The Lazy KT Ranch of Freedom has been selected as the recipient of the 2021 Oklahoma Leopold Conservation Award. Given in honor of renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, the prestigious award recognizes farmers, ranchers and forestland owners who inspire others with their dedication to land, water and wildlife habitat resources in their care.
Dr. Katie Blunk and her family own and operate Lazy KT Ranch. In 2012, after retiring from her veterinary medicine career in Nevada, Katie came home to her ranching roots with her husband Michael Horntvedt. She embarked on her life’s next journey, an immersion into conservation and cattle ranching. A decade later, the Lazy KT Ranch is thriving from an ecological and business perspective.
For Katie and Michael, good land stewardship practices go hand in hand with good stockmanship practices. Whether selling quality Black Angus cattle as seed stock to other ranchers, or selling beef directly to consumers under their “Jackass Ridge Beef” label, they provide their customers with assurances that their cattle have been raised in a low stress environment.
Katie says the best and most economical conservation tool for their ranch is the strategic application of prescribed fire and grazing. This combination has restored the prairie ecosystem while producing quality forage for cattle, and wildlife habitat. She credits the Cimarron Range Preservation Association with encouraging this approach. Katie serves as president of the association which brings neighbors together with neighbors to help with beneficial prescribed fires.
The Oklahoma award is presented annually by Sand County Foundation, American Farmland Trust, Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association, Noble Research Institute, Oklahoma Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture, ITC Great Plains, Oklahoma Conservation Commission, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Read the full press release and learn more about Lazy KT Ranch.