36 Nebraskaland • October 2021
Fish and Wildlife Service and Game and Parks funded the
growing of the seedlings.
"We appreciate the help of our conservation partners," said
Kruse. "Our ranches must fend for themselves fi nancially,
and partnerships help us implement our conservation eff orts
faster, at a larger scale and with a greater chance of success."
In 2017, the modifi ed Hunt Pasture was grazed for the fi rst
time. A herd of several hundred bison was kept in the pasture
until little grass remained, at which time they were moved to
other pastures. When grass returned, the bison were moved
back. When forage was especially sparse, usually in winter,
the bison were supplemented with hay and mineral that was
Greenhouse-grown blowout penstemon seedlings stand
ready for planting in the Hunt Pasture. GERRY STEINAUER, NEBRASKALAND
Turner Enterprises'
Nebraska Ranches
Turner Enterprises, Inc., established by
entrepreneur and conservationist Ted Turner,
owns five Nebraska Sandhills ranches totaling
445,000 acres, on which they run 9,000 bison.
Its ranches are managed primarily for Plains
bison conservation and production, but also
for hunting, fishing and conservation of
imperiled species and plant communities. "We
sometimes will compromise bison production for
conservation, but overall our management is a
balancing act," said Carter Kruse.
Recently, the corporation formed the Turner
Institute of Ecoagriculture, Inc., a public charity
and agricultural research organization whose
mission is to research, develop, practice
and disseminate sustainable strategies and
techniques for conserving ecosystems, agriculture
and rural communities. This past June, the
80,000-acre McGinley Ranch, which straddles the
Nebraska/South Dakota border, was the first
of the Nebraska ranches to be donated to the
Institute. Entry into the Institute ensures the
long-term conservation of these biodiversity-rich
grazing lands.
Although the Institute qualifies for tax
exemptions, all taxes will continue to be paid and
the lands will remain working ranches. "We'll keep
striving to be good neighbors and good stewards
of the unique Sandhills landscape," Kruse said.
