The Montana Stockgrowers Association (MSGA) is honored to announce that its members, G&G Livestock and the Cathey Cattle Company, have been selected as one of six regional honorees of the Environmental Stewardship Award Program (ESAP). The award, announced during the 2025 Cattle Industry Summer Business Meeting in San Diego, California, recognizes the family’s outstanding stewardship and conservation efforts. Regional winners will compete for the national award, which will be presented during CattleCon 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee, in February.
“We are incredibly proud of the Gardner and Cathey families for this well-deserved recognition,” said Lesley Robinson, President of the Montana Stockgrowers Association. “Their commitment to caring for the land, improving its productivity, and ensuring its sustainability for future generations exemplifies the best of Montana ranching. They are truly deserving of this recognition, and we are thrilled to see their hard work and commitment to the land celebrated on this national stage.”
Purchased in 1990 and operated by Greg and Lynn Gardner and their daughter, Brittany, and son-in-law, Wacey Cathey, the family manages a cow/calf business on approximately 28,500 acres between deeded land and private, state and tribal leases in Polson, Montana. In 2019, Brittany and Wacey started Cathey Cattle Company, a grass-fed and finished direct to consumer beef business. Wacey also owns and operates Black Gulch Aviation, an aerial application business.
“Conservation projects are very beneficial to the rancher,” said Greg Gardner. “Everybody benefits. The land gets improved and we get a better distribution of our livestock.”
The family’s main focus has centered around spraying invasive weeds, installing water lines, and implementing a deferred rest rotation grazing system. In an effort to evenly distribute their herd, the ranch has installed roughly eight miles of pipeline and multiple 1,000 gallon cement water tanks. In their deferred rest rotational system, pastures are rotated so that each pasture has a deferment period every few years. This allows the plants to grow and reproduce without being grazed.
Established in 1991, the national Environmental Stewardship Award Program provides an opportunity for the beef industry to showcase the stewardship and business practices that exist together on progressive farms and ranches. State winners selected by MSGA advance to the regional and national levels. To date, Montana has won 16 regional awards and two national awards.
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MSGA
