Thomas Herefords of Gold Creek accepted the 2025 Montana Leopold Conservation Award® during the 106th Montana Fam Bureau Annual Convention. The award honors ranchers, farmers, and forestland owners who go above and beyond in the management of soil health, water quality, and wildlife habitat on working land. They receive $10,000 for being selected for this prestigious award.

Thomas Herefords, owned by Bruce and Tammy Thomas and Richard and Shirley Thomas have prioritized conservation practices that could improve biodiversity and water quality, leading to healthier cattle, fish, and wildlife. Their vision was set into motion in the early 2000s by enrolling land into an Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) contract and collaborating with several public agencies and private non-profits to improve the health of Gold Creek.

Practices and partnerships

The ranchers diverted from flood to pivot irrigation, installed wildlife-friendly fencing, prioritized soil health and used rotational grazing to improve the quality and quantity of grass. The improvements helped triple the carrying capacity of the ranch’s pastures.

Gold Creek is a Clark Fork River tributary that runs through the ranch. Like other ranchers, ancestors built their first corrals next to the creek to easily water their cattle. Overgrazed riparian areas led to soil compaction and degradation, and creek contamination. Loss of riparian vegetation led to warmer water, impacting native fish populations and reducing wildlife habitat.

With EQIP’s financial and technical assistance new cattle pens were designed to direct runoff into filtration areas on the ranch’s uplands. Grazing was ceased along the creek’s riparian area for five years to allow native vegetation to recover. As a result, the creek was cleaner thanks to a reduction in runoff of manure nitrates. The herd’s daily weight gain also improved from a new watering system.

Given in honor of renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, the award recognizes farmers and forestland owners who inspire others with their dedication to environmental improvement. In his influential 1949 book, A Sand County Almanac, Leopold advocated for “a land ethic,” an ethical relationship between people and the land they own and manage.

Montana landowners were encouraged to apply, or be nominated, for the award last year. Applications were reviewed by an independent panel of Montana agriculture and conservation leaders. The Montana finalists were Franck and Kari Groeneweg’s Living Sky Grains of Three Forks, and Bart and Wendy Morris’ Oxbow Cattle Company of Missoula.

Conservation ethic underpins economic security

The Thomases prioritize soil health principles by utilizing annual soil analysis, reducing chemical fertilizer use, and managing for drought by building organic matter to improve moisture retention.

While the Thomases are best known as a renowned international seedstock producer of red and white Hereford cattle, their holistic approach to ranching is just as noteworthy.

Bruce’s mother Shirley recalls a time when she would go to a hilltop overlooking the ranch and privately wonder how she was going to pay the next month’s bills. Bruce says embracing his conservation ethic is why those fears no longer exist.

As for the future, Bruce and Tammy are proud their children, Kurt, Amber, Heather, and their families, are involved in the ranch and own cattle. Along with the kids, the ranch’s succession plan includes a continuation of the conservation ideals that have brought them this far.