A Lot has Happened in 30 Years! |
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In June of 1991, a meeting was called by representatives of state and national agricultural, conservation, wildlife, and scientific organizations leading to the establishment of the Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative. Twenty-two states were represented at the meeting. During this first organizational meeting, six national organizations agreed to sponsor the GLCI. They were the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF,) American Forage and Grassland Council (AFGC), American Sheep Industry (ASI), National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD), National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), and the Society for Range Management (SRM). In December of 2000, the first national conference was held in Las Vegas, Nevada, beginning the triennial cycle of well attended conferences.
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By 2012, the organization continued these conferences, but this time hosted independently. The following year, the organization underwent a name change to what it is now known as, the National Grazing Lands Coalition. Since then, NatGLC has continued to progress. The organization has been awarded two Conservation Innovation Grants from NRCS, as well as strengthened partnerships with other organizations. In 2016, NatGLC developed a strategic plan to ensure that their mission to promote ecologically and economically sound management of private grazing lands for their adapted uses and multiple benefits to the environment and society.
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The Kansas Grazing Lands Coalition has been very busy this summer hosting educational workshops and tours as requested by ranchers. Extra educational events for small ruminants were added to the schedule. The response has exceeded KGLC's expectations and more producers than were anticipated attended.
Take a look at some of the photos from these events here.
Events sponsored to date: Tiffany Cattle Company Tour, Herrington; KS Youth Range Camp, Nat GLC’s Range Land Health Training at Smoky Valley Ranch at Oakley, Multi Species Workshop and Tour – Hank and Joanna Will, Scranton; Shannon Creek Ranch Tour at Joseph and Shelby Hubbard, Olsburg; Kansas Small Ruminant Tour, Saline and Ottawa Counties.
Upcoming events include: Three Range Schools, with Tall Grass, Mid Grass or
Short Grass Focus; Gibson Irrigated Pasture Tour with sheep at Copeland; Multi-
Species Grazing Tour at Nathan and Mike Marker Ranch and Pete Ferrell Ranch,
Getting Started with Grazing, Day Three – Grazing Matters You Should Plan For,
and Day Four – Designing a Grazing System that works.
If you would like to update NatGLC on what your state coalition is doing, reply back to this email or email the Director of Strategic Partnerships, Ellen Harrell, at ellen@grazinglands.org.
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Upcoming Events & Updates |
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The Program Schedule for
Conference is Live!
The 8NGLC Program Committee has worked very hard over the past weeks to select speakers and plan out the conference agenda.
You can view the completed agenda here!
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Scholarship Opportunities
The National Cattlemen's Beef Association is offering the Rancher Resilience Grant to support cattle producer attendance at impactful education events. Click here to read more and apply.
The Lynn Myers/Hezekiah Gibson Producer Memorial Scholarship will provide two producers $500 to cover costs associated with attending the conference. Click here to apply.
Visit our conference page on the website, new scholarship opportunities will be uploaded there as they become available.
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#AmazingGrazingLands
Video Release
NatGLC will soon release a new #AmazingGrazingLands film that tells the story of Bob and Kathy Lee's life on their ranch in Montana. This video is particularly special because it is in memory of Kathy Lee. Kathy recently passed after a long battle with cancer. The video was produced by John Irwin and will be released in the coming weeks. We hope you enjoy these pictures. Please keep the Lee family in your prayers.
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State Coalition Spotlight:
Montana
MGLCI recently helped fund a study on virtual fences and coalition member Ron Stoneberg was a direct participant. By using solar powered collars that utilize satellite positioning technology, livestock can be contained without the need of a physical barrier. This technology sees many benefits from streamlining pasture rotations, to always knowing where each animal is, and more. One particular benefit is seen in regard to the migration patterns of wild animals. Without fences obstructing their paths, wild grazers are able to navigate the landscape without harming themselves or the rancher's fences.
To see these collars in action and learn how producers are using this "Next-Gen Fencing", click here.
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A Word from Our
Chairman - Chad Ellis
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Thirty years...it seems like a long time, but in reality it's relatively short. For agriculture families, thirty years is about the time when typical generational transfers will occur for operations. For the National Grazing Lands Coalition, thirty years is a generation. Founded in July of 1991, the NatGLC has been in existence for thirty years. I came on as Chairman in the fall of 2014, and I am now in my final year as NatGLC Chair. The reins will be passed off. I’ve had the privilege of knowing and serving with some of the most accomplished, generous and service oriented individuals on our board of directors. It has truly been a privilege. Many have since moved on or passed on, but their presence and impact on our organization is still felt as much today as it was in the beginning; because to us they have become family. Many people talk about the value of money, but today I want to propose that time is the true and universal currency for us all. We each have a limited amount of time, some more so than others. I choose to spend my currency impacting the lives and land around me for the better. How will you choose to spend your currency?
In memory of Kathy Lee.
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NatGLC’s media team has been visiting the Southwest to produce a video for the new Indigenous Grazing Lands Coalition. During our time in Arizona, we were very pleased to learn about Navajo Fry Bread!
Spending a lot of time with Sadie Lister, an INCA Conservationist and key person in the video, she shared her family’s Navajo Fry Bread recipe with us and is letting us share with you! You can serve it up savory with Navajo Tacos or sweet and serve with a little honey and/or powdered sugar.
Navajo fry bread originated in 1864, when the United States government forced Indians living in Arizona to make the 300-mile journey known as the "Long Walk" and relocate to New Mexico, onto land that couldn't easily support their traditional staples of vegetables and beans. To prevent the indigenous populations from starving, the government gave them canned goods as well as white flour, processed sugar and lard—the makings of fry bread.
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Recipe:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder
½ cup powdered milk
1 ¾ cups of very warm water
Crisco for frying
Mix dry mixture and add 1 ¾ cups of very warm water and mix into a soft dough. You may add more or less water or more flour for dough. Take a small lemon size piece of dough and make your fry bread. Make sure oil is hot and be very careful placing dough in the oil.
Sadie says be careful with hot Crisco!
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8NGLC CONFERENCE
Click HERE to watch videos from
past conferences.
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Want to stay up to date on events? Click the image to see the NatGLC Calendar!
Have an event you want to add to the calendar?
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Goats, bees, and armadillo tracks become a learning experience for young William the naturalist. Walk with William at the Ebel Grasslands Ranch to explore how biodiverse grasslands ecology support so much life!
Our NuMinds' Inspirator (teacher), Kelli Klier Ebel and her family live on a restored native tallgrass prairie in Northeast Texas.
Escape to the outdoors and celebrate natural resource conservation.
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