What if grazed wild, open spaces were actually open? Is barbed wire still useful? Can we afford it? Are there other ways to control livestock distribution today? Would other options be "better"? Fenceless control of livestock has been discussed for decades, and these technologies may mimic herding, which was practiced nearly everywhere, at least on large landscapes, up until the invention and adoption of barbed wire in the late 1800s. This interview discusses pros and cons of permanent wire fence, hoped-for benefits of virtual fence, varieties of virtual fence systems, and the many applications for the deliberate, targeted grazing made possible through virtual fence, and much more.

SHOW NOTES & TRANSCRIPT AT https://artofrange.com/episodes/aor-120-could-virtual-fence-transform-rangeland-grazing-launchbaugh-deavila-pearson

Rangelands and people inevitably change. Managing that change involves people influencing people. The Society for Range Management's international annual meeting is the flagship ecological event of the year, bringing together ranchers, researchers, agency land managers, students, and other professionals from all over the world to share information and encourage one another. Dave Voth and Meghan Brown have worked hard to make this interaction productive and enjoyable. Listen in on this discussion about the content and goals for this meeting in the heart of American rangeland, Sparks, Nevada, including live interview plenary sessions to be broadcast live on The Art of Range. Don't miss this conversation and this important meeting!

TRANSCRIPT AND LINKS AT https://artofrange.com/episodes/aor-119-change-range-2024-nevada-meghan-brown-dave-voth.

Can grazing be used to help ecosystem function or is 'do no harm' the best we can do? What is meant by the new buzzword "regenerative"? Graeme Hand has been teaching and practicing grazing decision-making for a long time and has championed the idea of experimentation at spatial scales at which failing is not fatal to the environment or a livelihood. Kevin Muno is a rancher in southern California trying these ideas out at the ranch scale. We discuss measuring success using Landscape Function Analysis, a system developed in Australia by CSIRO and similar to the NRCS rangeland health matrix.

TRANSCRIPT AND LINKS AT https://artofrange.com/episodes/aor-118-safe-fail-experimentation-regenerative-grazing-graeme-hand-kevin-muno.

"Beef is what's for dinner; open space is what's for dessert." Rick Knight is a wildlife professor who has spent decades bridging ranchers and environmentalists (whatever that means now). His research has shown that private ranchlands are critical for wildlife and that grazing may be quite important for conservation of habitat values.

Transcript and links to resources mentioned in this episode at https://artofrange.com/episodes/aor-117-ranching-radical-middle-rick-knight-reloaded.

Anna Clare is a rangeland ecosystem scientist, systems thinker, synthesizer, and collaborative facilitator. This interview continues with one of the major themes of the SRM Ecosystem Services report introduced in episode 111 with Lauren Porensky and Jeff Goodwin -- human dimensions of ecosystems, including sociocultural valuations. The conversation spans ways of identifying and valuing intangible ecosystem services, the Millenium Ecosystem Assessment terminology for these concepts, using Q statistical methodology to identify commonalities in sociological data rather than differences, and the perspectives of ranchers on "Nature's Contributions to People." A rancher herself, she brings her unique skillset to natural resource and grazing management in both her for-profit company, Graze LLC, and non-profit organization, Rangeland Living Laboratory.

Transcript and links to resources mentioned in this episode are at https://artofrange.com/episodes/aor-116-understanding-natures-contributions-people-anna-clare-monlezun.

Napier Downs is a million-acre cattle station in the Kimberley region of Northwestern Australia. They export Red Brahman yearlings live to Indonesia, 15-20,000 animals per year, raised in a tropical savanna. We discuss the humanitarian importance of this live export market, the love-hate relationship with fire in this part of the world, land tenure arrangements on pastoral leases, and the distinctives that gave Napier Downs cattle a reputation for being the best in NW Australia. James is an Australian native and Barbara is a transplant from Scotland who has found her niche and her voice. Join Tip in his discussion with James & Barbara Camp.

TRANSCRIPT AND SHOW NOTES available at https://artofrange.com/episodes/aor-115-cattle-raising-kimberley-australia-james-barbara-camp.

This is a re-release of one of the first episodes on The Art of Range. Fred Provenza discusses ideas from decades of research and experience on how animals and environment affect each other. Dr. Provenza calls this interaction a dance, which he has written about in his book “Nourishment”. Discussion includes how domestic animals can be selected or trained to match their environment and how this intersects with ecological, economic, and social resilience of rangeland-based livestock operations.

Full transcript and links to resources mentioned in this episode are at https://artofrange.com/episodes/aor-114-best-aor-fred-provenza-animal-environment-interactions-re-release.

How does your agricultural business compare to similar operations in financial performance metrics? That's the question answered by benchmarking. Megan Shroyer is the president of Montana AgWest Farm Credit Services and she offers guidance on how to properly use benchmarking as one element of understanding and managing ranch financial health. Financial stress is usually what causes a ranch to call it quits. Even though society values the intangible ecosystem services provided by large landscapes, there are still few mechanisms to monetize these services. Megan describes the range of services offered by AgWest Farm Credit to help agricultural business thrive, including low-interest grants for beginning farmers and ranchers.

Find the transcript and show notes at https://artofrange.com/episodes/aor-113-agricultural-financial-benchmarking-megan-shroyer-agwest-farm-credit.

Is environmentally sound livestock grazing more financially viable than overgrazing or just thoughtless grazing? If so, why? Dave Voth is a rancher in Nevada who helps lead the Society for Range Management's Good Grazing Makes Cent$ Program, an effort to take range science directly to those who make a living on the land. At least in rangeland settings, there are no future farmers without stewardship today, because economics are tied to ecology. Listen to Dave describe the intent of this outreach program for land managers of all types.

Learn more about Good Grazing Makes Cent$ at https://goodgrazing.org/. Membership in GGMC includes SRM membership! Don't miss this two-for-the-price-of-one deal.

Transcript available at https://artofrange.com/episodes/aor-112-good-grazing-makes-cent-dave-voth

A new report published by the Society for Range Management, Connecting Nature and People, outlines key ecosystem services provided by rangelands and their benefits to society. Agricultural Research Service scientist Lauren Porensky and Texas A&M Center for Grazinglands and Ranch Management director Jeff Goodwin discuss the report’s origins, framework, and upcoming plans for the project.

A transcript of this interview and the Ecosystem Services report link are available at https://artofrange.com/episodes/aor-111-ecosystem-services-connecting-nature-people-lauren-porensky-jeff-goodwin.