Black Leg Ranch named 2026 Noble Land Stewardship Award recipient

ARDMORE, Okla., Oct. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ Noble Research Institute, a trusted educational resource for farmers and ranchers since 1945, will present the 2026 Noble Land Stewardship Award to Black Leg Ranch and the Doan family of McKenzie, North Dakota, at the second annual Roots Revelry event Wednesday, Oct. 21. The award recognizes farmers, ranchers and landowners who demonstrate measurable results in regenerative land management. Black Leg Ranch was founded in 1882 by George H. Doan. Jewell W. Doan Sr. brought the first Angus cattle to southern North Dakota in 1930. Jerry and Renae Doan returned to the ranch after college and began applying holistic management in the late 1980s, which led to rotational grazing. The fifth generation of the family now fills management and operational roles. The ranch covers 21,000 acres in the Missouri Coteau region of southern North Dakota, and 75% is native grassland. Today, the ranch runs 700 head of cow-calf cattle, 1,500 yearlings and 400 buf