Regenerative ranching, from a working operation
Land That Works
Practical writing on grazing, soil and water, livestock, and land management. No theory without dirt under it.
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Articles
Why Watershed Thinking Matters for Soil and Water Management on Your Land
Learn how upstream and downstream land use influences your property's water flows, erosion, and soil health, and why planning at the watershed scale produces better results than property-line thinking alone.
Using Gabions and Check Dams to Repair Gullies and Rebuild Soil
Learn how gabions and check dams slow water in gullies to reduce erosion and allow sediment and vegetation to rebuild over time.
Why Soil pH Matters for Pasture Health and Soil Water
Explore how soil pH controls nutrient access for plants, the signs of mineral imbalance in forage and livestock, and why soil testing is essential before making any changes to support healthy water cycles.
There's a Misunderstanding About Swales and On-Contour Water Infiltration
Learn how swales slow, spread, and sink water into the landscape, when they are the right tool, and how they relate to keyline design developed by P.A. Yeomans.
There's a Misunderstanding About Pasture Pests and Soil Water
Learn how grazing management and habitat practices can reduce pest pressure on pastures while improving soil structure and water infiltration in regenerative systems.
Understanding Toxic Plants to Keep Livestock Safe
Learn about the risks common toxic plants pose to grazing livestock and how diverse pasture combined with good grazing management can reduce those risks while site-specific plant identification remains essential.
Understanding Biochar for Long-Term Soil Water Building
Learn what biochar is, how it improves water and nutrient retention through its porous structure, and realistic expectations for producing and applying it on a working property.
There's a Misunderstanding About Greywater Reuse for Soil Water
Learn safe practices for reusing household greywater to support soil moisture and health while following basic design principles and avoiding common errors.
Synthetic Fertilizers' Disruption of Soil Biology
Discover how synthetic fertilizers used to overcome lifeless soil can harm beneficial microorganisms, reduce soil life, and limit long-term regeneration compared to natural processes.
The Impact of Grazing Intensity on Perennial Grass Root Depth and Soil Resilience
Grazing less than 50% of grass height during intensive moves allows perennial roots to grow more than 8 feet deep for greater drought resilience and water capacity while over 50% removal or continuous grazing causes root dieback and erosion vulnerability.
The Scale of Permanence and Keyline Design
Learn how approaching land design with the scale of permanence and Keyline principles helps landowners work with natural landscape features instead of against them for greater resilience and production.
Soil Water Management: Where Irrigation Fits in Regenerative Grazing
Learn practical approaches to soil water in regenerative systems, including when irrigation is appropriate and how to build the land's natural capacity to hold moisture.
Silvopasture: Combining Trees with Grazing Land for Better Results
Learn the basics of silvopasture and how integrating trees into grazing land can offer shade, soil improvements, and additional yields compared to keeping them separate.
Soil Farmers: Why the Process Matters for Soil Improvement
Discover why focusing on the process of building soil life, rather than end products and synthetic inputs, is essential to avoid degeneration and support regenerative land management.
Selecting Native Plants for Street-Side Basins to Boost Pollinators, Edible Yields, and Urban Biodiversity
Integrating indigenous trees, shrubs, grasses, and organic matter into street-side catchments recharges groundwater, builds soil moisture, creates pollen sources, attracts beneficial species, and provides fruit for residents along with potential harvest income.
Restoring Soil and Water with Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration
Learn how Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration encourages tree and shrub regrowth from existing root stock and seed banks to rebuild degraded land, supporting soil health and water retention at low cost.
Sheep Herding Fundamentals for Regenerative Operations
Explore core principles of managing sheep in low-input pasture-based systems, including flock behavior, predator pressure, and integration with other livestock through a flerd.
Regrarians Refinements to Management Layers for Soils and Economy
Examine how the management layers of soils and economy in the Regrarians' expanded version of P.A. Yeomans' Scale of Permanence contribute to resilient landscapes with greater production and carrying capacity.
Parasite Reduction and Rest Periods in Intensive Rotational Grazing Schedules
Learn how the 12-day parasite lifecycle from dung informs daily cattle moves and climate-based rest periods of 30 to 90 days to cut parasite and fly exposure in intensive rotational grazing while boosting carrying capacity over casual methods.
Prioritizing Water and Access in Infrastructure Layers of Permanence
Learn how the Scale of Permanence puts water and access first so these early decisions can guide your choices for forestry, buildings, fencing, and energy on any property.
Property Considerations for Productive and Resilient Ranch Land
Learn why large ranches are often subdivided, the challenges of finding viable agricultural property, and how regenerative practices can boost productivity and carrying capacity without breaking up the land.
Planned Grazing: Matching Livestock Density and Movement to Land Needs
Learn the core principles of planned grazing from Allan Savory's Holistic Management framework and how it differs from other rotational approaches to support land recovery.
Intensive Rotational Grazing and Soil Health: What It Actually Means
Intensive rotational grazing addresses soil health, cattle hygiene, and natural herd behavior to build healthier pastures and more resilient land.
