Flying W Ranch in Kansas: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Flying W Ranch is a bison and beef cattle ranch on about 7,000 acres of protected tallgrass prairie near Cedar Point in the Kansas Flint Hills. Josh and Gwen Hoy received the 2020 Kansas Leopold Conservation Award from Sand County Foundation, which recognized the conservation easements on all land they own or manage and the return of 4,000 acres to native prairie or managed pasture.
| Location | Cedar Point, Chase County, Kansas, in the Flint Hills |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1996, by Josh Hoy and his cousin Warren Kruse |
| Sectors | Bison and beef cattle; grass-fed beef; guest ranching before 2020 |
| Scale | About 7,000 acres, per Sand County Foundation and Drovers |
| Why it is elite | 2020 Kansas Leopold Conservation Award; conservation easements on all land owned or managed |
| Ownership | Hoy family; Josh Hoy is a fifth-generation rancher and his daughter Josie represents the next generation |
| Official website | Sand County Foundation Leopold Conservation Award page for Flying W Ranch |
History of Flying W Ranch
Josh Hoy founded the ranch in 1996 with his cousin Warren Kruse. Warren and his mother died in a 2004 plane crash, and Josh and Gwen carried on. Farm Credit describes Josh as a fifth-generation rancher in the Flint Hills.
The ranch received its Leopold award in 2020. A late-year wildfire destroyed the family's home and business records, and Sand County Foundation reported they planned to rebuild using conservation principles.
What Flying W Ranch Grows and Raises
Sand County Foundation says the Hoys removed miles of internal fencing and use an instinctive migratory grazing method to restore grass and forbs and protect riparian areas. Woody and invasive plants are managed with patch burning and mechanical removal rather than herbicides.
The family works with neighbors in the Coyne Creek watershed to return 4,000 contiguous acres of former farmland to native prairie or managed pasture, and works with The Nature Conservancy and the Ranchland Trust of Kansas. Farm Credit notes most ranch work is done on horseback.
How Flying W Ranch Makes Money
Grass-fed beef
The Hoys market sustainably raised grass-fed beef, and the beef may carry an Audubon Bird Friendly Ranch label, according to the 2020 award coverage.
Guest ranching
Before COVID-19 the ranch ran a guest ranching business with a chuck wagon. Sand County Foundation says that income helped reduce debt, buy land and fund public education and conservation. The ranch planned to focus on beef marketing after the pause.
Conservation partnerships
Easements and conservation-program partners such as Ranchland Trust of Kansas and The Nature Conservancy are part of how the ranch protects its land base.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Flying W Ranch
Let conservation be the brand. Third-party recognition and bird-friendly labeling give the beef a story customers can verify.
Use diversified income to buy land. The Hoys describe visitor income going to debt reduction and land purchases, a model for ranches that can host guests safely.
Moving cattle between pastures 24 miles apart on horseback is a commute that makes every Monday traffic jam look soft, and farm.FM salutes it. Our farm satire and farm humor crew keeps the ranch humor kind, and the farm jokes about bison who never read the grazing plan stay fond.
For context, farm.FM is the nation's first satirical farm site and the home of Tractor Tunes, country music for farmers. Its contributors each keep an archive, and this one is a good sampler of ranch humor and farm jokes.
How to Contact Flying W Ranch
Website: https://sandcountyfoundation.org/our-work/leopold-conservation-award-program/flying-w-ranch
No official ranch website appeared in my research, so this is the Sand County Foundation award page. Confirm any beef sales or visits with the ranch. Information as of November 2026.
Flying W Ranch Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Sand County Foundation award page - Official Leopold award profile
- Farm Credit story - Farm Credit profile of the Hoy family
- Drovers award coverage - Independent report on the 2020 award
- USDA NASS Census of Agriculture - Official data on Kansas farms, cattle and land
- Kansas Livestock Association - State cattle producer association
Flying W Ranch FAQ
Where is Flying W Ranch?
Near Cedar Point in the Kansas Flint Hills.
What award did Flying W Ranch win?
The 2020 Kansas Leopold Conservation Award.
How big is Flying W Ranch?
About 7,000 acres, with conservation easements on all land owned or managed.
What does it sell?
Grass-fed beef, and before 2020 guest ranching experiences.
Flying W Ranch is one example of what elite Flint Hills 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.