New Ranchers, New Needs: Why are first-generational ranchers deciding against traditional climate adaptation strategies?

Findings

During fieldwork, I interviewed 37 first-generation ranchers, with 31 participants completing follow-up surveys between July 2017-March 2018. FGRs are attempting to balance their socio-ecological goals —including climate change mitigation and ecosystem restoration — with economic realities by using strategies also common to MGRs — meat production, off-ranch work, and other forms of diversifying income streams. At the same time, FGRs are also creating innovative strategies that include targeted and contract grazing, and working for established ranches (being employees rather than owners, but with considerable management responsibilities). Key findings encompass first-generation rancher demographics, motivations to start ranching, climate adaptation strategies, and information sources.

Demographics 

Of the survey respondents, participants range in ranching experience, with the most experienced beginning in 1986 to the most recent beginning in 2014; on average, participants started ranching in 2006. The youngest rancher is 28 and the oldest 77, with a median age of 38--far younger than the national average of farmers and ranchers, which hovers around a median age of 58 (USDA Census of Agriculture, 2014).

Motivation to enter ranching

While quite a few ranchers set out with an explicit mission to manage livestock, many of the interviewees began raising animals due to multiple reasons, including the quality/quantity of land they were able to access, philosophical goals related to alternative agriculture, and a desire for the lifestyle associated with ranching. Interviewees on the whole manage their operations using techniques that prioritize ecological health, with many citing climate mitigation as a guiding principle from the outset. First-generation ranchers described how they find personal meaning in the lifestyle of working outside and managing landscapes that improve soil health and biodiversity. A deep passion and love of working with animals and learning how to improve degraded lands was cited repeatedly as a motivation to ranch.

Climate adaptation decisions

The strategies first-generation ranchers are using to adapt to climate change are directly related to the types of animals they are selecting and land tenure. The majority of FGRs interviewed are sheep producers, with many incorporating diversified production of multiple animals and some crop production (Table 1). Interviewees report that they chose the type of animal most appropriate for the ecological and climatic context. Eight percent of first-generation ranchers began as diversified vegetable farmers on self-described "marginal lands," but converted that land to sheep or goat production for ecological and economic reasons. Rather than cattle which predominate livestock production in California, most new ranchers are buying and breeding small ruminants that are locally adapted to certain bioregions of California. They describe choosing smaller regionally adapted species due to large amounts of capital, land, water and feed required to raise cattle. 

Table 1. FGR livestock and crops (n=31)

Creative land access is crucial to first-generation ranchers in California due to high land prices, with most using multiple ownership, leasing and alternative tenure strategies. Accessing prime agricultural land for vegetable and fruit production has become incredibly limited in California due to high cost as well as the consolidation and fragmentation of land. The primary way interviewees gain access to land is through developing relationships with land owners - often grazing for hire or securing leases at below-market rates. FGRs of all types talked about the creative arrangements they use, including grazing for free in exchange for their animals reducing fuel load on the property. Due to their lack of capital and uncertain land access, 16% of new ranchers have developed business where they are paid to graze public and private land for ecological services, from weed and invasive species abatement in vineyards, to habitat restoration and fire mitigation. 

Information sources

First-generation ranchers' philosophical commitment to sustainable agriculture within the California context requires creativity and innovative strategies. Many of the strategies they use are based on information from alternative information sources, such as the Savory Institute and Holistic Management Institute. 

When asked the level of importance for specific information sources to their operation, FGRs overwhelmingly value other ranchers’ knowledge and information over any other information source (Table 2). We found that most first-generation ranchers are aware of established ranching information sources such as California Cattlemen's Association, Farm Bureau, and Extension. Those who did not use these resources but were aware of them reported that they felt the information would not be relevant to their operation and/or felt philosophically opposed to the organization and its members.

Table 2. Importance of information sources to FGRs

[1] High and very high responses have been aggregated.