Sustainable Economic Management

Sustainable economic management is defined as managing the land, natural resources and ranch operations in a cost-effective manner to ensure profits and other benefits are generated for both present and future generations.

Sustainable economic management practices include diversifying ranch operations and income opportunities, reducing financial risk, increasing environmental stability and enabling beneficial partnerships. Changing environmental conditions and evolving economic markets make the adoption of sustainable economic management practices increasingly important to the long-term viability of ranching operations and the grasslands that support them.

Padlock Ranch

Big Horn, Montana

Padlock Ranch, located near Big Horn, Montana, demonstrates a commitment toward improved sustainability within the beef industry. The ranch’s beneficial practices focus on grazing and water management.
Perrin Ranching

Beechy, Saskatchewan

Perrin Ranching 1990 Ltd. is a fourth-generation ranch located in southwestern Saskatchewan near Beechy. Reg and Shannon Schellenberg, along with their son, Coy, and his wife, Laura-Lie, run this commercial cow/calf operation.
Rancho ‘El Uno’

Janos, Chihuahua

The El Uno Ecological Reserve, better known as Rancho El Uno, belongs to The Nature Conservancy NGO. The main purpose of the ranch is the conservation of grasslands and their biodiversity through the teaching and application of good stockbreeding management and grassland restoration practices.
Rancho El Gorguz

Janos, Chihuahua

The purpose of the adoption of sound management practices at Rancho El Gorguz was to strengthen ranch infrastructure to improve the grazing system and grassland conditions, thereby enriching the habitat for fauna.
Rancho Lujo Barato

Ascensión, Chihuahua

The purpose of adopting sound management practices at Rancho Lujo Barato was to strengthen ranch infrastructure to improve the grazing system and grassland conditions, thereby enriching the fauna habitat. After touring the ranch, it was decided to carry out the project at the El Sapo pasture, as it is very visible from the highway and easily accessed.
Rancho Plan de Álamos

Villa Ahumada and Chihuahua, Chihuahua

Rancho Plan de Álamos is located in the priority land region known as the Flores Magón and Sierra del Nido Grasslands in the central valley region of Chihuahua, where the state’s last uncultivated valleys are located. As part of the grassland conservation collaboration initiative launched by the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory and IMC Vida Silvestre…
Rancho San Blas

Ascensión, Chihuahua

The implementation of sound management practices at Rancho San Blas was intended to improve the grazing plan and the grassland conditions to benefit the habitat for area fauna. Prior to the project, the ranch had 10 paddocks, although their size, as well as the lack of water in some of them, made adequate cattle rotation difficult.
Rancho San Luis

Villa Ahumada, Chihuahua

Rancho San Luis forms part of the grassland conservation collaboration initiative between the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) and the non-profit organizations, Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory and IMC Vida Silvestre, financed with funds from the CEC, the USFWS-NMBCA Program, and Mexico’s National Commission for Protected Natural…
Rangeland Management Strategies

Sustainable Agriculture Network, USA

This bulletin from the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SARE) recommends strategies that may help to integrate range management techniques that have long-term benefits for people, their land and their communities.
Sharing the Land with Pinyon-Juniper Birds

Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory, Colorado

The Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory created this document to educate land managers about beneficial practices that can enhance pinyon-juniper bird habitat on their land. It was developed with funding primarily provided by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Silver Hills Ranch

Lumby, British Columbia

At Silver Hills Ranch located in Lumby, British Columbia, productivity has increased by using grazing and water management practices. Livestock rotation has been employed to reduce grassland overexploitation and increase manure spreading over the property.
Slovek Ranch Philip, South Dakota

Bill and Pennie Slovek

The Slovek Ranch is located near Philip, South Dakota, where Bill – a third generation rancher – his wife Pennie and their youngest son Bo, run approximately 900 cow-calf pairs on over 13,000 acres. They also rent 6,000 to 7,000 acres every year.