This Friday, meet Jim and Stephen West of Sunrise W Land and Cattle Company in McCulloch County, Texas. This father and son team is busy working to establish regenerative farming and management methods on their ranch. Their commitment to the process of regenerative farming, along with help from USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), is proving to be a winning combination.
“We’re bringing together different conservation practices to create a regenerative farming system,” said Jim. “We hope to show it’s possible to naturally grow crops and raise animals through diversity.”
A Different Approach
Regenerative agriculture takes an approach that’s different from conventional methods. The goal of regenerative agriculture is to let natural processes take the lead, with management decisions made to enhance or restore those processes.
“It’s this very complex system of nature taking care of nature,” said Jim.
Jim began researching regenerative agriculture in the early 2000s while still in military service with the Marine Corp. Having been stationed around the world, he was able to make his own observations, too.
The Wests have worked closely with NRCS on their conservation plan and regenerative system through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).
Through EQIP, Jim and Stephen have installed infrastructure that allows their operation to run smoothly, including fencing, water development, additional brush clearing and grass seeding.
“NRCS has been a great resource of knowledge [and] in getting these projects on the ground,” said Stephen. “It can be very labor intensive when it comes to having to move animals every single day and having the water proper for them as well.”
Thinking Outside the Box
Following their regenerative goals, Jim and Stephen have incorporated practices that aren’t exactly traditional.
“The unique thing about this ranch is the incorporation of worm tea and chickens to help microorganisms and soil health,” said NRCS District Conservationist Walt Broyles. “You typically do not see that on rangeland for our cattle operations.”
Chickens provide many benefits to Jim and Stephen’s program.
They utilize a mobile coop that follows the cattle in rotation through the pastures, two to three days behind. The chickens scratch through the cattle manure, spreading it out and making the coverage more uniform. They also eat insects that are attracted to the manure. By following the cattle closely in rotation, the chickens take care of the insects before they become a problem and provide a sellable product: eggs.
Worm tea is not a common practice but shows promise as a fertilizer alternative. It’s made by taking the decomposed materials from worms, called worm castings, adding water, and allowing it to “brew.” Though this is an oversimplification, the process allows the beneficial microorganisms to reproduce and form a natural liquid fertilizer that is readily absorbed by plants.
“Earthworms are nature’s way of putting biology back into the soil,” explains Jim, “which is exactly what we want.” All of these conservation measures, both traditional and new, combine to form a regenerative system that benefits both the land and the operation.
A Bright Future Ahead
Looking ahead, the Wests are hoping their approach can become a model others can learn from and replicate.
“They want people to come up to their fence and ask, ‘What are you doing over there?’ and find success so they can share what they’re doing,” said NRCS Resource Team Leader Haden Keyser.
“I wouldn’t trade it. You know, just seeing the difference,” said Jim. “My ultimate goal is that whoever we deal with believes we’re providing more nutritious food and that we’re taking care of both them and the land and animals at the same time. And that’s really what drives me.”
More Information
Visit local farms, ranches, forests, and resource areas through our Fridays on the Farm stories. Meet farmers, producers, and landowners who are working to improve their operations with USDA programs.
USDA offers a variety of risk management, disaster assistance, loan, and conservation programs to help producers weather ups and downs in the market and recover from natural disasters as well as invest in improvements to their operations. Learn about additional programs.
For more information about USDA programs and services, contact your local USDA service center.
Loans and Grants
Disaster Planning and Assistance
Conservation
Ag Business
Farm Life