Cattle producer Alejandro Carrillo will tell the story of how he has used regenerative grazing to build soil health and bring his ranch back to life during a Land Stewardship Project Zoom online event Friday, Feb. 4, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. The cost to participate in this event is $10 per person and children are free. You can register for the online event at https://landstewardshipproject.org/ grazing. For more information or to RSVP, e-mail Bairet Eiter at [email protected] org. As part of this event, grass-based livestock producer Caleb Langworthy of Wheeler, Wis., and Zach Knutson of Zumbrota, Min., will discuss how they are utilizing soil health practices to build a profitable, resilient operation. There will be time for Q and A Carrillo’s Las Damas ranch is located in the middle of the Chihuahuan Desert, about 250 miles south of El Paso, Texas. It consists of 30,000 acres, 25,000 of which are grazable. The entire ranch is operated as a dryland operation with no irrigated meadows, and the terrain consists of valleys with rugged canyons, mesas and mountains, all located within the Sierra Madre Range. No hay is produced on the ranch as cattle are expected to graze year-round.

Using regenerative grazing techniques, during the past several years Carrillo has increased the ranch’s water infiltration rate to between 18 and 20 inches per-hour; the neighboring ranch has an infiltration rate of only two inches per-hour.

“A crucial aspect of growing grass in the desert is the increased microbial stimulation resulting from the large grazing ruminants and the fertility they apply through their manure and urine,” said Carrillo. “This fertility helps stimulate the soil biology and, in return, stimulates the growth of new grasses from the latent seed bank.”

The story of how Las Damas used soil healthy systems to create resilient grazing lands has been lauded by soil experts such as Ray Archuleta.

“Years ago, I had no hope for the healing of agriculture and the land. But, now I do,” said Archuleta. “With my own eyes…I have seen desert, once again, becoming a grassland. Alejandro and a group of determined ranchers are beacons of ecological healing and hope.”