EMIL REDMON'S COW Stories From the Farm and Ranch Return to the Index

Bill Haw Bill Haw, an entrepreneur with significant banking and agri-business experience, saw an opportunity in the Flint Hills region of eastern Kansas and Oklahoma. In partnership with National Farms, where he served as President and CEO from 1974-2002, Haw assembled one of the largest ranching operations in the area. Bill was, to say the least, controversial—employing methods that ran counter to the conventional wisdom of the day. But economics was on his side and in time, the double-stocking of steers, for half the normal grazing season, would become the predominate model for large parts of the region. Jim Hoy and I met with Bill on a windy day in August of 2021, at his home in Chase County, Kansas. Shortly after this interview was filmed, Bill sold the Crocker Springs Ranch—crown jewel of his personal holdings. The headline in the Wichita Eagle read, "Bill Haw is leaving the Flint Hills, but his legacy remains." This is true. A practical conservationist, generous philanthropist, and no-nonsense, business-oriented, rancher who has made a significant impact. Return to the Index