Ranching The Northern Great Plains: Holistic Planned Grazing

3 Minute Read

The Cinch Buckle and Antelope Springs Ranches are stellar examples of the significant positive impact that holistic planned grazing can have on ranches’ capacity, profitability, resiliency, and overall ecological health. Grasslands LLC, the manager of both ranches, has not only executed focused grazing plans over the course of their ownership, but has also invested heavily in the operations’ water and ranch infrastructure. The benefits to both ranches have been striking: increased stocking rates, improved biodiversity, and impressive financial performance.

As part of the Mountain & Prairie Podcast, Ed Roberson sat down with Jim Howell–rancher, author, and CEO of Grasslands LLC–to discuss the nitty-gritty details of his teams’ work on the Cinch Buckle and Antelope Springs Ranches. Highlights of our in-depth conversation include:

Holistic planned grazing, explained
History of Grasslands’ work in the northern Great Plains
Common traits of successful ranches across all geographies
Techniques for drastically increasing stocking rates on Antelope Springs and Cinch Buckle
The compounding consequences of grazing decisions
Lessons learned from ranching the Great Plains
Specific tools for grazing management
Replenishing ecological capital while remaining profitable
Improved quantifiable biodiversity and ecological health on both ranches
Importance of relationships with state and federal government agencies
Cinch Buckle and Antelope Springs as investments for non-ranchers
Best books and resources on planned grazing
And much more…

For the full list of topics discussed and links to all resources mentioned, visit the episode webpage.

As you’ll hear, Grasslands has invested an amazing amount of work, brain power, and resources into the Cinch Buckle and Antelope Springs Ranches, making them two of the most attractive and impressive cattle operations on the market today. For more information on either ranch, contact listing broker Duffy Brown.