Darrell Oswald, along with his daughters Audrey and Afton, and father, Darrell Sr., ranch near Wing. A fourth-generation rancher, Darrell took over the 3,200-acre family ranch in 1993 after graduating college. His ranch is located a mile from where his great-grandfather first started the family’s ranching tradition.

The Oswalds manage with an open-minded philosophy and a willingness to try different things. Since 2007, the family’s emphasis has been on increasing the amount of forage produced while improving the soil health on the ranch. The Oswalds have been managing an intensive management grazing system since 2007, consisting of native prairie and tame grass that was CRP and cover crops. They have utilized no-till practices for annual and perennial forage production since 2006. The use of cover crops has been a powerful tool in hayland and CRP renovation, as well as lengthening the grazing season. Darrell is also employed by the Burleigh County Soil Conservation District.