Conservation Grazing on Public Land in the Upper Midwest

This report was created by the  Pasture Project  at the  Wallace Center . The Pasture Project works to advance regenerative grazing and grass-fed value-added food chains in the Upper Midwest as a scalable, market-driven solution for building healthy soil, viable farms, and resilient communities. This includes working with farmers, land managers, public agencies, and farm member-based organizations to build resources, provide technical assistance, and remove barriers for expanding use of regenerative practices, grass-fed/finished value-added food chains and end markets that yield win-win outcomes for farmers, communities, and the environment. The Pasture Project is part of the Wallace Center at Winrock International.

Conservation grazing is a type of managed grazing that uses livestock to improve and maintain wildlife and plant habitat. Implementing conservation grazing on public lands creates an opportunity to harness the positive environmental benefits of livestock – namely beef cattle, stocker cattle and replacement stock – and provide ecological benefits while lowering management costs. If such grazing can achieve conservation outcomes on public lands at a lower cost to taxpayers while also increasing the available forage for livestock producers, a “win-win” scenario for multiple public and private stakeholders will be produced. In 2014, the Pasture Project began a public land grazing collaboration with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WIDNR) and the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW). This project – underway through 2020 – was built on an established, though informal, history of grazing on WIDNR sites that included UW research collaborations. The project developed a structured and comprehensive WIDNR grazing program that could provide a model for similar efforts by other public land agencies throughout Wisconsin and the Upper Midwest. 

This project expanded existing efforts of WIDNR and UW to implement grazing on a small number of sites for research purposes. This included Pasture Project support of WIDNR’s hiring of a dedicated Conservation Agriculture and Grazing Specialist – Mary C. Anderson – in 2018, who has led the creation of a well-structured and supported conservation grazing program within the agency. By the end of the project, WIDNR developed grazing plans and implemented conservation grazing on 46 sites representing a total of 6,713 acres. Additional sites have been identified for grazing planning and implementation in the future. The Pasture Project also supported outreach and education on grazing public lands for WIDNR, USDA, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, NGO and external stakeholders, as well as the development of a grazing site inventory and selection layer within WIDNR’s land management system WisFIRS.

This report sought to understand the current landscape of public land grazing activities in a six-state region in the Midwest and assessed the challenges and opportunities to advancing conservation grazing on public land. States in the region included: Minnesota, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Indiana, and Wisconsin. 

This report took a qualitative approach and consisted of interviews with  25 stakeholders  across the six-state region. Pasture Project used desktop research and known contacts and generated a list of possible interviewees. The team sent the interviewee list to four stakeholders representing four different organizations for feedback and recommendations:

• Doug Gorby, Coordinator,  Upper Mississippi/Great Lakes Joint Venture 
• Kristopher Reynolds, Midwest Director,  American Farmland Trust 
• Greg Horner, Senior Program Officer,  Cedar Tree Foundation 
• Mary C. Anderson, Conservation Agriculture Specialists,  WIDNR 

All interviews took place over the telephone with one interviewer and a standardized question list. All interview notes were reviewed, summarized, and categorized by open coding using identified themes. Interviewees represent a broad range of experiences and backgrounds including public land managers, wildlife biologists, NGOs, and state and federal agency staff. 

The team also included a quantitative approach and utilized publicly available data to assess the breakdown of grasslands and pasture in the state which are also protected areas. The 2016 National Land Cover Dataset was used to map grassland, shrubland, pasture/hay, and barren land (hereafter referred to collectively as “grasslands”). These categories were combined since grass-type vegetative cover is known to be challenging to distinguish between categories and since barren land may indicate recent burning, especially in the public land context. The Protected Areas Database (PAD-US) was used to assess the grasslands that are publicly managed, including who is managing them. PAD-US includes federal, state, and local public land boundaries but varies in its completeness by state. However, federal- and state-managed land data are estimated to be 90-100% complete in all states covered here, except state-managed land Wisconsin, which is only about 75% complete. Local and NGO-managed public lands are far less comprehensively included in PAD-US, with completeness estimates ranging from 10% in Illinois to 99% in Missouri.

This report is not comprehensive of all the conservation grazing activities on public land in the six-state region. It provides an overview of the current status, challenges, opportunities, and successes based on information provided by the interviewees and publicly available data. The Pasture Project recognizes that a broader interview sample would be necessary for a more comprehensive report along with more complete data sets from state and federal agencies and NGOs.

