406 Grazing Academy

Commodities

Practices

Approximately 70 percent of Montana is
made up of rangeland and pasturelands, making grazing lands
Montana's largest natural resource; of this 70 percent more than
40 million acres are privately-owned grazing lands. To help
protect and promote the importance of this resource, the
Rangeland Resource Program (RRP) was created by the Montana
Legislature in 1979.
Housed within the Conservation and
Resource Development Division at the Montana Department of
Natural Resources, the mission of the RRP is to assure that
sustainable rangelands support people, wildlife, recreation,
clean water, and the natural scenic beauty of
Montana.  

The RRP has a multifaceted purpose
which includes advocating for the balanced use of rangeland
resources and the promotion of responsible rangeland stewardship;
one of the educational opportunities the RRP provides to a
diverse audience is the 406 Grazing Academy. The 406 is a
three-day hands-on learning experience followed up with an
optional ranch visit that provides attendees the opportunity to
learn about sustainable grazing management techniques and
practices specific to their land/operation. Since its inception
in 2021, 83 ranch managers, producers, and various professionals
serving in the agriculture industry have attended the academy and
increased their knowledge of grazing practices for livestock and
wildlife, plant identification, soil health, invasive plant
management, and rangeland monitoring
techniques. 

The objectives and curricula of
the 406 Grazing Academy align perfectly with the SARE
Grant. The
406 teaches attendees about the environmental,
social, and economic dimensions of sustainable agriculture. The
406 is a multi-organizational effort that
brings together respected professionals and
ranchers
that are well-known as innovators in conservation and
sustainable agriculture practices to educate others about the
importance of sustainably grazed and managed
rangelands.
In addition to the in-class sessions, attendees also spend time
at various field sites performing hands-on rangeland monitoring
techniques, improving their plant identification skills, and
learning about soils. The teaching team of the 406 is comprised
of university faculty, experienced agency personnel, and
innovative local producers; all of which bring varied knowledge
and experience to share with attendees. The 406 provides an
interfacing opportunity for networking, relationship building and
collaboration on a grassroots level. Due to the structure of the
curricula and teaching team, attendees are encouraged to build
relationships and collaborative networking opportunities with
teaching staff during the hands-on field portions of
the academy and through the optional ranch
visit that
can be scheduled after the academy.