Grazing the best and leaving the rest for the benefit of soil health — this is the philosophy of the Pribbeno family, who has been ranching in the Nebraska Sandhills for 140 years. The cow-calf, stocker and grain operation thrives in western Nebraska near the Colorado border despite the arid climate and fragile sandy soil.
At any given point, 95% of the Wine Glass Ranch land is resting. This practice has increased plant diversity and the return of native grasses.
Jeff and Connie Pribbeno and their son and daughter-in-law, Logan and Brianna, own and operate Wine Glass Ranch near Imperial, Neb. The ranch is an example of how innovative agricultural practices can simultaneously improve ecological health, animal welfare and financial sustainability.
They let cattle do the work of harvesting. With limited water resources and challenging weather, it is even more important to protect and preserve the land growing the crops and feeding the cattle.
Ranch Transitions
Spanning generations, the ranch has transformed to a sophisticated business that challenges conventional ranching wisdom.
In 1888, Sherman McCoy, Logan’s great-great-grandfather, left Iowa by train and walked 30 miles from the westernmost stop in Elsie, Neb., to what is now the ranch. Once McCoy arrived at his destination, he filed for a homestead while Nebraska was still part of the frontier and established Lonestar Ranch.
Through good stewardship and thrifty living, the operation grew to almost 8,000 acres under his care. Following the McCoys, Lone Star Ranch was owned by their son-in-law and daughter, A.O. and Mary Stenger. The Stengers raised their only daughter, Babette, on the land, who registered the wine glass brand.
Babette and her husband, Bill Pribbeno, were the next generation to own the ranch. They passed it to their son and daughter-in-law, Jeff and Connie, who changed its name to Wine Glass Ranch to match the brand. In 2012, the fifth generation — Logan and Brianna — assumed management duties of the Wine Glass Ranch.
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For the first 100 years of the ranch, cattle were left to fend for themselves year-round on the native range, much like any other ranch or farm on the Great Plains. Cattle often traveled four to five miles between windmills to get a drink, and thus the areas around the mills were over grazed while other areas remained practically untouched.
The fourth generation became the first generation of conservationists. Jeff and Connie began the operation’s environmental stewardship journey in 1976 when Jeff pioneered no-till-eco-fallow in the area to add production by converting to three and four-year crop rotations and preventing wind erosion.
Cattle and Grazing
“We try to keep it pretty simple, and we try to make the cows survive on their own,” Jeff explains.
The Pribbeno family uses a 365-day grazing system without traditional hay feeding.
“We do not own a feed wagon and we do not feed any hay,” Logan explains.
Jeff devoted significant time, money and training to improving range management. This involved building extensive cross-fencing and adding multiple water sources, which allowed them to run more cattle on the same pasture while maintaining land health. The ranch’s management approach is hands-on, with daily monitoring of cattle and pastures throughout the entire year.
The cattle herd has been carefully developed, with Jeff’s breeding strategy to create “an easy keeping cow that can thrive in a non-selective, rotational grazing system.” This approach focuses on low-milk, low frame score cattle specifically adapted to their challenging environment.
One of the ranch’s most significant strategies is its extensive rotational grazing system. The Pribbeno family has installed “200 miles of fence, creating 90 paddocks.” Cattle typically stay in a 300-acre paddock for five to seven days, allowing for significant grass regeneration.
“I want that pasture to look like it looked 1,000 years ago before man showed up,” Jeff says.
Cover Crops
Cover crops play a crucial role in the ranch’s sustainability strategy. Logan describes their approach as unique, growing warm season mixes that can reach “14' tall and dense, like a jungle.”
They incorporate diverse crops like sorghum, pearl millet, brassicas and soybeans, then graze cattle through the field, leaving behind natural fertilization.
Logan explains he treats covers crops like a silage crop. He harvests approximately 25% of the crop’s weight and leaves remaining crop as natural fertilizer and ground cover.
The cover crop strategy reduces input costs, minimizes herbicide use and improves soil health.
This approach is displayed in innovative practices like precise input management. During a challenging year, he reduced nitrogen application on corn to just 20 lb., achieving remarkable yield efficiency.
“We need to cut inputs,” he explains. “There’s a fine line between deficient and efficient.”
Wildlife Haven
The ranch has become a wildlife haven, with one survey documenting 80 bird species in just 48 hours. By creating prairie strips, protecting wetlands and implementing strategic habitat management, Logan says agricultural production and ecological preservation can coexist.
“We took the worst part of the farm and focused it on habitat,” he explains.
The ranch prioritizes habitat preservation, with Jeff planting more than 10,000 trees and shelter belts. They’ve created prairie strips around wetland areas and participate in state walk-in hunting programs.
Partnerships are crucial to the Pribbenos’ management model. Father and son both work closely with NRCS and FSA, viewing these relationships as strategic opportunities for innovation that have been crucial in implementing sustainable practices.
“Whenever we have something going on, we’ll call the NRCS office and say, ‘Hey, we’re thinking about this. How can you help?’” Logan explains.
Focus on Sustainability
By integrating advanced grazing techniques, strategic crop management and a long-term perspective, the Pribbenos are writing the next chapter in their family’s agricultural legacy.
“Sustainable means that if we can continue what we’re doing today, in 1,000 years, the land will look the same,” Jeff says.
Logan agrees, sharing his philosophy of leaving the land better for future generations and explaining “sustainability tends to be more profitable in the long run.”
Recognized for their focus on the environment and sustainability, the ranch was awarded the prestigious Nebraska Leopold Conservation Award in 2022. In 2025, the family was recognized as the 2025 region VII winner of the Environmental Stewardship Award Program (ESAP).
“Wine Glass Ranch believes we cannot carry out our tradition of producing world-class beef without approaching sustainability with an open mind,” says Steve Hanson, owner of Hanson Family Farms & Sillassen Ranch. “The Pribbenos’ successful rotational grazing and no-till-eco-fallow practices prove our industry can uphold traditions while paving the way to an even stronger and more resilient future.”
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