For Immediate Release: Aug. 10, 2013
Contact: Carmen Fenton, 512-673-3906
Fort Worth, Texas – Frank and Sims Price, owners of the Frank and Sims Price Ranch located outside of Sterling City, Texas, were recognized as a 2013 regional Environmental Stewardship Award Program (ESAP) winner Thursday during the 2013 Cattle Industry Summer Conference in Denver, Colo.
The Frank and Sims Price Ranch is the Region IV ESAP award winner and will compete with six other regional winners for the national ESAP award, which will be announced during the 2014 Cattle Industry Annual Convention and Trade Show in Nashville, Tenn.
“We are proud of longtime TSCRA members Frank and Sims Price for receiving this prestigious award,” said Pete Bonds, acting TSCRA President. “Frank and Sims’ knowledge of cattle production and ranch management combined with their passion for conservation is an excellent example of today’s agriculture stewardship.”
Frank and Sims run the ranch as a partnership, representing the fourth and fifth generations of Prices to ranch in West Texas. In a normal year, they receive 18 inches of rainfall. These last 2 years have been abnormal, with exceptional drought and devastating wildfires, particularly in their area.
Even though the Prices reduced their herd to protect the land, they still found lessons in flexibility during the adversities. Frank’s experience with wildfire has allowed him to become a leading voice in Texas on inter-agency cooperation in fighting wildfires.
“What we leave for future generations is really important,” said Frank Price. “The stewardship we practice on our ranch isn’t and shouldn’t be a mandate. It is part of our heritage, and we know it’s something we must continue to do in order for our ranch and land to be productive.”
“In order for ranching to be profitable, we must be stewards of our land and resources. It’s a responsibility that has been handed down for generations,” said Sims Price. “Conserving and preserving isn’t a new concept. It’s something all of us have been doing for centuries.”
The ESAP award is sponsored by Dow AgroSciences; the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS); U.S. Fish and Wildlife; the National Cattlemen’s Foundation; and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA).
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TSCRA is a 136 year-old trade association and is the largest and oldest livestock organization based in Texas. TSCRA has more than 16,000 beef cattle operations, ranching families and businesses as members. These members represent approximately 50,000 individuals directly involved in ranching and beef production who manage 4 million head of cattle on 76 million acres of range and pasture land primarily in Texas and Oklahoma, but throughout the Southwest.