Nutrient and Growth Cycles for Grasses
Learn the three stages of grass growth and how grazing at the right time in an intensive rotational grazing system builds deeper roots, captures more nutrients, and improves carrying capacity and soil health.
Parasite Control Through Minimum 10-Day Cattle Moves
Moving cattle every ten days prevents exposure to parasites that propagate in manure after twelve days, resulting in healthier livestock and marginally reduced fly problems.
Mimicking Predator-Forced Bison Behavior for Soil Restoration
Learn how short-duration intense grazing from bunched herds, shaped by predator pressure, tramples grass, deposits fertilizer, protects perennial roots up to eight feet deep, and builds soil organic matter for massive water storage.
Integrating Multiple Livestock Species on the Same Land
Discover how combining ruminants, poultry, and pigs on one property can close nutrient loops and reduce parasite and pest pressure compared to managing a single species alone.
How Street-Side Catchments Can Recharge Soil Water and Revitalize Neighborhoods
Learn practical rainwater harvesting techniques using street-side catchments to slow runoff, rebuild soil moisture, reduce erosion, and support diverse plant life in urban areas.
Designing Roads as Water Features Using Scale of Permanence
Learn how to plan and construct access roads that align with natural water flows using the Scale of Permanence and Keyline to minimize erosion, prevent incision, and direct water purposefully.
How Proper Composting Supports Soil Water on Pastures and Gardens
This article explains aerobic composting, the carbon-to-nitrogen balance, and the benefits of finished compost over raw manure for enhancing soil water retention.
How Plant Guilds Support Soil Water Retention
Discover how companion planting and plant guilds from permaculture can improve soil structure, infiltration, and water holding capacity compared to monocultures.
Equipment, Fuel, and Time Savings Without Synthetic Inputs
Learn how eliminating synthetic fertilizers and associated tillage reduces machinery needs, lowers fuel expenses, decreases equipment wear, and improves time management by restoring soil life.
Generating Modest Income from 0.1-Acre Desert Permaculture Without Municipal Inputs
Discover how soil building, diverse planting, and integrated water systems on a tenth-acre desert plot can yield surplus food, eggs, and fish for modest income streams while eliminating reliance on municipal water and energy.
Grass Growth Stages and Optimal Grazing Timing for Nutrient Capture
Learn the vegetative, elongation, and reproductive phases of grass growth and how to time grazing at the end of elongation to capture peak nutrients in early afternoon while resetting the plant cycle and preventing seed production.
Fencing Strategies That Support Rotational Grazing
Learn how permanent, semi-permanent, and temporary fencing can improve pasture subdivision, water access, herd movement, and labor efficiency in rotational grazing systems.
Environmental Impacts of Subdividing Large Texas Ranches
Subdividing historic 1,000-acre Texas ranches into mini-farms drives excessive water well drilling that strains limited resources and reduces productive grazing land available to local ranchers.
Do Synthetic Fertilizers Affect Crop Nutrient Density?
Explore the questions synthetic fertilizers raise about crop health and nutrients when used to compensate for soil lacking biological life compared to regenerative approaches.
Engaging Residents and Cities in Rainwater Harvesting Demonstrations
Learn strategies for involving Safford homeowners in funding, planting, and maintaining intersection catchments like those at 2nd Avenue and 15th Street, drawing on visible successes modeled on Tucson projects to educate the public and encourage neighborhood and municipal adoption.
Choosing Water Storage for Ranch Livestock and Irrigation
Compare ponds, tanks, and cisterns for capacity, evaporation, cost, and their role in supporting rotational grazing and drought resilience on working lands.
Designing Farm Enterprises That Support Each Other
Learn how to plan livestock, produce, and value-added products so each enterprise reinforces the others functionally and financially instead of running in isolation.
Challenges of Acquiring Self-Sustaining Ag Properties Near Texas Towns
Exploring the real difficulties of finding properties with water, hay production, and grazing potential close to Texas towns, where recreational demand drives subdivision and makes it hard for large-acreage land to generate enough income to pay for itself.
Daily Paddock Shifts and 90-Day Rest for Large Herds
Learn how dividing land into 90+ pastures for daily paddock shifts with 90-day rest periods can lengthen growing seasons, build drought resistance, and produce calmer cattle.
Atmospheric Water Generators as Dual-Purpose Systems for Harvesting and Passive Cooling
Learn how atmospheric water generators capture moisture from Arizona desert air for drinking water and irrigation while delivering heat in winter and cool air in summer to cut reliance on air conditioning and furnaces in off-grid homes.
Applying Intensive Grazing and Keyline Design for Rapid Productivity Gains
Intensive grazing patterns combined with Keyline design, earthworks, and the scale of permanence can more than double carrying capacity, improve drought resistance, and enhance water management with positive results often evident in the first year.
A Common Question About Soil Water and Vermicomposting
Explore how vermicomposting turns manure and organic waste into worm castings that support soil water retention through established regenerative practices.
Adapting Hugelculture into Below-Grade Hugelpits for Desert Soil
Modify traditional hugelculture by burying organic matter in below-grade hugelpits to retain moisture, reduce evaporation, and protect against wind-driven sand in the deserts of southeastern Arizona.
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