Quivira Carbon Ranch Conference

In November, I was at an awesome conference in Albuquerque, NM. The Quivira Coalition put on their 9th annual conference bringing in some really cool practitioners and scientists primarily from the realm of sustainable ranching. The conference featured philosophies of the “radical center” a group (from what I understand) primarily composed of people who study/manage natural resources. This group has grown tired of prescriptive policies made by

Here are some things I learned/developed a new understanding of:

• The link between soil carbon & extreme precipitation: Soil carbon can mitigate flood & drought, but flood and drought can destroy soil if not handled well.
• Tillage is only a small cause of erosion. Over/under-grazing can be a huge contributor. Impervious surfaces & roads.
• Cool techniques for gathering and spreading water (a big deal in the Southwestern US, where headcuts seem to be swallowing thousands of hectares).
• Erosion can build sweet spots that are ideal for grass production/cultivation.