Texas Grazing Network

Regenerative grazing can be a powerful way to increase resilience to severe weather, like drought stress and flooding, safeguard healthy soil, reduce costly inputs, sequester carbon, and provide grassland habitat for birds, pollinators, and other wildlife. Yet, ranchers may be skeptical of adopting regenerative grazing practices due to their profitability and practicality concerns.

Farmer and rancher-led mentor networks effectively address concerns about regenerative practices because they enable peer-to-peer learning based on real-world experience. American Farmland Trust (AFT) established the Texas Grazing Network (TGN) to assist ranchers, especially historically underserved producers, in understanding the benefits of regenerative practices and providing guidance on successfully implementing them in their grazing operations.

AFT invites producers interested in participating in TGN as mentors or mentees to apply.

How to Participate

The following sections describe the program requirements and expectations for those interested in participating as mentors or mentees in the TGN. You can just read through the information about what each position involves and access the application on that page.

Program Information and Dates

Locations

The Texas Grazing Network began in North and Central Texas in 2024 and will expand into East and South Texas as well as the coastal regions in 2025. If you are in these areas and interested in improving your land stewardship with the help of a dedicated mentor, we encourage you to apply.

Key Dates

AFT will begin considering mentors in East and South Texas in fall of 2025. Initial mentor training will be conducted in person in December, and this cohort of mentors will begin providing technical assistance to mentees in early 2026. Read more about becoming a mentor on the ‘Texas Grazing Network Mentor’ tab.

Those interested in participating as a mentee are welcome to apply at any time. Mentor availability determines when we can begin providing technical assistance. Learn more about the benefits of participating as a mentee on the ‘Texas Grazing Network Mentee’ tab.

Partners

AFT has partnered with the Texas A&M Center for Grazinglands and Ranch Management (CGRM) and the Texas Agricultural Land Trust (TALT) to develop and conduct the TGN.

The CGRM is a Texas A&M University System-wide coordinated effort with the mission of safeguarding the ecologic and economic resiliency of grazing land resources and ranching operations. They are committed to providing innovative and sustainable solutions for the ranching industry.

TALT conserves the heritage of agricultural lands, natural resources, and wildlife habitats across Texas. They approach this mission through voluntary private partnerships with landowners who share the same vision. They work to keep landscapes intact, implement outcome-driven conservation practices, support strong agriculturally-focused economies, and reconnect Texans to the open spaces that provide food, fiber, water, recreation, and homes for both wildlife and people alike.

Texas Grazing Network Mentor

Mentors with demonstrated experience and leadership in regenerative grazing will provide individualized guidance and support to mentees interested in adopting or improving regenerative grazing in their operations. They will participate in a mentor training program to receive initial training on mentorship and various topics related to running a successful grazing operation, including soil health, adaptive grazing, succession planning, marketing, and business resources. They will be financially compensated for their time and effort (details below).

Qualifications

Those interested in being mentors need to demonstrate experience with regenerative ranching methods.

Beef cattle should be a producer’s primary agricultural enterprise to be a mentor.

Mentors should be located in or near the designated regions for this program.

Mentors must be able to commit at least three years to the TGN. We expect this time commitment to be approximately:

– 200 hours in year one;
– 240 hours in year two, and
– 50 hours in year three.

The size of a mentor’s operation does not matter.

Responsibilities

Attend in-person mentor training sessions and virtual training sessions (dates & times are TBD for training sessions).

Provide mentorship through technical assistance (TA) to other cattle producers on implementing regenerative grazing practices.

Provide mentorship to up to eight mentees throughout the project.

Conduct 50 hours of TA per mentee in the first year of mentorship, followed by 10 hours of TA per mentee in the second year of mentorship. An example of TA includes five visits to a mentee’s ranch (4 visits in year 1, 1 visit in year 2 of a mentorship), hosting mentees at your place of operation (or alternate site if more appropriate) for tour/demonstrations, monthly check-in calls with each mentee, planning and preparation activities, written feedback and recommendations.

