Denver, CO – The National Western announced the inaugural class of Ranches of the West, a new heritage award recognizing ranches whose leadership and contributions have shaped the American beef industry and Western way of life.
The 10 honorees will be formally inducted as part of an expanded National Western Stock Show Cattlemen’s Week, Jan. 13-18. An exhibit featuring the honorees will be on display at National Western’s premier event venue, the Legacy. The exhibit will remain on display inside the Wold Heritage Center through the fall.
Ranches of the West was created to celebrate ranches selected not simply for their size, age or fame, but for their lasting contributions to the beef industry. Those contributions span genetics and seedstock development, beef quality and carcass improvement, innovative production systems, conservation and land stewardship, and leadership that has helped move the industry forward.
“The connection between the National Western Stock Show and Western ranching runs more than 120 years deep,” said Wes Allison, president and CEO of the National Western. “Since our founding, ranchers and cattlemen have traveled to Denver each January to exhibit livestock, build relationships, market genetics and conduct the business of the beef industry. Ranches of the West was created to recognize that history and share it with a new generation. This inaugural class represents the diverse people, places and operations that have built the Western cattle industry.”
The award’s launch coincides with an expanded six-day Cattlemen’s Week, designed to strengthen National Western’s focus on commercial cattle producers and the business of the beef industry. By honoring ranches for their contributions to commercial cattle production — not simply their history — Ranches of the West reinforces National Western’s longstanding role as a gathering place for working ranchers and cattle producers from across the West.
Honorees and their families will be celebrated at an induction ceremony and reception Jan. 14 at 4 p.m. at the Legacy, followed by the PRCA rodeo. The inaugural class will join thousands of producers, exhibitors and visitors who travel to Denver each January for the National Western Stock Show.
2027 Ranches of the West Inaugural Class
Colorado
- Bledsoe Ranch
- Silver Spur Ranch
- Spann Ranches
Arizona
- K4 Ranch
New Mexico
- CS Ranch
Montana
- Vermilion Ranch
Nebraska
- Timmerman Ranch
North Dakota/South Dakota
- Thomas Ranch
Utah
- Ensign Ranches
Wyoming
- Padlock Ranch
About the National Western
The National Western is a Denver-based charitable organization dedicated to strengthening American agriculture through youth education, scholarships, Western art, and livestock, equestrian, farming, ranching, and animal stewardship enrichment programs. Best known for producing the annual National Western Stock Show since 1906 (the 2027 show is Jan. 9-24), the organization also operates The Legacy, a premier year-round destination for events, exhibitions and Western experiences that celebrate the culture and future of the American West. For more information, visit www.nationalwestern.com.
WE ARE THE WEST
