Generations on the Land: A Conservation Legacy

Chapter 3 Wilson Ranch

ChApter 3 Wilson ranch The Sandhills of Nebraska have been described by many environment experts as one of the most fragile landscapes in the world.“Majestic”would be the term of choice by inhabitants of the area.Covered in a literal sea of grass,the Sandhills roll in waves for hundreds of miles covering one of the largest underground aquifers in the world. This unique blend of natural resources provides great opportunity for both wonder and devastation. Ranch families like the Wilsons have been captivated by the wonder of the Sandhills.Their experience, patience, and persistence complement the rich land in creating a fantastic display of natural resource management. Jaclyn Wilson, while not the traditional image of the John Wayne cowboy, follows the true form of innovator. Ms. Wilson made a hard decision to return home, yet it is her un-regretted decision that has and will benefit not only her family but the Sandhills as well. As you will read in this chapter,the Wilsons have their own unique strategies for private land management with which they excel not only in business but also in conservation. Like their neighbors, they have learned that the best strategies are not ones of force, but rather those of synergy. —Michael kelsey, executive Vice president, nebraska cattlemen [ 30 ] sometime between jaclyn Wilson telling me how she dumped a boyfriend, a hulking 250-pound lineman for the nebraska cornhuskers, for asking “the wrong question about cattle,” (no, cows do not migrate and fences aren’t there to keep them from moving south) and watching her gracefully steer her quarter horse ed to herd bulls from one green pasture to an even greener one, the future of the Wilson Ranch came into focus. if you ran into jaclyn Wilson on the streets of new York,the vivacious blonde would neatly fit the “type a” personality profile: sharp, assertive, highly motivated—a commanding presence to be reckoned with. Prairie at Wilson Ranch (photo by Bill Gillette) Wilson ranch [ 31 ] When you run into her on the 20,000-acre spread in the rolling sandhills of western nebraska that is home to the Wilsonred, their Red angus hybrid cattle, she’s simply another hard-working hand, the latest in a line of parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins dedicated to making a living from this remarkable piece of earth. to hear her parents, Blaine and charlie, tell it, jaclyn taking over the ranch was practically a given. she was on a horse at age two, riding off on her own by age four. By the time she was eight, she was doing range studies, identifying plants and grasses. as a teen, she represented the ranching lifestyle at Girls state and Girls nation (a photograph of her with president Bill clinton is displayed in her modular home down the road from ranch headquarters). More recently, she’d been part of agricultural delegations to poland, Russia, the Ukraine, and Brazil. out of earshot of her parents, jaclyn confided that sticking with the family ranch was a hard choice. she’d seen the bright lights of the big city (“Believe me, i know my way around a subway”) and studied four years at the University of nebraska. she had plenty of reasons to follow her brother, Brett, who stayed in omaha with his new wife to pursue a career in banking. she knew too well that ranching was still considered a man’s game; she’d experienced it through her involvement with cattlemen ’s groups and related organizations. Her political skills could have easily led to a job to Washington. “i was really focused on politics, and had aspirations of going to law school and being a lobbyist,”she admitted. “My dream job at that time would have been lobbyist for the national cattlemen’s Beef association.” But after coming home weekends, school vacations, and during the summer to help out and seeing what needed to be done, and seeing her parents’ and her uncle’s to-do lists get longer, she knew she had to go all in.“there are times you get burnt out, or frustrated,” she acknowledged. “You had to grow up way too fast. about two years ago, i finally came to the conclusion: this is good. it’s worth it.” she had taken to heart her Uncle Bryan’s advice that she didn’t know it all, “so i don’t think i...