Technical Assistance and Workforce Development on Grazing Lands
by CRARS staff member Sheryl Karas. M.A.
The Center for Regenerative Agriculture and Resilient Systems (CRARS) is pleased to announce that we received the USDA NRCS Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative (GLCI) grant we were awarded in 2024 in September 2025. This initiative distributed $22 million in cooperative agreements for 29 projects in 36 states to expand access to conservation technical assistance for all livestock producers and increase the use of conservation practices on grazing lands.
The GLCI program has great significance for ranchers in California. 62% of California land (approximately 62 million acres) is considered to be rangeland. However, there are far more producers needing assistance than service providers. The CRARS project is designed to help solve that deficit in concert with additional goals in alignment with the GLCI mission.
Exciting parts of our project include:
- Increasing the number of technical assistance providers (TAPs) trained in regenerative grazing land management practices and principles available to work with producers and participate in grazing coalitions.
- Expanding and establishing peer-to-peer networks to expand producer and technical assistance provider understanding and success with regenerative grazing practices.
- Free technical assistance for producers interested in grazing management plans.
- The creation of a course on Tribal Co-Stewardship Conservation Planning.
- A monitoring program that will produce a case study on the application of tribal co-stewardship conservation planning to restore native Modoc Nation rangeland.
We received the funding in September 2025, but the project hit the ground running fast. Our Grazing Management Technical Assistance Provider Dunbar Mecklin has started helping over a dozen northern California livestock producers and land managers plan regenerative grazing practices. He and our Rangeland Specialist Wendell Gilgert have also done a preliminary walking of the land and assessment at the Modoc Nation and have started the process of planning and holistic goal setting with tribal land managers with Ken Sandusky, the Resource and Development Director at the Modoc Nation.
Scholarships available to TAPs working on grazing lands through this project will continue to expand our ever growing network of regenerative TAPs in the California and beyond. As new TAPs are certified by completing our Regen Ag TAP Certification Program, we will be able to expand the pool of services available to producers even further. We estimate that about 10 people per year will receive grazing land management training and mentorship in this program. When the Modoc Nation case study is complete, that will be shared with other indigenous communities, as well as with TAPs who will hopefully be able to draw many lessons learned from the case study.
Learn more about Dunbar Mecklin.
Learn about Wendell Gilgert and the class he offers on Ecological Range Management and Adaptive Grazing in our TAP Certification Program.
Learn about Ken Sandusky and the class he has been developing on Tribal Co-Stewardship Conservation Planning for the TAP Certification Program.
Alignment with California and NRCS Agricultural Goals
State-generated assessments predict significant warming trends, more severe droughts, and more frequent and intense flooding events throughout California. If the state’s agriculture is to build resilience against existing and future impacts of changing weather conditions, targeted agricultural practices must be implemented on all production systems, including grazing lands. Research indicates appropriate regenerative grazing practices can:
- Contribute to on-farm resiliency against the effects of changing weather conditions and depleted natural resources.
- Improve the water-holding capacity of the soil.
- Improve pasture productivity.
- Protect the soil from erosion.
- Improve water quality.
- Increase biodiversity.
- Sequester carbon in the soil.
- Reduce invasive herbaceous species.
Effectively working in collaboration with private, public and tribal entities to implement conservation practices on grazing lands is critical to implement land management practices resulting in increased soil health and ecosystem services. A recent study by Stanleyet al. suggests that ranchers feel isolated and unsupported as they work to implement such plans on their properties. Furthermore, TSPs are not always trained in regenerative agroecological rangeland management strategies. Expanding the number of trained providers in California is crucial to addressing the needs of the state’s ranching community.
Our project’s activities identify and remove barriers to accessing grazing information, programs, and networks through a combination of technical assistance, education, workforce development, and knowledge sharing in managing rangelands and pastures.