Educational programs, funding sources, industry associations, and glossary
Holistic Management Training
Regenerative grazing fundamentals, adaptive management principles
Workshops and consulting
Soil health, adaptive grazing, regenerative practices
Free (grants available)
Conservation practices, prescribed grazing plans
Free/low cost
State programs with local adaptation guidance
Regenerative Ranching Program
Western states focus, 120 ranchers network
5-day Remote Pilot License course
Drone herding certification and aerial stockmanship
| Source | Type | Amount | Eligibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| NRCS EQIP | Cost-share grants | Up to $450,000 | Conservation practices |
| USDA Value-Added Producer Grant | Grant | Up to $250,000 | Marketing/processing |
| FSA Operating Loans | Loan | Up to $400,000 | Equipment and operations |
| FSA Microloans | Loan | Up to $50,000 | Small/beginning farmers |
| PERC Conservation Fund | Grant | $10,000-$75,000 | Wildlife/conservation focus |
| WWF RSVP | Cost-share | Up to $60,000 | Northern Great Plains |
| Steward Loans | Loan | $10,000-$1M | Regenerative operations |
See Financing Options for detailed application guidance.
National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA)
American Grassfed Association
Savory Institute Hub Network
Regenerative Organic Alliance
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE)
Noble Research Institute
Installation assistance, ongoing support
Known for excellent customer service
Free soil testing, practice education, PastureMap software
No upfront cost model
Phone/email support, tutorials
Included in subscription
Technology adoption guidance
Free, state-specific
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Adaptive Multi-Paddock (AMP) Grazing | Regenerative grazing method using high stock density and frequent moves to mimic natural bison patterns |
| BRD | Bovine Respiratory Disease - a common cattle illness that health monitoring can detect early |
| Carbon Credit | Tradeable certificate representing one metric ton of CO2 equivalent removed or avoided |
| EQIP | Environmental Quality Incentives Program - USDA cost-share program for conservation practices |
| FSA | Farm Service Agency - USDA agency administering farm loan programs |
| LoRaWAN | Long Range Wide Area Network - low-power wireless technology used by some virtual fencing systems |
| NRCS | Natural Resources Conservation Service - USDA agency providing conservation assistance |
| Precision Livestock Farming (PLF) | Technology-enabled management of individual animals through monitoring and automation |
| Pull-to-Dead Ratio | Percentage of cattle pulled for treatment that die - a key feedlot health metric |
| RFID | Radio-frequency identification - electronic tagging technology for animal identification |
| Rumination | The process of chewing cud - changes in rumination patterns can indicate health issues |
| SOC | Soil Organic Carbon - measure of carbon stored in soil |
| TRL | Technology Readiness Level - scale from 1-9 indicating maturity of technology |
| Virtual Fencing (VF) | GPS/audio/shock collar system replacing physical fences for cattle containment |
This document synthesizes research from multiple sources with varying levels of scientific rigor. Be aware of the following limitations:
For complete source citations with links, see the original RANCH.md research document.