Heritage and Integrity Guide Stuart Ranch

Cattle roundup at Stuart Ranch - Oklahoma

Stuart Ranch honors legacy. Founded in 1868, it’s the oldest ranch in Oklahoma under continuous family ownership. Primarily a commercial cow-calf and yearling operation, the ranch is diversified with a successful quarter horse breeding program, a bucking horse program, an outfitting service and a direct-to-consumer beef business.

Terry Stuart Forst prepares vaccinations during spring branding.

Fifth-generation Terry Stuart Forst leads the ranch operations, along with her sons: Clay and Robert. The ranch was founded by her great-great-grandfather, Robert Clay Freeny. Forst has a quiet confidence that cannot be ignored. She commands admiration without saying much at all.

Their brand, the 7S, represents generations of grit, innovation and dedication to stewardship.

“The 7S brand is our legacy,” Forst said. “It is our reputation. It means integrity. If you see that brand, you can trust that we will stand behind it and you’ve got a whole family generations deep that will stand behind that.”

Above all, continuing the ranch’s heritage for future generations is the most important thing to Forst.

“Leaving this ranch to the generations that follow and having a place for them to come home has been a mission for Clay, Robert and I,” Forst said. “And we’ve so far been successful.”

She credits much of her success to having pioneering, sharp mentors. People who really became her close friends and shared their knowledge with her.

“I was very fortunate to have some of the best cattlemen and -women in the world be mentors to me,” Forst said. “They were influences who wanted me to be better, to produce the best cows I could produce, and to seek and find cattle that would work on this operation and become efficient, productive and help us create revenue.”

Apart from excellent mentors, Forst has been dedicated to learning. After graduating from Oklahoma State University, she attended a ranching-for-profit school, took range management classes and graduated from the prestigious Texas Christian University Ranch Management Program.

“I have wanted to make whatever I was involved in the best it could be,” Forst said. “Mother Nature doesn’t always agree with me and makes it extremely difficult, but I understand that and accept the challenges.”

Stuart Ranch has tailored its program over the years to be the most efficient, effective and economical for its location. Forst uses Corteva Agriscience™ Range & Pasture products, such as Remedy^® herbicide, GrazonNext® HL herbicide and Sendero^® herbicide Powered by LandVisor^® Advanced Brush Management as tools for weed and brush control, along with prescribed burning and rotational grazing. The ranch faces challenges, including mesquite, western ragweed, cocklebur, lambsquarters, blackberry and musk thistle. Forst develops a burn schedule a year in advance and works strategically within her budget to spray pastures when it’s advantageous.

“I think to be a good steward of what God has given us, we have to access all the available tools to make it the best possible,” Forst said. “We choose a method that will allow that pasture to be productive and spraying herbicides is an effective tool to help increase grass and decrease weeds.”

Robert Forst during a spring branding.

Forst scouts her pastures on horseback. She monitors closely and understands the mechanics of rotational grazing and letting pastures rest. Forst is also committed to nurturing the native grasses on the ranch.

“We trotted through a pasture last fall that we were going to calve in, and I literally had big bluestem as tall as me on horseback,” Forst said. “I got goosebumps.”

Big bluestem is a native, warm-season bunchgrass known for rapid growth during mid-to-late summer. It produces a deep, extensive root system that improves soil structure and is considered a premier forage for cattle due to its excellent nutritional value.

From left: Clay Forst, Terry Stuart Forst, and Robert Forst on Stuart Ranch in Southern Oklahoma

Forst fearlessly forged her own path to get to this point. She is determined and focused. She knew going in that she had a lot to prove, and she has. When her father asked her to come back to the ranch, she developed a five-year plan to change the trajectory of the business. She set a goal of the ranch financially supporting itself within those five years, and she achieved that goal.

“This is what I’ve wanted to do my entire life,” Forst said. “There’s nothing else I want to do.”

To keep reading producer stewardship stories, visit RangeAndPasture.com/Steward.

Sendero^® is not registered for sale or use in all states. Contact your state pesticide regulatory agency to determine if a product is registered for sale or use in your state. Except for lactating dairy animals, there are no grazing restrictions following application of this product. State restrictions on the sale and use of Remedy^® apply. Consult the label before purchase or use for full details. GrazonNext^® HL has no grazing or haying restrictions for any class of livestock, including lactating dairy cows, horses (including lactating mares) and meat animals prior to slaughter. Label precautions apply to forage treated with GrazonNext HL and to manure and urine from animals that have consumed treated forage. Consult the label for full details. GrazonNext HL is not registered for sale or use in all states. Contact your state pesticide regulatory agency to determine if a product is registered for sale or use in your state. GrazonNext HL is not for sale, distribution or use in New York state and San Luis Valley of Colorado. Always read and follow label directions.