Interviewees:

• Emilee Nelson, Minnesota Representative, Conservation Acquisition,  The Conservation Fund 
• Greg Hoch, Wildlife Prairie Team Lead,  Minnesota Department of Natural Resources 
• J.B. Bright, Wildlife Refuge Specialist, Upland Habitat Manager at Morris Wetland District,  U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 
• Neal Freeken, Grasslands Conservation Program Director, MN/ND/SD Chapter,    The Nature Conservancy 
• Kelly Anderson, Livestock Specialist,  Minnesota Department of Agriculture 

Conservation grazing is a widely accepted and utilized management tool used by public land agencies in Minnesota. About 24%,  or   12 million acres , of the land in Minnesota is publicly-owned and managed by state, federal, and county agencies and about 1.5 million of those acres are grassland, according to PAD-US and the National Land Cover Dataset. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) manages about 800,000 acres of state land and actively utilizes conservation grazing as a management tool on 10,000-15,000 acres a year. In addition, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in Minnesota owns and manages 35,000 acres and about one third of that acreage in any year has some conservation practice, including conservation grazing. Other agencies, such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), also utilize conservation grazing, for example, the  Morris Wetland Management District  where 4,000 acres are currently grazed. 

Availability of Cattle: Minnesota is losing cattle, according to several interviewees, although others disagreed with this statement. Some interviewees believe farmers are retiring and selling their herds and land while others believe there is still enough cattle to meet the demand for public land grazing and that a bigger challenge is matching producers and land managers. The difference in opinion seems to come from which part of the state interviewees work. More land is being sold due to development pressures closer to the Twin Cities, for example.

Bureaucracy: Bureaucratic processes within state and federal agencies were mentioned as major a challenge by many interviewees. There are several layers of processes and approvals required to begin grazing, and this can cause delays and strained relationships between producers and land managers. One recommendation from J.B. Bright with the USFWS was to hire a conservation grazing specialist to run the grazing program similar to what WNDR has with their  Conservation Agriculture Specialist , Mary C Anderson. 

Prairie Conservation Plan: State and federal agencies and conservation organizations are working together to advance conservation grazing in the state. Through collaborative public and private partnerships, the Minnesota Working Group was formed including members from Audubon Minnesota, The Conservation Fund, The Nature Conservancy, MNDNR, Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Pheasants Forever, and others. In 2010 this group crafted a 25-year strategy plan, the  Prairie Conservation Plan , which focuses on enhancing, restoring, and protecting 2 million acres of native prairie and grassland and 1.3 million acres of wetland habitat across western Minnesota. One of the four steps included in the plan is enhancing prairies and other grasslands and wetlands via a suite of tools, including conservation grazing, on 603,000 acres annually. The plan shown below is the second edition. 

Support from leadership: Previous MNDNR Commissioner, Tom Landwehr, was a supporter of conservation grazing and passed legislation titled,  Prairie and Grasslands Public Grazing Program , to increase and maintain conservation grazing on public land to 50,000 acres a year. Kelly Anderson from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture noted that this program elevated conservation grazing and gave MNDNR the leadership necessary to increase its use. However, while the support for conservation grazing at the top of the agency was well-received, some interviewees did note that 50,000 acres was a near impossible goal to reach and created false expectations. Not all public land is suitable for grazing and some major missteps occurred. One such misstep was the failure to allocate sufficient funds to fence the land needed to graze 50,000 acres. Even though 50,000 acres is not currently an attainable goal, MNDNR still manages the program even under leadership of a new commissioner. 

Conservation Grazing Map: Another successful collaborative project has been the  Conservation Grazing Map  (see below). The creation of this map was a joint effort between the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, MNDNR, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and The Nature Conservancy to match farmers and ranchers who need forage for cattle with public land managers seeking graziers. 

Policy: In 2008 Minnesota passed the  Clean Water, Land and LegacyAmendment  which aims to, “protect, enhance and restore Minnesota’s lakes, river, streams, and ground water”. The amendment increased the state sales tax by three-eighths of one percent and directs funds to different conservation organizations. According to Neal Freeken from TNC, the  Outdoor Heritage Fund  that allocates  these dollars , recognizes that conservation grazing is an important tool for conservation. Some of these funds go towards to restoration work outlined in the previous mentioned Prairie Conservation Plan. One example is this previous project,  Accelerated Prairie Restoration and Enhancement on DNR Lands, Phase 3 . 

