Building on Tradition with Carbon Grazing in Texas
Ranching: A Family Tradition
I got into ranching as a result of my close relationship with my Grandfather, a rancher, sale barn owner, & auctioneer in Central Texas. His inspiration led me to pursue a degree in Animal Science at Texas A&M University and attend TCU Ranch Management before going on to manage several different Texas ranches myself.
My introduction to ranching was deeply rooted in the world of conventional ranching, where ranching practices had been performed more or less the same way for generations. While the work was both challenging and rewarding, part of me sensed that the conventional approach wasn’t the only way to ranch. With my nose to the grindstone, I was typically staying busy with ranching’s day to day demands such as breeding, calving, doctoring sicks, farming, feeding, etc. Still, part of me knew that the conventional approach was coming up short.
On the ranches I was managing, we were constantly having issues with drought. The price of inputs seemed to always increase at a higher rate than the prices we could get in the cattle market. After all that work, It felt more like a loss than a productive economic endeavor. Plainly said, I felt something was missing. We were not gaining ground in the ranching business. Ranching was no longer economically viable as it had been for our predecessors.
Because of my time at TCU Ranch Management, I had a firm foundation in grass management. I used this knowledge to begin doing my own research and, around 2021, I started looking for other approaches for the ranches I was managing. In one of my roles, I had already implemented an Adaptive Multi Paddock grazing program, so I knew there were better ways to utilize the resources that God has given us.
However, I still needed more time, or perhaps space, on how to better implement AMP grazing and my grass management knowledge to lead to better profitability. Finally, about 4 years ago, I took a job managing a smaller ranch - and with a little more time to think - I began to see things more clearly.
Learning about AMP Grazing from Books, Mentors, and Friends
I started out by reading books such as Holistic Management, Dirt to Soil, and Thoughts and Advice from an Old Cattleman. I began to completely analyze the full scope of ranch management and had an epiphany: first and foremost we are grass farmers before ranchers and the health and sustainability of our natural resources is paramount to our success. I wanted to bridge the gap between what I had previously learned in a conventional education and from my new more regeneratively minded mentors.
The most impactful step on my regenerative journey was visiting a close friend who was the manager at the Dixon Water Foundation in Decatur, TX. After being in absolute amazement of the tonnage and diversity of native grasses and forbes in the pastures, I was hooked.
They had incorporated a simple set up that allowed for multi-species grazing, something that I believed to be essential in my location. The work that animals can undertake to restore soil is unparalleled and absolutely necessary for functioning grassland health.
The manager, Jake McNamara, also insisted that I attend Ranching for Profit to continue my regenerative ranching journey. This class resonated with my passion for grazing, but also focused on how ranchers need to understand their economics and finances to be successful. As soon as I got back from Ranching for Profit, I started implementing changes on the smaller ranch that I was then managing.
Aligning AMP with Reduced Costs, Infrastructure, & Technology
The first change we made was adding water lines and troughs to allow for better overall utilization of forages on the ranch. Secondly, we added pastures with high tensile wire and further divided them with polywire. Lastly, we brought in goats that would thrive on the browse species the cattle didn’t utilize and added another source of revenue to the ranch. On our small grain and hay fields, we began to use a no till drill, started planting cover crops, and increased diversity when planting.
The change from conventional farming methods allowed us to decrease the use of fertilizer, eliminate the need for herbicide, and drastically reduce the time spent on equipment. All of this helped me to stockpile grass and decrease overall inputs. In my geographical area in central Texas, we often struggle with extended hot and dry periods. These droughts make it ever more important to capture what little moisture you do receive. The regenerative changes in management increased litter and organic matter on top of the soil to help catch and retain rainfall and helped protect the natural resources from recurring drought always around the corner. These changes also importantly built up the soil’s organic carbon stock.
Lots of factors drive this accumulation of carbon, but in my view the most important is the ability to effectively capture rainfall and grow better forages. AMP grazing management allows us to keep a larger sward of grass vegetative and growing while protecting our soil bacteria. Combined, these changes can mean greater profitability even in the absence of carbon payments, which are projected to go up in terms of dollars per ton every year in the coming decade.
Fueling the Regenerative Flame with Carbon Credits
As far as the Kateri Carbon Program, it’s ideal for Texans who, like me, wanted to get from a place of conventional ranching to a more profitable model by using regenerative grazing. Signing up for Adaptive Multi Paddock grazing investments from Kateri can help us create biodiversity, soil health, and other operational benefits for Ranchers across Texas. Kateri can even pay for investments – like water systems or technology to manage rotations – to help ranchers succeed in transitioning.
Anyone with a sizable ranch who is open minded and wanting to increase revenue and knowledge pertaining to their ranch should consider Kateri’s programs. There are many ways to graze that can be considered adaptive and help sequester carbon. We like to work with the ranchers to create a plan that is adaptive to each individual producer. Every operation is different and has different goals. Even while accommodating a multitude of individualized approaches to grazing, Kateri pays producers based on soil carbon changes realized after implementing AMP grazing strategies. That means it pays more to go from conventional to AMP grazing for most program participants.
Technology can also play an enabling role, especially on larger properties. GPS collars such as Vence can be vital in some of these larger ranches with rough landscapes that don’t allow for polywire or permanent fence to help with increasing forage rest and recovery periods. Virtual fencing and GPS tracking is also a game changer during this time when the market is high, and cattle are worth a lot of hard-earned money.
Saving Time and Money
When speaking with ranchers I consistently hear that they simply do not have the time to engage in AMP grazing principles. When initially starting out with AMP grazing, there will be a learning curve. However, you will quickly realize that you are ultimately saving time, money, and energy.
Combining herds for improved rotations & leveraging animal tracking with GPS Tags, Collars, or Virtual Fencing systems also helps you use labor where it counts & where the cows actually are.
Some examples of how hardware and software can lead to:
less time driving through the entire ranch every day and checking livestock
less gates to open
less fences to maintain daily
less time dealing with health issues and parasites
less wear and tear on equipment
Patience is also key when implementing AMP grazing. While, “on the ground” changes, may initially not look acceptable, a lot of areas that have originally been overgrazed and set stocked may see substantially more forbes, annuals and increasers, but as you continue to do a better job of managing forages a higher percentage of decreasers and perennials will start to grow over time.
Increasers are often less leafy, mature faster, and are less palatable for livestock compared to decreasers that are often more palatable and nutritious. The grasses in my area that I want to see are things like Big Bluestem, Little Bluestem, Indian grass, and Switch Grass rather than Silver Bluestem, Threeawns, Cheatgrass, etc. With time and patience, these desirable species start appearing where AMP grazing is underway.
Using Carbon to Reboot Ranching and Support Family Legacy in Texas
My ranching journey has taken traditional notions and retrofitted them for a new era and viable future, which will not only be profitable but sustain healthy soils. I believe the future of ranching is bright and will continue to thrive while bringing back future generations to generational family operations. Added revenue sources from carbon credits can make a transition to AMP grazing a smart, feasible option for many Texans. My goal is to help ranchers create financial stability through applying some of the lessons I’ve learned through my family, studies, and friends here in the great state of Texas.
Contact me today to get hands on with Kateri to graze for a brighter future.