On a road trip in Texas, I observed three types of high-impact conversations among the agricultural conservation community — all of which fostered connection and changed behavior.
I recently joined the AFT Team in Texas and quickly hit the road in my brand-new AFT polo to support our Texas Grazing Network (TGN) program. I headed to south Texas to support an on-ranch interview, attend a screening of a docuseries, and participate in the Southern Family Farmers and Food Systems (SFFFS) conference — all in three days! While reflecting on our interview at the Bluntzer Ranch, the stories of the Roots so Deep screening, and discussions at the SFFFS conference, I was able to witness firsthand how different types of conversations can forge connections and motivate change.
Stop 1: Ranch Visit
My first stop was to visit with participants in TGN, where land stewards receive personalized guidance from an experienced mentor producer on implementing Texas regenerative grazing practices. At the Bluntzer Ranch, I met Michelle, her father Dr. Bluntzer, and their ranch manager Cutler, who spoke about their relationship with their TGN mentor, Vance. The Bluntzer Ranch team shared how their mentor’s deep experience and knowledge is making their transition from conventional grazing to regenerative grazing as seamless as possible and saved them from repeating the mistakes that Vance and other mentors have made themselves.
TGN staff ensure each mentor-land steward pairing is carefully matched based on mentor experience and land steward needs. These relationships are designed to cultivate mentorship with both an outside perspective and regional expertise, ensuring applicability and a fresh set of eyes. In the case of Bluntzer Ranch, their TGN mentorship has been the key to unlocking their adaptive grazing potential while fostering their generational land into the next decade of ranching.
Stop 2: Documentary Screening
For those of you who haven’t yet watched the docuseries, “Roots So Deep: You Can See the Devil Down There”, I highly recommend you check it out. AFT’s TGN program co-hosted a screening of this series along with Texas State University’s Small Producers Initiative (SPI). The producers of the series found five pairs of cattle producers who shared property lines, with one producer using conventionally grazing and the other using adaptive grazing. The series highlights the differences that can be seen between the two practices on neighboring property.
What stood out to me the most was that the subjects of this series often failed to have conversations with their neighbors about what they were doing on their land. The conventional grazers acknowledged that they could see a visible difference in what they were doing versus what their neighbors were doing but never tried to bring it up in conversation with the folks on the other side of the fence, even if they were on friendly terms. Once the pairs were introduced and those conversations around grazing practices were initiated, the conventional grazers opened right up with questions and comments for their neighbors.
I won’t spoil it for you, but more than one conventional grazer opted to try adaptive/rotational grazing with the support of their very own neighbor. Imagine the impact if they had leaned across that fence line before a whole research team and camera crew had to get involved!
Stop 3: SFFFS Conference
My third and final stop was to attend the SFFFS conference on the beautiful Texas State University campus overlooking the headwaters of the San Marcos River. I am relatively new to the conservation sector – having spent the first decade of my career in international agricultural development – so this event was incredibly impactful for me, and I learned a ton! All that learning came from panel discussions, lectures, and conversations with attendees who stopped by our AFT exhibitor table.
Convening at these high-profile events is incredible for growing and nurturing our networks, sharing and listening to lessons learned, and having inclusive conversations around the issues of our industry. It’s community at a large scale, enabling hundreds of conversations and connections at once that rapidly advance learning and behavior change.
A Triad of Conversations
It’s an odd thing when an introvert finds herself working in communications and outreach. Perhaps that’s what enables me to see these types of conversations so clearly. By default, I’m in observation mode. In just a few days, I witnessed a mentor driving miles to support and guide a land steward in their transition to adaptive grazing, I saw neighbors who finally walked across their pastures to ask each other about their grazing practices, and I experienced a large gathering with hundreds of agricultural conservationists discussing the latest in food production science and technology.
For those looking to learn more about regenerative grazing in Texas, talk to your neighbor or attend a community gathering. And when you’re ready to join the Texas Grazing Network, email my friend and colleague Evart Outlaw – he’ll get you set up for many more conversations.
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