Interviewees:

• Ben Haberthur, Director of Natural Resources,  Forest Preserve District of Kane County 
• Bob Caveny, Agricultural Lands Manager,  Illinois Department of Natural Resources 
• Mike Chandler, Farm Lease Manager,  Illinois Department of Natural Resources 
• Olga Lyandres, Senior Specialists,  Delta Institute 
• Erin Holmes, Roadside Management Resource Specialist,  Illinois Department of Transportation 
• Kathryn Kauzlarich, Illinois State Coordinator,  Pheasants Forever 
• Ben Wilson, Farm Bill Biologist,  Pheasants Forever 

About 98% of land in Illinois privately owned, and of the remaining 2% of land that is publicly owned includes about 600,000 acres of grassland, according to PAD-US and the National Land Cover Dataset. Interviewees from Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) explained to Pasture Project that they lease 35,000 acres to farm tenants, about 1,500 of those acres are pasture leases and 32,000 acres are leased in row crop production. Conservation grazing is not a tool that is currently utilized by the Department to manage land. Illinois also has county-level land preservations called  forest preserve districts and conservation districts . One interviewee likened these districts to, “tiny DNRs”. Ben Haberthur, the Director of Natural Resources for the  Forest Preserve District of Kane County , said there is interest in utilizing conservation grazing as a management tool. They lease land to about 42 different farmers, almost all leases are entirely row crop production except for one regenerative farm that leases 130 acres to graze livestock. In addition, the Kane County Forest Preserve is in the second season of piloting patch burn grazing as a method of land management on a 12-year-old grassland prairie restoration project. 

Budget and staffing: IDNR has been rebuilding itself after going through restructuring and major budget cuts. Through these budget cuts and reorganization, IDNR saw staff turnover and is still trying to fill vacant positions, causing strain and work overload on land managers and site superintendents. Site superintendents went from managing one unit to now several, some 30 miles or more apart. Several interviewees noted this as a major barrier to introducing the use of conservation grazing as it might be seen as additional work for staff. 

Tenant Farming: Several interviewees noted that tenant row crop farming on public land is a sizeable revenue generator at the county and state level. It could be difficult convincing agency leadership to try a new practice without knowing long term budget implications.

County-owned land: Some interviewees noted that these county-level forest preserves and conservation districts could be an opportunity to expand and showcase conservation grazing as a management tool. These districts are smaller and more nimble than the larger IDNR and have less bureaucratic approval processes. 

IDNR: Bob Caveny and Mike Chandler from IDNR expressed interest in using conservation grazing and other regenerative management practices as land management tools, specifically as a tool for native grassland habitat. The agency is moving toward this new style of management. One example, in previous years the use of cover crops on IDNR leased land was restricted and now the administration of IDNR is changing the rules thanks to some new leadership and staff. Bob Caveny previously worked with private lands and on the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy and brought to IDNR the importance of cover crops and other conservation practices. IDNR recently received a  Regional Conservation Partnership Program  (RCPP) grant to cost share with their tenant farmers the use of cover crops on 8,000 acres to build soil health. IDNR will subsidize the cost of seed for cover crops for the first 3-5 years of the lease, and then once the lease is renewed, the use of cover crops will be required. Even though there is a lack of technical knowledge, interviewees from IDNR said they would be open to the idea of incorporating conservation grazing as well. One possible site brought that could be well suited for conservation grazing, brought up by Caveny and Chandler, was Banner Marsh.  Banner Marsh  is an old strip mine along the Illinois river, currently has a pasture lease where the tenant farmer continuously grazed cattle which did not appear to benefit the grassland. The contract lease is up in about one month and with some infrastructure already in place, such as permanent fencing, it could be the right opportunity to pilot conservation grazing to restore the grassland. 

Next Generation of Wildlife Biologists: Although IDNR has recently gone through a restructuring and is trying to fill staff vacancies, Chandler mentioned he sees an opportunity in the new generation of wildlife biologists at IDNR. Chandler explained that he has noticed new wildlife biologists are more versed in alternative methods to land management such as no-till and cover crops and bring additional technical knowledge and skill to the department. 

