Many times we hear the word “Dedication” and find it synonymous with words like devotion, commitment, and loyalty. In the circles of conservation and rangeland management no person has been more dedicated to the cause than John L. “Chip” Merrill of Crowley, Texas.  Mr. Merrill operated the XXX Ranch in Tarrant County for many years, which has been used to teach and demonstrate sustainable and profitable ranching to thousands of landowners and students. He was the director of the Texas Christian University (TCU) Ranch Management Program for 33 years, which provided the education and inspiration to lead hundreds of young men and women into successful ranching and private land stewardship.

Merrill has served and provided leadership in the ranching industry for five decades.  He has served as a director and member of the executive committee of the Texas Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association and is a past Director of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and Past President of the International Society of Rangeland Management. Merrill received the Golden Spur Award from the National Ranching Heritage Center.  

Merrill has been the consummate leader with respect to promoting the stewardship and sustainability of our country’s natural resources. He is the founding member of the National Grazing Lands Coalition (NatGLC), established to improve grazing management while maintaining property rights and personal stewardship. His accomplishments forged a path for countless land stewards, ranchers and natural resource managers to continue his conservation stewardship legacy.

As the National Grazing Lands Coalition turns 25 years old this year, it becomes a time to reflect on the accomplishments and celebrate the successes. Where would be we without Chip’s leadership?  I know for sure we wouldn’t be standing where we are today. I want to thank Mr. Merrill on behalf of the NatGLC for his decades of encouragement, motivation and inspiration.  Due to his insight, wisdom and zeal for good stewardship  we continue to “support voluntary ecologically sound management of all grazing lands for their adaptive uses and multiple benefits to the environment and society through science based technical assistance, research and education.”

Through the years, you may have heard any number of things about native grasses and the role they can play in a forage program. Some comments I have heard include, “they won’t grow around here,” “they are very low-quality forages” or “they are about impossible to establish.”

On the other hand, I hear they are “always better than non-native grasses,” “produce 10 tons of forage per acre” or “they should replace all of our other grasses.” Between these very positive and very negative perceptions, what are the facts? Based on several years of research conducted at University of Tennessee (UT), here are some facts concerning what producers can expect from native grass forages.  Continue reading..........

Source: Progressive Cattlemen To some, a rancher and a range conservationist could be considered “night and day,” but are these two groups of people really that different? Sure, one sports a vaquero hat and a pair of high-top boots while the other laces up some hiking shoes, but that’s not what we’re talking about. We’re talking about men and women that have a common vision – and that’s caring for the land. In the sagebrush country of northeast Nevada, just 10 miles west of Elko, is the home of Maggie Creek Ranch. Owned by the Bill and Sally Searle family, the 200,000-plus-acre ranch stretches across some of the roughest country in the U.S. With an average of 8 to 10 inches of precipitation and a district average of about 150 fires for approximately 100,000 acres, it makes running a cow-calf and stocker enterprise challenging. But it doesn’t end there; about two-thirds of Maggie Creek Ranch is owned and one-third is permitted on public grazing lands – creating a whole other set of challenges. Despite the ongoing battles between ranchers and federal agencies, Jon Griggs (the ranch manager) and the rest of the Maggie Creek crew have gone above and beyond, not only in caring for their land and cattle but also in fostering relationships.  Continue reading.........

Dairy Perspective: Finding $20,000 in a Mud Hole

By Jim Vanderlinde for Progressive Dairyman

There seems to be two viewpoints when it comes to grazing. It is either grain is poison, or grass is poison. Maybe those are just the loudest voices from either end of the spectrum, and we don’t hear much from the views that lie somewhere in the middle.

The “grain is poison” crowd likes to hang their hat on CLA, omega-3, save the world and cow health. While the “grass is poison” crowd swears that if they turn their 100-pound producing cows out in the sun, they could die, or worse!

I am somewhere in the middle when it comes to grazing. I like to get the cows outside as much as I can – there is something romantic about the cows being in the pasture – but I also need to make a lot of milk.  Continue reading......