In grazing beef cattle operations across the U.S., grazing management, soil health, profitability and producer wellbeing are all connected. Scientific research to quantify these connections has lagged, despite growing challenges facing beef producers in recent years.
The “Metrics, Management, and Monitoring: An Investigation of Pasture and Rangeland Soil Health and its Drivers” project will measure soil health, environmental outcomes, profitability and wellbeing across a range of grazing management strategies in Michigan, Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado and Wyoming. This will require support from producers, like you, to work with researchers to collect on-site and operational data. Project participants will be asked to participate in:
• Training in land health monitoring in year one with a short survey-based evaluation.
• Potential installation of research equipment on-site for 4 years.
• Annual surveys (total 60 minutes) and an interview (1-2 hours).
• Annual sharing of beef operation financial records.
• Attendance at annual regional meetings and one whole team meeting in 2024, with participation in focus groups while present at the meeting.
By determining relationships between management decisions and ecological, economic and social outcomes, this research will create tangible benefits for farmers and ranchers, including improved monitoring tools to more easily evaluate pasture and rangeland health and decision support tools to help producers make informed decisions to benefit their operations. As a participant, you will also receive:
• Information about your farm/ranch’s soil health and socio-economic wellbeing.
• Training in financial analyses (income statement, balance sheet, and enterprise budget).
• Required software (Pasture Map, etc.) free of cost.
• Connections to producer networks via our partners.
• An annual stipend plus funds to support your travel to the regional meetings.
• The potential to label your products as part of the Land to Market program.
If this sounds of interest and you’re based in Michigan, Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado or Wyoming, first complete a 15-minute survey to share more about your beef operation. Completing these questions does not guarantee participation in the project, but will allow a group to be selected that covers a range of grazing strategies and locations. Survey participants will be contacted by phone or email to determine next steps by the end of February 2023.
To access the survey, visit msu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eRtw9ox5lfwrzDM.
Regional contacts
Michigan: Sarah Brokus, brokussa@msu.edu.
Oklahoma: Micaela Branecky, mrbranecky@noble.org.
Texas: Jeff Goodwin, jeff.goodwin@ag.tamu.edu.
Wyoming: Derek Scasta, jscasta@uwyo.edu .
Colorado: Paige Stanley, paige.stanley@colostate.edu. — Michigan State University Extension
