Barb Downey is a fourth-generation cattle rancher who operates Downey Ranch in the heart of the Kansas Flint Hills, just southwest of Wamego, with her husband Joe and their daughters Anna and Laura. They manage a herd made up of both registered and commercial cows, grazing in ideal conditions and maintaining the prairie ecosystem of native tallgrass just like bison once did.
Barb served as the Kansas Livestock Association President in 2019, a post which she used to oversee the Cattle Trace pilot project and the Beef Quality Assurance Program. At Downey Ranch, Barb and her team produce beef that meets the highest quality standards in the world. They are a founding member & stockholder of US Premium Beef, and they prioritize sustainability. They manage the registered cows in the same herd as their commercial cows and subject them both to the same real-world conditions: no feed buckets and no tolerance for poor type or performance. Barb raises her cattle tough, with no pampering, and she takes that same approach to her own life.
Barb was diagnosed with cancer in 2014, but thankfully she is currently in remission. Back in 2017, Barb wrote on her blog, “Life is a gift, not a guarantee, and it’s to be cultivated, savored, and enjoyed.” In reading her testimonials of her cancer treatment journey, I encountered a woman with a great sense of humor, full of faith and hope, engaged in honest and intense conversations with God, surrounded by a loving family, and seeking the peace that surpasses understanding.
Barb – you are a hero. Thank you for all you have done for Kansas agriculture, and thank you for being an example of the Kansas spirit – hard work, faith, and fearless determination.
