2014 TSSRM President John Walker, Outstanding Rangeland Stewardship Award Recipient Joe Leathers
with 6666 Ranch and Michael Willson
Texas Section Society for Rangeland Management
Outstanding Rangeland Stewardship Award
U
Joe Leathers (6666 Ranch)
The Four Sixes Ranch
The Four Sixes (6666) is one of the most storied ranches in the history of the Lone Star State, and one of the
most successful remaining examples of the 1880’s big ranching endeavors. The accounts of Captain Samuel
“Burk” Burnett’s establishment in the rolling plains of Texas are fascinating, but perhaps more impressive is
how this organization maintains a high level of stewardship and continues to meet the demand for quality
beef on such a large scale.
Approximately 143,300 acres in the heart of the
Rolling Plains, the 6666 headquarters is located in
King County, Texas, near the town of Guthrie.
The ranch is owned and operated by Anne
Burnett Windfohr Marion, current president of
Burnett Ranches, LLC and great-granddaughter of
Captain Burnett. With the support of Mrs.
Marion, 6666 Ranch Manager Joe Leathers has
implemented practices that not only reflect good
stewardship but also increase profitability. Brush
management, livestock water development, and
prescribed burning are all tools that are being
used in combination with proper grazing
management, maintaining a strong forage base
through the most extreme conditions. “Anne’s
passion for this land is the driving force behind
the entire operation,” adds Leathers. “Without
her involvement and support, none of this would
be possible.”
King County, Texas and the 6666 Ranch
Livestock
The 6666 breeding programs and renowned genetics have set them apart in the equine and cattle industries.
Producing superior Quarter Horses for ranch work and racing, the Sixes stock consistently rank among the
best in the breed.
The ranch’s resident veterinarian and Horse
Division Manager, Dr. Glenn Blodgett, now
directs the breeding program. Modern
technology allows for semen to be cooled,
frozen, and shipped almost anywhere in the
world. 14 pastures make up approximately
5,000 acres of annual grain crops, improved
grasses, and native rangeland, which are
managed primarily for horse production.
6666 horses grazing on wheat pasture
When fully stocked, the ranch maintains a breeding herd of about 4,500 Black Baldy and Angus mother
cows. These cattle are split among multiple herds that graze the same management unit throughout the
year. Conservative stocking rates help to ensure that the pastures are not overgrazed and give the manager
more options when Mother Nature throws a curveball. With 51
pastures encompassing over 138,000 acres of rangeland,
management units vary in size from a few hundred to nearly
16,000 acres. The continuous grazing system reduces costs
associated with labor, and livestock are rotated in and out of
various herds depending on age, quality, and production. Fall
calves are weaned and shipped to the Dixon Creek ranch in
Carson County to graze on the strong short-grass prairie of the
Texas Panhandle and add weight before going to the feedlot.
However, market demands over the past several months have
6666 Black Angus cattle on Loamy Prairie
the management re-considering some strategies. For instance,
sites
they are planning to ship calves to market after weaning, rather
than risking a negative market adjustment with thousands of
pounds of beef on hand. They are also studying the transition
from a fall to spring calving program, evaluating the impacts this
would have on the land. “This would coincide with the growing
season and better meet the nutrient demands of the lactating
cow,” says Reggie Hatfield, 6666 Wagon Boss. “There are benefits to both spring and fall calving, but we feel like Mother Nature
could really play a bigger role in getting those cows ready to
breed back.”
Extreme drought conditions over the past four years have also caused the 6666 manager to take evasive
action, moving livestock around the country to maintain numbers and save the forage resources on the
Texas ranch. “When we felt like the drought would persist at home, we began looking for places that were
not experiencing the same conditions where we could re-locate the herd,” comments Leathers. “We
completely de-stocked in Guthrie and shipped cattle to Nevada, Montana, South Dakota, and Nebraska. It
was a risky decision, but high cattle prices and the acquisition of long-term leases in these other states now
gives us an opportunity to expand the herd. We have started bringing in some replacement heifers, and
once the land has had a chance to fully recover we will restock the ranch in Texas.”
Challenges of the Rolling Plains Region
Livestock production in the Rolling Plains region of Texas presents a number of challenges on any scale, but
with a grazing system that includes over 143,000 contiguous acres and such a wide range of ecological sites,
these obstacles are multiplied.
In the mid-1990s, the ranch management began a mechanical
brush treatment program, manipulating the invading mesquite
and red-berry juniper that had drastically altered the landscape.
Over the last twenty years they have been able to reclaim tens of
thousands of acres of productive prairie by dedicating full-time
equipment and operators to the task.
Clay Loam site that has undergone
mechanical brush treatment
This constant fight against invasive tree species is now entering round 2, as they recently started
mechanically treating these acres for a second time over. “We mainly grub the flatter, more productive
areas,” explained Hatfield, “The steep areas, hillsides, and draws are left alone. There isn’t much to gain by
removing those trees as far as return on investment, and we feel like those sites are better left undisturbed.
We leave a few scattered trees for shade and try to avoid removing many of the beneficial brush species.”
