Barby Ranch in Kansas: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Barby Ranch is a cow-calf ranch in Clark and Comanche counties, Kansas, owned by Bill and Debbie Barby and named the 2024 Kansas Leopold Conservation Award recipient. Sand County Foundation says rotational grazing raised the stocking rate by 40 percent while staying profitable, and that the ranch recovered after the 2017 Starbuck wildfire, the largest in Kansas history.
| Location | Clark and Comanche counties, Kansas, along the Cimarron River |
|---|---|
| Founded | Not published; the Barbys began dividing the ranch decades ago |
| Sectors | Cow-calf grazing; rangeland and riparian restoration |
| Scale | Total acreage not published; Sand County Foundation describes thousands of acres of grassland |
| Why it is elite | 2024 Kansas Leopold Conservation Award recipient |
| Ownership | Bill and Debbie Barby; the ranch is leased to a non-family tenant who runs daily operations |
| Official website | Sand County Foundation Leopold Conservation Award page for Barby Ranch |
History of Barby Ranch
Bill and Debbie Barby began subdividing the ranch decades ago, moving it from two pastures to nine and then to 26 paddocks with help from conservation program funding for cross fencing and water.
The entire ranch burned in the 2017 Starbuck wildfire. Sand County Foundation says the deep-rooted grasses of the grazing system helped it recover. The Barbys received the 2024 award at the Kansas Association of Conservation Districts annual convention, with a $10,000 prize.
What Barby Ranch Grows and Raises
The cow-calf herd moves through the paddocks as one group, with a schedule that allows grass to rest and recover between grazings. Prescribed burns and mechanical removal control invasive tamarisk and eastern red cedar along the Cimarron River, and sand sagebrush is managed with fire instead of herbicides.
Solar power runs water wells, gravity-flow pipelines feed tanks, and cameras send photos of gates and tank levels to phones. The restored habitat supports lesser prairie-chicken, whooping crane and Arkansas River shiner, per Sand County Foundation.
How Barby Ranch Makes Money
Cow-calf production
Calves are the ranch's output. Sand County Foundation says the grazing system lifted the stocking rate by 40 percent while remaining profitable.
Tenant lease
Bill leases the ranch to a non-family tenant, now in its third year, who runs daily operations while Bill oversees land management. A tenant owns a percentage of the cattle.
Cost-share conservation
Conservation program funding helped pay for cross fencing and water developments, which made the paddock system possible.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Barby Ranch
Subdivide in steps. Going from two pastures to nine to 26 paddocks spread the cost over years and let the grazing plan improve as it grew.
Leasing can keep good management in place. Bill's tenant arrangement shows how an owner can focus on land management while another operator handles daily work.
A ranch that photographs its own water tanks by camera has solved the oldest question in Kansas, which is whether the trough is empty, and farm.FM salutes that. Our farm satire and farm humor team takes a gentle view of ranch humor. We also promise farm jokes about wildfire will never be aimed at anyone's pasture.
farm.FM, the nation's first satirical farm site, also runs Tractor Tunes, a country music lineup for farmers. For a sample of the writing, try the archive of one of its staff humorists.
How to Contact Barby Ranch
Website: https://sandcountyfoundation.org/our-work/leopold-conservation-award-program/barby-ranch
No official ranch website appeared in my research, so this is the Sand County Foundation award page. The ranch is not described as open to visitors. Information as of November 2026.
Barby Ranch Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Sand County Foundation award page - Official Leopold award profile
- High Plains Journal coverage - Independent award report
- KLA award release - Kansas Livestock Association announcement
- USDA NASS Census of Agriculture - Official data on Kansas farms, cattle and land
- USDA Farmers.gov - Conservation and loan programs
Barby Ranch FAQ
Where is Barby Ranch?
In Clark and Comanche counties, Kansas, along the Cimarron River.
What award did Barby Ranch win?
The 2024 Kansas Leopold Conservation Award.
How does Barby Ranch graze cattle?
It uses rotational grazing across 26 paddocks, with rest periods for the grass.
Who runs it day to day?
A non-family tenant, while Bill Barby oversees land management.
Barby Ranch is one example of what elite grazing operations look like in Kansas. For more profiled operations, climate and market guidance, and programs available to producers in the state, read the Kansas farms guide on this site.