture

differently according to the key vegetation and the capability of the site. Before hot and dry conditions

gripped the region in 2011, prescribed fire and patch burning were often used to increase forage yields and

utilization, especially on sites dominated by tobosagrass. Leathers plans to resume these practices once a

more “normal” weather pattern develops.

A variety of ecological sites make managing for

livestock production a challenge. Rough Breaks

(below) have significantly less forage than

Loamy Bottomland (right).

Conservation Partners and Outreach Activities

The sound management practices implemented on the 6666 lands not only support a viable grazing program, but they have created an avenue to share knowledge and resources. Strong working relationships have been developed with research organizations, and numerous tour groups have been welcomed onto the ranch to provide teaching opportunities and witness the results first-hand.

In 2010 the 6666 joined the Quail-Tech Alliance, a Texas Tech based research project dedicated to the educa-tion of biologists and landowners in bobwhite and scaled quail management. Dr. Brad Dabbert, Professor of Quail Ecology with Texas Tech University and Quail-Tech Founding Board Member, says that Quail-Tech would not be where they are today without the support of the ranch. “Mr. Leathers and the staff of the 6666 Ranch have gone to unprecedented efforts to protect their grassland habitat, having moved thousands of cattle off their range. Their property contains the best quail habitat that I have seen in Texas and last year we estimated their Southwest pasture contained over a quail per acre.” One result of this partnership is a supplemental feeding technique that in-volves spreading feed into roadside vegeta-tion. According to Dr. Dabbert, this technique has shown an increase in survival by as much as 40% over non-fed birds, as well as an increase in bobwhite reproductive output. Though the most high profile, the supplemental feeding study is only one of the projects that the 6666 Ranch is helping with. There are also studies concerning quail immune function, genetics, nutrition, and nest site selection underway. The increase in survival and reproductive output combined with the excellent habitat available on the 6666 Ranch

has led to a growing quail population sustained through the drought. “This growth is not an accident but the result of enormous effort and wise decisions,” adds Dabbert. “I hold their efforts up as the best example of how to manage grasslands and quail in the region.”

Quail-Tech study sites are found throughout the ranch

Bobwhite populations on the ranch have persisted

through the drought

The conservation practices implemented on the 6666

benefit many species of wildlife

Most recently, the 6666 hosted a Regional Sustainability Workshop jointly convened and planned by World

Wildlife Fund (WWF) and National Cattleman’s Beef Association (NCBA) as a contractor to the Beef Checkoff.

The goal of the workshop was to bring together a diverse supply chain audience and foster discussion related

to sustainability efforts and challenges. The 6666 manager spoke on a variety of topics, including the impacts

of drought, wildfire, and diversifying operations as a mitigation tool. The group was taken on a field tour of

the ranch where the effects of the drought were witnessed first-hand. The conservation measures taken by

Leathers and his management team were highlighted during the tour as well. While touring the ranch,

Leathers discussed resting pastures, brush management, livestock genetics, and grazing management.

Aside from setting great examples in land stewardship, the 6666 and its staff play a vital role locally. The

pride and work ethic practiced in the daily ranching activities can be found in every aspect of the small town

of Guthrie, Texas. Mrs. Marion, Mr. Leathers, and the entire management team are assets to the community,

conservation, and American agriculture, making them an excellent candidate for the Outstanding Rangeland

Stewardship Award.