Cattle ranchers are committed to the environment for the future With Earth Day (April 22), sustainability is top-of-mind. As a rancher, I am proud to provide both high-quality beef for consumers today, and use them as a tool to maintain the land to provide a better future for generations to come.

Our area is riddled with invasive Eastern red cedars, which utilize a tremendous amount of water, reduce native grasslands and are an extreme wildfire hazard. I take great pride in our prescribed burn association where neighbors help neighbors to apply prescribed fire to our rangelands to reduce this threat. Fire not only controls this invasive species, but it also improves soil health, increases wildlife habitat and preserves precious water resources. In addition, wildflowers spring up in burn areas to provide food for pollinators such as the monarch butterfly.

Cattle are efficient animals that help properly manage the range and assist in reclaiming the land from invasive species, protecting riparian areas and reinvigorating grasslands. Using cattle and land stewardship practices together improves the ecosystem.  These land management efforts have a ripple effect, helping the land as well as the people in communities across the state.

This type of ingenuity and resourcefulness is practiced by farmers and ranchers all over the country.

I’m committed to continuous improvement so that we can produce the beef consumers know and love, while preserving our natural resources. It’s a practice that will allow us to continue living off this land, generation after generation.