Public-Private Collaboration: Pheasants Forever (PF) was named by several interviewees as a major stakeholder in expanding the use of conservation grazing on public land due to their hunter representation and wildlife habitat rehabilitation goals. Interviewees from PF noted that from what they understand, the science seems to be behind the use of conservation grazing for habitat rehabilitation, and generally welcome its use, provided it does not impede hunter access to the land. They would be willing to provide technical assistance to IDNR as needed since they share many of the same goals around wildlife habitat restoration.

Interviewees:

• Dan Eckstein, Southwest Public Lands Supervisor,  Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish and Wildlife 
• Robert Zupancic, Grazing Land Specialist,  United States Department of Agriculture, National Resource Conservation Service 
• Susannah Hinds, Grazing Land Specialist,  United States Department of Agriculture, National Resource Conservation Service 
• Josh Griffin, Farm Bill Specialist,  Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish and Wildlife 

The data shows that public agencies in Indiana own about 500,000 acres of grassland. According to the stakeholders interviewed, conservation grazing is not utilized on any public land in Indiana, with one exception.  Hillenbrand Fish & Wildlife  Area under the Division of Fish and Wildlife Service within the DNR, located in southwestern Indiana began grazing in 2020. The Division of Fish & Wildlife began looking into conservation grazing as a management tool to maintain wildlife habitat goals, specifically a species of concern, the  crawfish frog.  The crawfish frog burrows in moist meadows and prairies and typical means of land management, including mowing, herbicide application, and fire, could cause significant harm to the endangered species.

Moving cattle: All interviewees noted a very specific part of the cattle culture in Indiana that could pose a challenge to increasing conversation grazing in the state. Farmers in Indiana are not accustomed to loading cattle onto trailers and moving them to pastures away from their operations for additional forage. Robert Zupancic and Susannah Hinds are two grazing specialists with Indiana NRCS and work with cattle producers in different parts of the state. Both agreed that they don’t know any producers that currently move their cattle to rented pasture. 

Potential Partnerships: There are individuals in Indiana with vast grazing knowledge that could support public land agencies through intentional collaborations. Grazing specialists from Indiana NRCS interviewed mentioned they would support DNR and other agencies with technical assistance and assist with educating the public.

Future sites: From the initial success with grazing on the Hillenbrand Fish & Wildlife Area, Dan Eckstein from Indiana DNR said he is exploring the possibility for grazing on additional Fish & Wildlife areas in the southwest region of the state. 

Interviewees:

• Kent Wamsley, Grasslands and Sustainable Agriculture Strategy Manager,  The Nature Conservancy  
• Max Alleger, Grassland Coordinator & Southwest Regional Administrator,  Missouri Department of Conservation 

Missouri has approximately 2 million acres of publicly-owned grassland, according to PAD-US and the National Land Cover Dataset. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) owns about 600,000 of those acres and are advocates of conservation grazing. MDC actively utilizes the management tool on about 11,000 acres. Max Alleger from MDC believes they are the main public agency in Missouri that is using conservation grazing. MDC still receives concerns and pushback, mainly from botanists, about the long-term impacts of cattle grazing. To fill this information gap, MDC is six years into a 15-year study on plant community response to patch burn grazing. The hope is that if the study shows positive effect on the plant community from patch burn grazing, MDC will be able to increase the use of conservation grazing as a land management tool. 

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in Missouri are also advocates of using conservation grazing as a land management tool and strategically form collaborative partnerships across public and private sectors to expand the use of grazing. TNC has 4,000 acre  Dunn Ranch Prairie  where they showcase their use of bison and conservation grazing. They also partnered with MDC through TNC’s  Grassbankprogram  where TNC leases a portion of Dunn Ranch Prairie to local ranchers for discounted rates. In exchange, the ranchers implement conservation practices on their own land. 

Establishing Grazing Impacts: MDC is in a holding pattern on grazing native prairie until they complete their  15-year study  on conservation grazing impact. This means they will not be able to increase the acreage they have under grazing on native prairie until the completion of the study.

Partnerships: Collaborations and partnerships across agencies and NGOs to expand the use of conservation grazing are common practice in Missouri. TNC partnered with MDC, U.S. Fish and Wildlife and other state and federal partners to establish a 217 acre demonstration farm,  Little Creek Farm.  Funds from a Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) will allow the partnership to test different grazing strategies on the farm, for example multi-paddock grazing, to prove the habitat restoration benefits and economic benefits of grazing. This is part of a larger opportunity to expand conservation grazing practices on private lands for maximum habitat connectivity. 

