Pictured above are a couple Greater Sage Grouse during mating season
WELCOME TO THE HERD THAT SUPPORTS BIRDS
Regenerative ranchers need the support of consumers and the government to continue caring for the land. By shifting toward sustainable, holistic practices, ranchers create a mutually beneficial relationship with the land. Instead of extracting from these ecosystems, ranchers can work within them, and as consumers, we are part of the rangelands’ ecological chain.
Let this be the beginning of a movement that values not only what we eat but how it is produced and the impact it has on the world we share. Pointing fingers will not heal our ecosystems. Working together will. Let us move forward as a herd, supporting the people who sustain the land, and caring for the animals and environments that, in turn, sustain us.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE…
Grasslands are among the most at-risk and least protected biomes in the world. As the World Wildlife Fund notes, their rapid disappearance threatens hundreds of species, including grassland-nesting birds, migratory mammals, and essential pollinators (WWF). These losses are not abstract environmental concerns; they affect food security, water systems, and the natural resources we rely on every day.
Ethically, we have a responsibility to the communities that feed us and to the environment that supports us all. I hope to inspire my audience to see themselves as part of a broader community that includes both people and wildlife.
On a personal level, this issue matters deeply to me. In my work, traveling and riding horseback on ranches across Montana, I have seen the difference that sustainable practices can make. Large landowners manage vast areas of grassland, and the choices they make directly shape the survival of the species that live there. I have watched birds return to areas where the land is cared for, and I have seen the emptiness that follows when habitat disappears.
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Pictured Below is a Long Billed Curlew
Frequently Asked Questions
WHY SUSTAINABLE RANCHING?
Everybody eats. Our basic need for food connects us all, and so does our shared responsibility to care for the planet that sustains us. Supporting sustainable agricultural systems is essential not only for our health but also for the survival of ecosystems. The land that feeds us is also home to countless species, and the way we manage it has long-term consequences that extend far beyond the dinner table.
When grazing is carefully timed and managed, it supports plant growth, soil health, and microbial activity. Scientific studies of mixed grass prairie ecosystems demonstrate the crucial role of grazing animals when managed ecologically.
WHAT IS THE BIRD FRIENDLYNESS INDEX?
Their Bird Friendliness Index shows that cattle managed through regenerative practices increase grassland bird abundance, diversity, and resilience compared to conventionally managed lands (Audubon, 2025). This research confirms that birds respond directly and positively to healthier grazing systems. For this reason, supporting regenerative ranchers is one of the most direct ways the public can help protect grassland birds that would otherwise continue to decline.
WHY BIRDS, HOW CAN I SUPPORT THEM?
Birds are at the center of this story because they reflect the health of prairie ecosystems. Many native North American bird species depend on open grasslands with diverse vegetation, strong root systems, and stable soil structure.
Prarie ecological research and Regenerative Ranching directly support the biological processes that sustain prairies, as healthy soils, diverse plant communities, and strong root systems that form the foundation of resilient grassland habitat. Working together, science based evidense in hand, ranchers can help create the same conditions that grassland birds depend on.
THE HISTORY
Before European settlement, prairies stretched as vast, continuous expanses of diverse plant and animal communities, supporting native grasses, forbs, and large grazing animals such as bison, deer, and antelope (National Park Service). Grasslands adapted to extreme temperatures, fire, and drought while supporting large animals like North American Bison and other herbivores, which in turn maintained soil health, plant diversity, and habitat structure. With the advance of agriculture and European settlement, these prairies became highly fragmented.
Modern livestock management changed drastically with the invention of barbed wire aka perimeter fencing. Animals were confined to smaller areas, often for extended periods. Overgrazing became common, and the land suffered. As the population grew and capitalistic markets demanded cheap meat, many ranchers overused their pastures. This history shows that grazing animals are not automatically good or bad for rangelands, but that quality and holistic management are imperative for rangeland survival. Concentrating livestock in smaller pastures on a rotational basis allows for longer rest periods, a method that varies by location, animal numbers, and forage quality and type.
Work Cited
National Audubon Society. “Conservation Ranching.” Audubon, 25 Aug. 2025,
www.audubon.org/our-work/prairies-and-forests/ranching.
Manske, Llewellyn. Degradation and Biological Restoration of Mixed
Grass Prairie Ecosystems. Dickinson Research Extension Center, Dec. 2012,
www.ndsu.edu/agriculture/sites/default/files/2022-10/topic2_volume2_report5.pdf.
National Parks Service. “Prairies and Grasslands.” National Parks Service,
U.S. Department of the Interior, 30 July 2024,
www.nps.gov/wica/learn/nature/prairies.htm.
World Wildlife Fund.“Sustainable Ranching Initiative.” WWF,
www.worldwildlife.org/projects/sustainable-ranching-initiative.
Wilson, Kelly, et al. “Encouraging Farmer Adoption of Regenerative Agriculture Practices in the United States.” Center for Regenerative Agriculture, The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Aug. 2023, https://cra.missouri.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/RegenerativeAgriculture.pdf.
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