Grit, Grass and Gated Pipe Help A Wyoming Ranch Thrive

By Alyssa Ludeke, Public Affairs Specialist, Wyoming NRCS

Colter McCumber is a generational rancher and steward of his land in Hot Springs County, Wyoming. His roots run deep in the Big Horn Basin, where his father still tends to the original family homestead raising alfalfa hay.

McCumber and his brother operate a well-drilling company by day, but his heart has long been set on a different dream — to own and operate a cattle ranch. When an opportunity arose to purchase a ranch, McCumber and his wife, Linda, seized it.

The McCumbers partnered with the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to tackle challenges and improve the ranch. Over the past three years, they’ve been able to modernize the water system and improve fences, benefiting their cattle and migratory big game in this part of Wyoming.

NRCS Support Pivotal For Next Generation Producers

The ranch next to his father’s was far from turnkey—miles of dilapidated barbed wire, saggy fences in disrepair, ancient irrigation ditches crumbling, and overgrown fields scarcely resembled productive land. With grit and determination, Colter, Linda, and their three children rolled up their sleeves to restore the land, driven by a vision to produce high-quality beef to feed the nation.

A pivotal moment came when McCumber discovered programs offered by NRCS. The assistance NRCS provided on his father’s property converted outdated field ditches to efficient gated pipe systems.

Enthused by those improvements, McCumber began working with the NRCS field office in Thermopolis, Wyoming to explore opportunities for his own ranch in 2022. NRCS employees visited his ranch and discovered that McCumber’s operation qualified for cost-share assistance through the NRCS’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). 

“McCumber qualifies as a beginning farmer rancher, which makes him eligible for higher payment rates and advance funding,” says Daniel Burton, NRCS Rangeland Management Specialist.

This cost-share investment is a testament to USDA’s commitment to support the next generation of farmers and ranchers. Over the past three years, McCumber and NRCS have worked together on a series of large-scale projects.

Improving Fences For Big Game And Cattle

The McCumbers replaced several fences that posed barriers to migrating wildlife. This project was funded in part by the Migratory Big Game Initiative, launched by NRCS Working Lands for Wildlife in 2022.

Many of the old fences on McCumber’s ranch were in dire need of replacement or repair. “I was getting calls my cattle had escaped to the local golf course,” he said. However, before he constructed new fences for his livestock, McCumber “wanted to make sure to disrupt local wildlife as little as possible”, he says .

The new fencing allows McCumber to better secure his cattle while still allowing safe passage for the region’s iconic wildlife, like elk, bighorn sheep and mule deer.

Reliable Access To Water Is Critical In Wyoming

The second and most ambitious project on the McCumber’s ranch was to overhaul the irrigation system.

Reliable access to water is critical in the arid American West. It sustains nature and the communities who call it home. From above, streams and rivers of the region appear like ribbons of green, weaving through the dry landscapes. These waterways on working lands across the West play a vital role in agricultural productivity and the available water supply to surrounding communities.

The NRCS helped the McCumbers replace 7,000 feet of inefficient dirt ditches with buried pipelines. This eliminated hazards to their livestock, and also significantly reduced the amount of water lost to evaporation or infiltration. Additionally, the McCumbers installed more than 6,000 feet of gated pipes across five hay fields.

Thanks to help from the NRCS, modernizing the McCumber’s water system took just three years instead of fifteen. The impact of these upgrades has been profound. Fields that once took three weeks to irrigate can now be watered two or three times in the same period with less effort.

“It’s been life-changing,” McCumber says.

Plus, by minimizing water loss, McCumber can now deliver more water to his fields, boosting productivity and improving soil health for future generations.

Ranchers Are Pillars Of Our Community

Looking ahead, McCumber and NRCS are exploring further improvements, including new livestock watering systems, cheatgrass management, and additional fencing. These efforts will expand the ranch’s ability to produce high-quality beef, meeting the needs of consumers across the country. 

“Wyoming ranchers like Colter are stewards of the land and pillars of our community,” says Burton, who appreciates McCumber’s hard work and ambition.

Through voluntary programs like EQIP and the Migratory Big Game Initiative, ranchers across the West are helping steward natural resources and strengthen our nation’s food supply.