Press Room Working Lands

探花精选 to Expand Rancher-Powered Conservation for Birds Across 500,000 Grassland Acres

NFWF investment will scale regenerative grazing practices to the benefit of grassland birds
Greater Prairie-Chicken. Photo: Ravi Hirekatur/探花精选 Photography Awards
By 探花精选
Updated April 07, 2026 Published April 07, 2026

Washington, D.C. (April 7, 2026)鈥The 探花精选 today announced it has been awarded $4 million from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) through the Grassland Resilience and Conservation Initiative to expand bird-friendly ranching practices across the Central Grasslands鈥攐ne of North America鈥檚 most important and most threatened ecosystems for birds. 

Grassland birds are among the fastest-declining groups of birds on the continent, largely due to habitat loss and degradation across agricultural lands. Through this investment, 探花精选 will work with farmers and ranchers to implement regenerative grazing and habitat management practices that restore the structure and diversity of grasslands that birds need to survive鈥攚hile strengthening the productivity and resilience of grass-based agricultural operations. 

探花精选鈥檚 project will be delivered through its 探花精选 Conservation Ranching program, which in less than a decade has grown into one of the most recognizable and impactful grassland conservation programs in the U.S. Over the next three years, 探花精选 will enroll 32 new ranches into the effort, bringing another 500,000 acres in 13 states managed to support grassland birds under the unique 探花精选 Certified Bird-Friendly Land certification. 

Marshall Johnson, 探花精选鈥檚 Chief Conservation Officer, said the 150 farms and ranches currently in the 探花精选 Conservation Ranching program鈥攖otaling nearly 4.5 million acres鈥攕ignal a true producer-led conservation movement, one that this funding will continue to grow.  

鈥淭hanks to NFWF and program partners, this project increases the power and profile of voluntary, rancher-led conservation efforts to deliver measurable benefits for working lands, wildlife, and rural communities on half a million acres in America鈥檚 Central Grasslands,鈥 Johnson said. 

Dave Haubein, owner of Round Rock Ranch in Missouri and the first rancher to achieve 探花精选 Certified Bird-Friendly Land certification, emphasized the importance of recognizing ranchers as conservation leaders. Seeing his peer producer network lifted up as the driver of change is essential to the conservation success story. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 heartening to see growing support for partnerships that center on ranchers as conservation stewards for our nation鈥檚 grasslands,鈥 Haubein said. 鈥淩anchers know if soil, water, and grasslands aren鈥檛 healthy, neither are our operations. Being part of 探花精选 Conservation Ranching helped us put a name and a framework around practices we believe in, while showing that proper grazing can not only support birds and wildlife, but can increase productivity of the land and the animals.鈥 

探花精选 is one of six initial grantees鈥攊ncluding the , , , , and 鈥攕elected through the Grassland Resilience and Conservation Initiative, a landmark public-private partnership led by NFWF to invest more than $200 million over seven years in voluntary conservation across working lands. These initial six grantees are expected to work with more than 750 private cattle ranch operations across 26 states. The Grassland Resilience and Conservation Initiative funding is also supported by McDonald鈥檚 USA, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and several key McDonald鈥檚 USA beef and beverage suppliers.

鈥淭oday is a great day for America鈥檚 wildlife, its ranching communities and its beef supply chain,鈥 said Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO of NFWF. 鈥淭his first round of grants from the Grassland Resilience and Conservation Initiative shows what can happen when corporations, federal agencies, conservation organizations, and private landowners join forces to support both wildlife conservation and economic prosperity. This initiative is just getting started. We are confident it will play a leading role in grasslands conservation across the nation for years to come.鈥

Ranchers interested in participating with 探花精选 through the Grassland Resilience and Conservation Initiative should contact Thomas Schroeder, Senior Partnership Manager with the 探花精选 Conservation Ranching program, at thomas.schroeder@audubon.org.  

At a glance: 探花精选鈥檚 Grassland Resilience and Conservation Initiative project 

Project title: Implementing regenerative grazing and habitat conservation practices to enhance the biodiversity and resilience of grassland ecosystems in the Central Grasslands through the 探花精选 Conservation Ranching program. 

Project scope: Advance improved grazing management and conservation practices across 500,000 acres in 13 states. 

Key action: Enroll 32 new farms and ranches in the 探花精选 Conservation Ranching program 

Expected outcomes: 

  • Restore the habitat diversity that grassland birds depend on for nesting and foraging
  • Improve soil health and water retention, increasing resilience to drought and extreme weather
  • Enhance forage productivity and long-term sustainability for ranching operations
  • Increase carbon sequestration in soils
  • Demonstrate measurable improvements in grassland bird populations and broader biodiversity 

About 探花精选 Conservation Ranching 
探花精选 Conservation Ranching partners with ranchers to sustain healthy grasslands, abundant birdlife, and resilient rural communities. Through our bird-friendly land certification and science-based approach, we empower land stewards to enhance habitat, improve soil health and water quality, and strengthen the connection between conservation and ranching. By purchasing products from 探花精选 Certified Bird-Friendly Land, consumers become conservationists, helping protect America鈥檚 grasslands and the birds, wildlife, and people that depend on them. For more information, visit www.audubon.org/ranching. 

About the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation 
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) works with partners to foster sustainable and impactful conservation solutions so that people and nature thrive together. Chartered by Congress in 1984, NFWF has grown to become the nation鈥檚 largest conservation foundation. Since its founding, NFWF has funded more than 23,900 projects that have generated a total conservation impact of more than $12 billion. Learn more at鈥.