TA topics and activities include completing mentee ranch assessments, establishing goals, regenerative grazing principles and practices, soil health, forage assessments, livestock health, applying conservation practices, technical & financial assistance programs and support organizations/resources, succession planning, financial planning, marketing, and creating a grazing management plan.

Record activities conducted with mentees.

Provide feedback and observations to AFT staff and complete surveys.

Compensation

Mentors will receive $30 per hour of engagement with mentees (60 total hours per mentee x $30 = $1,800 per completed mentorship).

Mentors will be compensated for travel to mentees’ places of operation at a rate of $0.70 per mile.

Mentors will be compensated for attending all in-person training sessions (approximately 20 hours) and virtual training sessions (approximately 10 hours) at a rate of $30 per hour, and they will be reimbursed for lodging, meals, and mileage to attend in-person training.

Apply to Become a Mentor

Texas Grazing Network Mentee

Producers interested in applying regenerative practices for the first time or expanding their current operations and would like to receive guidance and training from a fellow producer may apply to the TGN program to receive mentorship from a rancher experienced with regenerative production in the same geographic area. Those accepted into the program will be designated as mentees with the overarching objective of learning how to implement regenerative practices appropriate for their operations’ needs.

Benefits of Participation

Mentees receive personalized technical assistance from a mentor experienced in regenerative ranching methods in the same geographic area.

Mentees learn about financial assistance opportunities.

Mentees get access to potential financial incentives.

Mentees are connected to an expansive network of regenerative ranchers.

Mentees get access to subject matter experts and comprehensive resources.

Mentee Learning Objectives

Understand regenerative grazing principles and identify and apply practices appropriate for the mentee’s operation.

Understand and identify characteristics common in healthy soils and how to utilize a soil sample analysis to assess soil health.

Assess forage health, estimate available forage, and plan stocking rates based on available or anticipated forage.

Ability to assess animal health and condition in a regenerative ranching operation.

Apply conservation practices that address soil erosion and protection of water resources.

Understand the common technical assistance and financial assistance programs, support organizations, and resource tools available to the mentee.

Understand how to manage family dynamics and create succession plans for family-run ranches.

Understand financial planning and marketing strategies for a regenerative ranching operation.

Create a grazing management plan that utilizes regenerative practices to help achieve the mentee’s ranching goals.

Requirements to Participate as a Mentee

Mentees must be willing to learn from a mentor whose role is to guide the mentee to achieving his or her ranching goals. Mentors will provide observations, advice, recommendations, and instruction on various topics throughout the program.

Mentees should commit up to 24 months of participation in the program, with approximately 40 hours of work with a mentor in the first 12 months and 10 hours of work with a mentor in the last 12 months.

Mentees must be willing to have a mentor visit their ranch at least five times for up to four hours per visit.

Mentees will visit the mentor’s ranch once during the first year of mentorship.

Mentees must commit to a once-per-month virtual meeting (or phone) check-in with their mentor to review progress and plans and address questions and concerns.

Mentees will provide observations and feedback on their experiences to AFT staff.

To foster learning and promote community among the TGN, mentees must be willing to share their knowledge, experiences, successes, and lessons learned in a community of practice.

Apply to Become a Mentee

Texas Grazing Network Resources

This is a list of resources to assist TGN participants – both mentees and mentors – in topic areas such as soil health, grazing management, marketing strategies, and business planning.

Soil Health

Soil Health Principles for Regenerative Cattle Ranching. An overview of the six soil health principles and their importance in cattle ranching.

Soil Testing, Results, and Test Labs. An overview of the soil testing process, why do it, how to collect samples, various types of tests, and what the results mean.

How to Collect and Send Soil Samples. Instructions on proper methods for collecting samples for your soil test.

How to Measure Soil Health with the Haney Test. Learn how Haney soil health test measures biological health by looking at nutrient availability and microbial activity.

Haney Soil Test Interpretation. An explanation of how to interpret the Haney soil health test.

Understanding Soil Test Results. Overview of typical information you will receive in a soil test, what it means, and possible options for improving results.

