The Future of Livestock Grazing on Federally and Tribally Managed Lands

Commodities

• Animals: bovine

Practices

• Animal Production: grazing management, range improvement, rangeland/pasture management
• Education and Training: decision support system, demonstration, extension, farmer to farmer, participatory research, technical assistance, youth education

Northern New Mexico ranchers rely on federally and tribally managed lands for livestock production. Yet current management processes often rely on limited data and insufficient incorporation of rangeland conditions, wildlife utilization, and producer observations. This project addresses those gaps by integrating standardized quantitative producer-led monitoring with qualitative producer knowledge to improve site-specific management and strengthen cooperative management with agencies.

The proposed three-year extension builds on a successfully completed first phase (2023-2026) that established a functioning infrastructure for monitoring, assessment making, and peer-to-peer training across four allotments. The extension will maintain monitoring at those sites and expand to two additional National Forest allotments and two tribal assignments across a total of 140,611 acres. This expanded effort strengthens ecological and regional representation, and improves the evidentiary basis for evaluating grazing guidelines.

The project is guided by two central research questions:

1. How do rangeland conditions affect livestock operations on federally and tribally managed grazing lands?
2. How can producer-led rangeland monitoring strengthen rangeland health, livestock production, and rancher profitability?

Objective 1 collects quantitative data regarding forage, water, and wildlife conditions using the Rapid Assessment Methodology (RAM). Monitoring occurs at five sites per allotment and includes measurements of forage production, vegetation composition, ground cover, residual biomass, soil surface conditions, forage stubble height, water quality and quantity, precipitation, and wildlife visitation. RaDAR (Rangeland Data Analysis and Records) is used to record and summarize data to create standardized quantitative reports on rangeland conditions, allowing for more frequent and widespread monitoring than traditional agency visits.

Objective 2 collects qualitative data regarding producers' observations of rangeland conditions and impacts on operations. Participant-observation, interviews, field notes, and participatory mapping exercises document how producers interpret and explain rangeland conditions, understand impacts on operations, and make management decisions. Qualitative findings are integrated with quantitative data to produce comprehensive annual allotment-specific assessments.

Objective 3 trains 20 additional producers over the three-year period to conduct monitoring, analyze findings, and provide data to co-develop site-specific management plans. Training includes twenty-four annual field days across monitoring intervals and eight winter workshops focused on collaborative data analysis and assessment writing. Ranchers trained during the first phase now serve as peer instructors, ensuring intergenerational knowledge transfer and expanding monitoring capacity within producer networks.

Objective 4 presents findings and management recommendations to producer organizations, land management agencies, professional audiences, and the broader public. Structured agency briefings, producer meetings, public exhibits, and scholarly dissemination strengthen transparency, collaboration, and institutional integration of producer-led monitoring.

We hypothesize that uninterrupted producer-led monitoring will improve site-specific management and strengthen cooperative management with federal and tribal agencies, thereby improving rangeland conditions, increase profitability and sustain livestock production across 2,200 animal units. By combining long-term ecological monitoring data, producer knowledge, education, and structured outreach, this project advances sustainable agriculture, strengthens rural economies, and builds durable cooperative management infrastructure across federal and tribal lands.

Objective 1. Collect quantitative data regarding forage, water, and wildlife conditions on six grazing allotments and two tribal assignments.

Objective 2. Collect qualitative data regarding producers' observations of rangeland conditions and impacts on operations.

Objective 3. Train ranchers to conduct monitoring, analyze findings, and co-develop site-specific management plans.

Objective 4. Present findings and management recommendations to other ranchers, land management agencies, and the public.