The wildlife are benefitting from this practice as
well. Lotebush, ephedra, and sumac are left “no
farther apart than you could toss a softball”, and
despite the extreme drought conditions of the past
four years, whitetail deer and quail are found
throughout the ranch in ample numbers. The
grassland habitat that has been created by this
brush management program demonstrates the use
of edge-effect. “We know that this will be an
on-going battle,” said Leathers, “We will never
eradicate the mesquite or juniper, but we can
continue to control their encroachment in order to
utilize the moisture that we do receive for forage
Operators are careful to leave beneficial brush
production.”
species when treating invasive juniper and mesquite
The biggest problem faced by ranchers in this area, according to Leathers, is the availability of quality
livestock water. Good quality groundwater is hard to find, making it more difficult to distribute livestock
water and support the grazing system. To address this concern, the 6666 use a system of ponds to capture
and store surface water. Keeping these ponds functional requires maintenance, and involves planning
strategy. Below normal rainfall over the past four years caused many of the ponds to dry up, presenting
Leathers with the opportunity to shift focus from brush management and perform some much needed pond
upkeep. “The dry conditions were
really slowing the brush grubbing, so
the decision was made to remove
the grubbing attachments, replace
them with buckets, and start
cleaning out ponds. Since then we
have cleaned out over 100 ponds,
and now that we have received
some rain we can start grubbing
Surface ponds, windmills, and solar pumps are all used to provide
trees again.”
livestock water
Although the 6666 property contains a wide variety of rangelands, managing forage on relatively unproductive sites is a key aspect of their success. Ecological sites such as Very Shallow and Gyp are
represented in large measures across the ranch and average about 550 pounds of grass production per acre.
Other significantly represented sites are Loamy Prairie, Loamy Bottomland, Clay Loam, and Shallow, where
grass production values are consistently greater than 2000 pounds per acre. Leathers and his staff have a
keen awareness of the plant communities in relation to livestock performance, managing each pasture
differently according to the key vegetation and the capability of the site. Before hot and dry conditions
gripped the region in 2011, prescribed fire and patch burning were often used to increase forage yields and
utilization, especially on sites dominated by tobosagrass. Leathers plans to resume these practices once a
more “normal” weather pattern develops.
A variety of ecological sites make managing for
livestock production a challenge. Rough Breaks
(below) have significantly less forage than
Loamy Bottomland (right).
Conservation Partners and Outreach Activities
The sound management practices implemented on the 6666 lands not only support a viable grazing program,
but they have created an avenue to share knowledge and resources. Strong working relationships have been
developed with research organizations, and numerous tour groups have been welcomed onto the ranch to
provide teaching opportunities and witness the results first-hand.
In 2010 the 6666 joined the Quail-Tech Alliance, a Texas Tech based research project dedicated to the education of biologists and landowners in bobwhite and scaled quail management. Dr. Brad Dabbert, Professor of
Quail Ecology with Texas Tech University and Quail-Tech Founding Board Member, says that Quail-Tech
would not be where they are today without the support of the ranch. “Mr. Leathers and the staff of the 6666
Ranch have gone to unprecedented efforts
to protect their grassland habitat, having
moved thousands of cattle off their
range. Their property contains the best
quail habitat that I have seen in Texas and
last year we estimated their Southwest
pasture contained over a quail per acre.”
One result of this partnership is a
supplemental feeding technique that inQuail-Tech study sites are found throughout the ranch
volves spreading feed into roadside vegetation. According to Dr. Dabbert, this technique has shown an increase in survival by as much as 40% over nonfed birds, as well as an increase in bobwhite reproductive output. Though the most high profile, the
supplemental feeding study is only one of the projects that the 6666 Ranch is helping with. There are also
studies concerning quail immune function, genetics, nutrition, and nest site selection underway. The
increase in survival and reproductive output combined with the excellent habitat available on the 6666 Ranch
has led to a growing quail population sustained
through the drought. “This growth is not an
accident but the result of enormous effort and
wise decisions,” adds Dabbert. “I hold their
efforts up as the best example of how to manage
grasslands and quail in the region.”
Bobwhite populations on the ranch have persisted
through the drought
The conservation practices implemented on the 6666
benefit many species of wildlife
Most recently, the 6666 hosted a Regional Sustainability Workshop jointly convened and planned by World
Wildlife Fund (WWF) and National Cattleman’s Beef Association (NCBA) as a contractor to the Beef Checkoff.
The goal of the workshop was to bring together a diverse supply chain audience and foster discussion related
to sustainability efforts and challenges. The 6666 manager spoke on a variety of topics, including the impacts
of drought, wildfire, and diversifying operations as a mitigation tool. The group was taken on a field tour of
the ranch where the effects of the drought were witnessed first-hand. The conservation measures taken by
Leathers and his management team were highlighted during the tour as well. While touring the ranch,
Leathers discussed resting pastures, brush management, livestock genetics, and grazing management.
Aside from setting great examples in land stewardship, the 6666 and its staff play a vital role locally. The
pride and work ethic practiced in the daily ranching activities can be found in every aspect of the small town
of Guthrie, Texas. Mrs. Marion, Mr. Leathers, and the entire management team are assets to the community,
conservation, and American agriculture, making them an excellent candidate for the Outstanding Rangeland
Stewardship Award.