Colorado Resource Monitoring Initiative-Professionals Training

View the project final report

• 2016 annual report

Commodities

• Animals: bovine

Practices

• Animal Production: grazing management, grazing - multispecies, pasture fertility, range improvement, grazing - rotational, stocking rate
• Education and Training: extension, networking, workshop
• Natural Resources/Environment: habitat enhancement
• Production Systems: holistic management

The main goal of the Western SARE grant project titled “Colorado Resource Monitoring Initiative- Professionals Training" was to have more agency personnel and key leaders aware of the Colorado Resource Monitoring Initiative (CRMI) program through the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association (CCA).  Through their awareness and understanding of the program, agency personnel and other professionals could promote to stakeholders and landowners/managers.  This grant has enabled CRMI principles to be taught to federal agency, state agency, extension, NRCS and other rangeland professionals.  Since many of these entities has had personnel turnover since the inception of CRMI, it was important to cover the protocols, methodology and to provide a support system to ranchers to ensure continued success of the program.  Throughout the workshops professionals and landowners/managers learned the importance of rangeland monitoring and data collection as there is growing scrutiny on grazing practices (especially on public lands).  Hopefully, when rancher walks into a field office and inquiries about CRMI, the local field person will be familiar with the program, and know where to find answers to producers’ questions and who to reach out to for further information about the program. 

While the Colorado Resource Monitoring Initiative (CRMI) has been launched and all structural elements are in place to meet the needs of the stakeholders, it has been determined that in order to get strong participation there is a need to focus on educating the partners, at all levels, about this program.

CCA held workshops and follow-up meetings over the course of two years aimed at agriculture professionals.  These workshops targeted at four areas in the state.  The workshops took place in: January 2015 in Salida, CO; April 2015 in Conejos, CO; June 2015 in Craig, CO and July 2015 in Fairplay, CO.  All workshops averaged about 25 attendees, with about a quarter being agency personnel.  In the proposal, we stated that a follow-up webinar will be held after these four workshops in order to provide the information to individuals who were not able to attend.  However, there was very little to no interest in the webinar, so each attendee to the workshop was reached out personally with further information on CRMI and to see if they had any questions.  Also to further reach the landowner community, CCA has local cattlemen’s association affiliates in these areas, and while attending affiliate meetings, CRMI information was presented.