Flying M Ranch in Utah: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Flying M Ranch in Hansel Valley, northern Utah, is the cattle operation of Tim and Laurie Munns and the 2024 Utah Leopold Conservation Award winner. The Munnses bought the ranch in the 1970s when it had a single water trough, and they have since added 30 miles of water pipeline and 40 troughs, restored rangeland and built a seed business around certified forage kochia. The result is a herd that grew as pasture improved and habitat for sharp-tailed grouse, mule deer, elk and pronghorn.
| Location | Hansel Valley, northern Utah; cattle winter near Promontory and summer in Caribou County, Idaho |
|---|---|
| Founded | Tim and Laurie Munns bought the ranch in the 1970s |
| Sectors | cattle; alfalfa; certified forage kochia seed; wildlife habitat |
| Scale | 30 miles of water pipeline and 40 troughs; 3,000 acres enrolled in Utah's Walk-in Access program; total acreage not published |
| Why it is elite | 2024 Utah Leopold Conservation Award |
| Ownership | Tim and Laurie Munns, with sons Sonny and Bud |
| Official website | Utah Business: Flying M Ranch Leopold Conservation Award release |
History of Flying M Ranch
Tim and Laurie Munns bought the ranch in the 1970s, when its water system consisted of one trough. Over the following decades they built a grazing plan, extended water across the property and invested in reseeding, and the herd grew as pasture condition improved.
Both have also led beyond the ranch gate. Laurie has led the Utah Cattlewomen's Association, and Tim serves on the National Grazing Lands Coalition board. Their sons Sonny and Bud are part of the operation. The ranch received the 2024 Utah Leopold Conservation Award, presented at the Utah Farm Bureau's annual meeting with a $10,000 prize.
What Flying M Ranch Grows and Raises
The cattle winter in the Promontory area and summer in Caribou County, Idaho. The ranch converted dry cropland to perennial vegetation to reduce erosion and build soil health, removed invasive brush and reseeded rangeland with NRCS, and built terraces, diversions and debris basins to control erosion. The water system, with 30 miles of pipeline and 40 troughs, serves thousands of acres.
On irrigated ground the ranch uses precision nozzle tips and irrigates alfalfa at night during off-peak power hours. It grows and sells certified forage kochia seed, which is used in fire-prevention green strips. Wildlife on the property includes sharp-tailed grouse, mourning dove, chukar, gray partridge, mule deer, elk and pronghorn, and 3,000 acres are enrolled in Utah's Walk-in Access program for public hunting.
How Flying M Ranch Makes Money
Cattle
Cattle are the core enterprise. The Munnses report that their herd grew after the grazing plan improved pasture conditions, which is the business case for infrastructure and range restoration.
Certified forage kochia seed
The ranch grows and sells certified forage kochia seed used in fire-prevention green strips, a niche that turns a drought- and fire-tolerant plant into a product sold beyond the home herd.
Off-peak irrigation and access programs
Irrigating alfalfa at night during off-peak power hours lowers pumping energy cost. Enrolling 3,000 acres in Walk-in Access connects the ranch with public hunting programs; the public sources do not publish any payment amounts.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Flying M Ranch
Water first, then grass, then cattle. Moving from one trough to 30 miles of pipeline and 40 troughs spread grazing pressure, improved pasture condition and allowed herd growth. Phased investment with NRCS support makes this feasible on a working budget.
Find a side enterprise that fits the land. Forage kochia seed is a specialty crop tied to rangeland restoration and fire management, and it grew naturally out of the ranch's own reseeding work. Look for the product your conservation practices already require.
A ranch that begins with a single water trough and ends up with forty has a certain epic quality, like a very slow and very successful plumbing montage. At farm.FM we write farm satire, farm humor, ranch humor and farm jokes, and we suspect that the Munns family would agree that a pipeline is the true hero of any Hansel Valley story, with the sharp-tailed grouse as supporting cast. We say it with respect and a sincere tip of the hat.
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 M Ranch
Website: https://www.utahbusiness.com/press-releases/2024/11/25/flying-m-ranch-leopold-conservation-award
No official ranch website was found, so this award release is the best verified public page about the operation. No address, phone or email is published there; confirm any contact route through the Utah Farm Bureau or Sand County Foundation.
Flying M Ranch Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Flying M Ranch award release - Press release on the 2024 Utah Leopold Conservation Award
- Sand County Foundation announcement - Foundation page for the 2024 Utah recipient
- Utah Department of Agriculture and Food - State agency with grazing and water programs
- USU Extension - Utah's land-grant extension service
- NRCS Utah - Conservation planning and cost-share
Flying M Ranch FAQ
What is Flying M Ranch known for?
It won the 2024 Utah Leopold Conservation Award for water, range, soil and wildlife work in Hansel Valley.
Who runs it?
Tim and Laurie Munns, with their sons Sonny and Bud.
What does the ranch sell besides cattle?
It grows and sells certified forage kochia seed used in fire-prevention green strips.
How can I contact the ranch?
No official site was found; start with the award release and the Utah Farm Bureau.
Flying M Ranch is a strong example of how water development and restoration can lift both herd numbers and habitat. Read more operations in our guide to Utah farms.