New Doors Open in Regenerative Ranching
USDA Grants Sustainable Northwest Nearly $7 Million
Photo Credit to Sustainable Northwest and Country Natural Beef
"Through the support of this program, we've seen increased adoption of regenerative practices," said Dallas Hall Defrees, Sustainable Northwest's regenerative ranching director and a nationwide expert on regenerative ranching practices and benefits. "This is good for the land and good for the cows. The soil is healthier, moister, and less compacted. There are more native plants. And the cows are healthier."
With support from USDA's Advancing Market Producers program, Sustainable Northwest works with ranchers to:
Build long-term grazing management plans, reviewed and updated annually based on data.
Track key metrics before, during, and after implementation — microbial content, soil compaction, native plant cover and composition, carbon content, and more.
Grow rancher-to-rancher networks, with quarterly meetings where small groups learn from each other, troubleshoot together, and share resources.
"This funding helps recognize and support regenerative practices already happening across Country Natural Beef ranches, while also creating new opportunities for producers to build on that stewardship for the future," said DelRae Ferguson, ranching program manager at Country Natural Beef. "As we continue expanding market access for responsibly raised beef, retailers gain meaningful sustainability data and transparency they can stand behind, helping create long-term demand that rewards ranchers for doing right by the land every single day."
The rancher-to-rancher networks are what Defrees is most excited about. "Ranching can be isolating," Defrees said. "So the rancher-to-rancher networks have actually been one of the most rewarding parts of the program. Ranchers trust what other ranchers tell them is working or is not working, and the networks are creating a culture that is normalizing regenerative ranching."
