Good stewards of the range

Grazing for Change tells the stories of ranchers who are working to improve the rangeland ecosystem as they pursue their livelihoods.

This 36-page booklet, produced by the California Cattlemen¹s Association, highlights nine ranches and three watershed groups using innovative techniques to address both economic and ecological issues. The ranches nominated for inclusion in the booklet are located throughout California and portray a variety of issues and solutions.

Each case history in the booklet includes a background introduction to the ranch and its owners, information about historic and current management, the stewardship goals of the owners, innovations and tools being used, the environmental benefits, the economic benefits, and monitoring being done. The pictures of each ranch gives the reader a feeling for its environment.

The discussions are very enlightening. Each ranch is managed with its own set of goals and faces its own unique challenges. While each case is different, all share with the reader the creative solutions employed to improve the economic and ecological health of the property.

The toolbox of techniques used by these successful stewards includes:

• rotational grazing
• offstream water development
• brush and woody vegetation control/removal
• rangeland water quality management plan or other management plan
• riparian restoration
• controlled burning program
• native perennial grass restoration

Most also have partnerships with one or more organizations or government agencies that provide technical and/or financial support.

This publication does an excellent job of sharing ideas for good stewardship while reminding the reader that, besides food and fiber, we also rely on ranches to produce ³open space, native grasses, functional watersheds, and healthy wildlife habitats.²

Grazing for Change is available online at http://calcattlemen.org/GC.htm. For information about ordering a hard copy, contact the California Cattlemen¹s Association office at (916) 444-0845 or staff@calcattlemen.org.