Justin Roemer manages the Smoky Valley Ranch in western Kansas for the Nature Conservancy. (Photo by Erin Socha for Kansas Reflector)
The Nature Conservancy raises both cattle and bison at Smoky Valley Ranch in western Kansas. TNC transfers some surplus bison to tribal nations for restoration and stewardship. (Photo by Erin Socha for Kansas Reflector)
Mixed and shortgrass prairie on the Smoky Valley Ranch changes color in the fall. Chalky outcroppings in the soil prevented the conversion to row crop agriculture. (Photo by Erin Socha for Kansas Reflector)
LOGAN COUNTY — Smoky Valley Ranch in western Kansas, about 40 minutes south of Colby, experienced one of the driest years on record in 2022.The almost 20,000acre cattle and bison ranch recorded just six and a half inches of rain, barely half of the yearly averages recorded during the Dust Bowl era.“I had never seen this place look so brown and crispy,” said ranch manager Jus...
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