Trumler Ranch in Nebraska: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Trumler Ranch of Rockville, Nebraska, won the 2023 Nebraska Leopold Conservation Award for combining rotationally grazed beef cattle, crops and wildlife habitat on 930 acres across Buffalo, Howard, Hall and Sherman counties. It is smaller than the Sandhills giants, and its case rests on conservation leadership and diversity of practice.
| Location | Rockville, Nebraska; land in Buffalo, Howard, Hall and Sherman counties |
|---|---|
| Founded | Family moved to Nebraska in 1950; Chris Trumler's father bought an overgrazed Sandhills parcel in the 1970s |
| Sectors | Beef cattle; hay; crops; wildlife habitat |
| Scale | 930 acres of native grassland, wetlands and cropland (Sand County Foundation) |
| Why it is elite | 2023 Nebraska Leopold Conservation Award with $10,000 prize |
| Ownership | Chris and Jenifer Trumler and their sons, with multi-generation roots |
| Official website | Sand County Foundation page on Trumler Ranch (award announcement, not an operation website) |
History of Trumler Ranch
According to Sand County Foundation, the Trumler family moved to Nebraska in 1950. In the 1970s Chris Trumler's father bought an overgrazed parcel in the Sandhills, which the family has since worked to restore. Chris and Jenifer Trumler now raise cattle with their sons.
The ranch was announced as the 2023 Nebraska Leopold Conservation Award recipient on April 19, 2023. The award is presented with American Farmland Trust, AFAN, Cargill and the Nebraska Environmental Trust, and carries $10,000 and a crystal.
What Trumler Ranch Grows and Raises
The Trumlers rotationally graze beef cattle and time their calving for summer to match the cows' nutritional needs. Part of the ranch is rested until July so vegetation can mature and support nesting and fawning. Cattle are fenced away from waterways to reduce streambank erosion, and the family has trialed hinge-cutting trees along streambanks to create fish and invertebrate habitat.
Water comes from solar wells and windmills feeding pipelines to tanks that have wildlife escape ramps. Hay harvesting is timed around nesting seasons, with a flush bar on the mower and an uncut field edge as an escape route. On cropland they use rotation, no-till, cover crops and regular soil sampling, with pivot and sub-surface drip irrigation and pollinator plantings in pivot corners. Planted shelterbelts extend more than a mile.
How Trumler Ranch Makes Money
Beef cattle
Beef is the central enterprise. Matching calving to summer grass lowers the feed the family has to purchase and fits the nutrient peaks of the pasture.
Hay and crops
The ranch cuts hay and grows crops under rotation and no-till. Soil sampling and cover crops aim to hold input costs down while protecting yield.
Irrigation efficiency
Sub-surface drip and pivot irrigation conserve water on cropland. The sources do not state savings, but efficient water use directly affects pumping cost.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Trumler Ranch
The first lesson is to match livestock cycles to the forage. Summer calving and deferred grazing are management choices that reduce purchased inputs and protect habitat at once.
The second lesson is that small operations can lead. At 930 acres the ranch is modest by Nebraska standards, yet the combination of grazing, crop, water and wildlife practices won state recognition. Hay timing and mower modifications are low-cost practices that other operators can copy.
A mower with a flush bar to help the birds get out of the way is exactly the kind of detail farm.FM appreciates, because every ranch has a story about the tractor that did not stop for anything. For farm satire fans, a good dose of farm humor about waiting until July to graze, along with ranch humor and farm jokes about solar wells that outlast the windmill, is the Trumler way to end a long day.
farm.FM calls itself the nation's first satirical farm site, and between the headlines it spins Tractor Tunes, country music for farmers; a good place to start reading is this farm.FM columnist's archive.
How to Contact Trumler Ranch
No separate operation website was found in this research, so the link is the best verified public page about the operation (November 2026). Confirm details with the family or the award sponsors before traveling.
Trumler Ranch Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Sand County Foundation award announcement - 2023 Nebraska Leopold Conservation Award details
- Drovers on Trumler Ranch - trade coverage of the award
- Alliance for the Future of Agriculture in Nebraska - AFAN, a presenting partner of the Leopold award, listed by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture
- USDA NRCS in Nebraska - federal conservation program contact listed by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture
- USDA Census of Agriculture - national and state farm statistics from NASS
Trumler Ranch FAQ
Where is Trumler Ranch?
It is based in Rockville, Nebraska, with land in Buffalo, Howard, Hall and Sherman counties.
How big is Trumler Ranch?
Sand County Foundation reports 930 acres of native grasslands, wetlands and cropland.
What award did Trumler Ranch win?
The 2023 Nebraska Leopold Conservation Award.
What practices stand out?
Deferred grazing, summer calving, wildlife-friendly water and hay harvest, cover crops and drip irrigation.
Trumler Ranch shows that careful management can make a modest acreage a conservation leader. Read the Nebraska farms guide for the wider picture of grazing and programs across the state.