Conservation Ranching News

Wheels Up! Grass, Birds, and Good Food Take Off at Rafter W Ranch
August 31, 2026 — Ranchers Lance and Lisa Wheeler provide habitat for more than three dozen bird species at their ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ Certified Bird-Friendly ranch in Simla, Colorado.
ROCKIES
Two Western Meadowlarks perch on a barbed wire fence with cattle grazing in the background.
Bipartisan RANCH Act Offers New Opportunities for Working Lands Conservation
August 19, 2026 — Legislation would support farmers and ranchers, improve bird habitat, and bolster rural economies through voluntary conservation
Policy
Wisconsin Farms & Ranches Earn ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ Bird-Friendly Land Certification
August 19, 2026 — Seven new Wisconsin producers are managing their acres for birds and biodiversity
GREAT LAKES
Uplifting BIPOC Youth in Conservation Science, Regenerative Farming and Ranching
August 18, 2026 — ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ joined FrontLine Farming’s Black Teen Cultivators in Denver for a two-day event centered on bird conservation and regenerative ranching.
ROCKIES Conservation Ranching
A male Bobolink perched in a field of tall grasses with yellow flowers.
̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ Pilots Adopt-a-Flyway Recognition Program to Enhance 700 acres of Migratory Bird Habitat in Minnesota
July 28, 2026 — Minnesota provides key stopover and breeding habitat for the more than 325 bird species that travel along the Mississippi Flyway every spring.
UMR
TomKat Ranch Earns ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ Bird-Friendly Land Certification
July 28, 2026 — The California ranch restores important coastal prairie habitat for grassland birds by following science-based, holistic grazing management practices.
CALIFORNIA
̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ Surpasses 20,000 Acres of Grassland Restoration Through North Dakota Conservation Forage Program
July 22, 2026 — ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ Great Plains has received $2.5 million from the Outdoor Heritage Fund to continue its work bringing back grassland bird habitat on private lands.
GREAT PLAINS
̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ and FrontLine Farming Launch Partnership to Elevate Agricultural Interests of BIPOC, Young or Beginning Farmers and Ranchers
July 17, 2026 — July’s event, co-hosted by ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ Rockies and FrontLine Farming, will introduce participants to regenerative ranching and the role of birds and conservation in our food system, providing them with ecological knowledge and land-based skills in livestock management.
ROCKIES
Greater Prairie-Chicken displaying on a lek in a grassland, with inflated orange air sacs and raised pinnae feathers.
Half of Americans Have Little to No Knowledge of Grasslands, the Country’s Largest Natural Habitat
June 24, 2026 — A new survey finds that, after learning more, 68% of respondents now consider grasslands a critical ecosystem
Old Salt Co-op Cattle Ranches Earn ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ Bird-Friendly Land Certification
June 16, 2026 — J Bar L Ranch, LF Ranch, Mannix Ranch, and Sieben Live Stock Company manage their herds to help Montana's grassland birds