Basics of Visual Soil Assessments Video. getting started with visual soil health assessments and demonstrates how to score different soils based on surface condition, color, and aggregation.

Rainfall Simulator Video. Watch how different soil conditions affect how fast rainfall infiltrates the soil.

Water Infiltration Test. Instructions on how to conduct an infiltration test and assess results.

Measuring Infiltration Rate Video. Video demonstration of how to conduct the water infiltration test.

Not All Rainfall is Effective. Learn how managing soil and increasing organic matter can increase soil water holding capacity and decrease runoff.

Grazing Management Plans

US Roundtable for Sustainable Beef GMP Development. Step-by-step GMP development resource. This is a GMP template source.

NCBA Grazing Management Workbook. A starting point in developing a personalized GMP that benefits the goals of your operation. This is a GMP template resource.

Noble Steps to Creating a Successful Ranch Management Plan. 7 steps and topic areas for creating a GMP tailored to your operation. This is a GMP template resource.

ATTRA Grazing Planning Manual and Workbook. Resource to help you write your own grazing plan, monitor its efficacy, and adjust your management. This is a GMP template resource.

NRCS Example GMP. Broad example of a GMP from NRCS. This is a GMP template resource.

Noble Self-Assessment. Assess variables in your grazing management plan against sustainability indicators.

NRCS Grazing Plan Checklist. Basic checklist to assist with developing a GMP.

Grazing Charts. A tool you can use to plan how you will manage grass, animals, and time.

Forages and Pastures

Rangeland Analysis Platform. The Production Explorer uses Landsat data to estimate biomass production. Data from 1986 to present. Includes stocking rate calculator.

Sampling Hay Bales and Pastures for Forage Analysis. Forage analysis can help you determine both the nutritive value and potential toxicity of forage, as well as the need for protein and mineral supplements.

Managing Forages to Increase Ranch Profitability. Coordinating your calving or lambing season with peak forage availability can cut costs for feed, supplementation and labor.

Manure Scoring Determines Supplementation Needs. With the change in season and forages entering dormancy comes the need to pay closer attention to your supplementation strategy to ensure cows do not lose body condition.

Guide to Pasture Condition Scoring. NRCS publication that explains pasture condition scoring, a way to assess how well a pasture is being managed and resources protected.

Mapping

Google Earth. Free mapping application for browser, mobile and desktop (Google Earth Pro).

NRCS Web Soil Survey. Web mapping tool to view soils, soil properties and ecological site data .

National Map. Topographical map resource provided by USGS.

Plan My Land Operation. Texas A&M Forest Service web application that maps soils, sensitive areas, and provides elevation profiles.

Soil Web. Interactive map that allows you to explore USDA soil survey data for locations throughout most of the U.S.

SoilWeb Earth. Allows you to access soil survey data through Google Earth.

Marketing

Where’s the Beef – Direct to Consumer Beef Sales. A guide for cattle producers interested in a direct-to-consumer marketing model.

Ag Marketing Resource Center. Information on marketing products direct-to-consumer along with information on related value-added products.

Cattle Marketing Plans: Traditional vs Direct-to-consumer. Overview of various marketing options for beef producers along with potential advantages and disadvantages of each.

Business and Financial Planning

AgPlan. Step-by-step instructions on how to create a farm business plan.

Developing Business Plans for Ag Producers. Guide to creating a business plan with worksheets to help you populate each section.

SCORE – USDA. Mentoring and assistance in business planning, financial guidance, and growth strategies for farmers and ranchers.

Ag Risk Library Budget Examples. Collection of Extension-produced budgets for various enterprises from across the country.

Texas Livestock Budgets. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension-produced budget examples for cattle and other enterprises for regions across Texas.

Cow-Calf Herd Budget Decision Manual. Detailed explanation of cow-calf operation budgets and decision point criteria.

Additional Questions? Contact:

Thanks for your interest in this program! We would be happy to talk to you further. Contact the Texas Grazing Mentor Manager, Evart Outlaw, at [email protected] with any questions you have about the program.