OUR COMMITMENT
We take our passion for the environment as seriously as our passion for cattle and are deeply committed to regenerative ranching practices that improve our rangeland resources.
Through local partnerships with NRCS, BLM, USFS, watershed groups, and NGOs we work to communicate shared values that expand our ability to preserve and improve soil health, grassland diversity, water quality, and availability. Over the years, we’ve had the opportunity to improve both private and public lands through a variety of projects.
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Planted 250,000 Ponderosa pine trees.
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Remove Juniper trees to improve groundwater, spring health, and maximize riparian health.
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Develop 25 springs and 3 new water wells to provide additional water for cattle and wildlife, with 4 more wells slated for development in 2023 and 2024.
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Fenced over 10 miles of South Fork John Day River to create riparian pastures for cattle management that provide enhanced stream bank stabilization, reduced erosion, and cooler water temperatures for ideal trout habitat.
REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE
Soil health is a prime indicator of the longevity of our natural resources and livestock management. We are members of Grazewell, a project through Country Natural Beef that’s currently bringing more than two million acres into regenerative management practices.
As we shift the ranch to a regenerative model, we’ve started the process of taking baseline soil tests and build a mapping system of the entire ranch. We take measurements of percent bare ground, water infiltration, carbon storage capacity, and plant diversity every five years.
The soil tests allow us to check the progress of our shifts in management style and allow us to be more strategic with how we utilize grazing rotations. The mapping system will help us track all this work, manage pasture rotation, and catalog other conservation projects like water development and Juniper removal.
SUSTAINABILITY & THE ENVIRONMENT
IZ Ranch is deeply committed to sustainable ranching practices and we take our passion for the environment as seriously as our passion for cattle. As ranchers, the land, forage, forests, and water are what sustains an economic unit for future generations – we are the ultimate environmentalists.
We also encourage you to read more about how the Cattle Industry benefits the environment, consumers, and the economy at large. We are actively collaborating with the following agencies in stewarding the land responsibly for future generations and look forward to continued work with them.