Noble Land Stewardship Award Honors Doan Family and Black Leg Ranch

Noble Research Institute presented its 2026 Noble Land Stewardship Award to Black Leg Ranch and the Doan family of McKenzie, North Dakota. The award recognizes farmers, ranchers and landowners who demonstrate measurable results in regenerative land management. Black Leg 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 buffalo, and provides custom grazing for 1,100 head of cow-calf cattle. The family also runs Rolling Plains Adventures, a hunting outfitter; Black Leg Events, an agritourism business that hosts weddings and corporate events; and Black Leg Brewery, which brews craft beer on the ranch with local ingredients. The Doan family has partnered with Ducks Unlimited, Partners for Fish and Wildlife, Pheasants Forever, Audubon, the U.S. Forest Service and North Dakota State University on habitat and research projects. The ranch also hosts tours and workshops for other producers.