Interviewees:

• Jorgen Rose, Habitat & Farm Transfer Coordinator,  Practical Farmers of Iowa 
• Meghan Filbert, Livestock Program Coordinator,  Practical Farmers of Iowa 
• Amy Crouch, Little Sioux Project Director & Kansas Agricultural Program Manager,  The Nature Conservancy 
• Ryan Harr, Special Projects Manager,  Iowa Department of Natural Resources 

Land in Iowa is about 97% privately owned, leaving a relatively small amount of public land available for conservation grazing. Approximately 400,000 acres are publicly owned grassland, according to the public data. Conservation grazing is a management tool currently in use by Iowa DNR on about 4,000 acres with 20-25 producers. Ryan Harr from Iowa DNR explains that they take an ecological grazing approach and match grazing to their land management goals. Harr reinforces this with his land managers and explains that depending on their goals with the property they manage, for example endangered species concerns, grazing may or may not be a good option, but it is a one of the suite of tools the agency utilizes in managing the land. 

Politics: Iowa DNR has received pushback from the state legislature on how they manage land. The legislature wants to see the land more intensively managed, meaning more acres of row crop production. In 2019 the state legislature attempted to pass a bill that would take management of the public land out of Iowa DNR’s control. Iowa DNR is not legally allowed to advocate or oppose any legislation, so they rely on partners like Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI), TNC, and Pheasants Forever to advocate on behalf of Iowa DNR.

Federal Partnerships: Iowa DNR has strong collaborative partnerships with many conservation organizations in the state, for example TNC, but it receives pushback from Iowa Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) about the type of grazing advocated. Interviewees explained that the type of grazing Iowa NRCS is familiar with and promotes is a more continuous style of grazing where grass is grazed down to the ground, which is not ideal for habitat and ecological restoration. Iowa DNR recognizes they need NRCS support with technical assistance to get more producers interested in grazing but needs to shift the mindset within NRCS around grazing to one that is regenerative. 

Planned growth: Over the next 5-7 years Ryan Harr with Iowa DNR has a very detailed plan for growing their conservation grazing program and hopes to quadruple the number of acres grazed. The agency would like to grow from working with 20-25 producers to 75-100. Iowa is one of the few states that also manages federal land and can extend the grazing program to those acres as well, for example waterfowl protection areas that are owned by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Conservation Boards: Similar to forest preserves and conservation districts in Illinois, there are 99  County Conservation Boards  throughout Iowa and the majority own land. Amy Crouch from TNC said these Conservation Boards are interested in utilizing conservation grazing to manage their land. 

Iowa National Heritage Foundation: Iowa DNR and the  Iowa National Heritage Foundation  have developed a unique relationship to increase the amount of Iowa DNR-owned land. Because the Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit conservation organization and has fewer approvals for land acquisition, this makes them more nimble than a public agency like Iowa DNR, and can quickly purchase land and hold it until DNR is able to gather the approval and funds necessary to make the purchase. The Heritage Foundation and Iowa DNR share similar goals to protect and restore Iowa’s land, water, and wildlife which makes for a natural partnership.

Iowa TNC: The Nature Conservancy in Iowa has formed several partnerships across Iowa to increase the use of conservation grazing. They coordinate the Little  Sioux Grazing Network  which provides technical assistance to producers and landowners who are interested in grazing on TNC’s grasslands. They also facilitate the  Little Sioux Watershed Conservation Partnership  (LSWCP) which consists of government agencies (federal, state, and county), and private landowners that helps focus conservation efforts in the Little Sioux Watershed. Opening up public land to conservation grazing has frequently been part of these conversations according to Amy Crouch with Iowa TNC. 

Interviewees:

• Chris Trosen, Wildlife Biologist for  St. Croix Wetland Management District, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 
• Kelly VanBeek, Grassland Bird Coordinator,  U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 
• Mark Witecha, Section Manager, Soil and Watershed Management, Ag Resource Management Division,  Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection  

In Wisconsin, local, state, and federal agencies own approximately 2 million acres of grassland. Pasture Project has worked closely with Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WIDNR) for the last several years to scale up the use of conservation grazing on public land and as of 2020, conservation grazing is being implemented on 46 sites and over 6,713 acres. To understand the broader utilization of conservation grazing on public land in the state, Pasture Project also interviewed stakeholders involved with conservation grazing at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.

Ground nesting birds: Ground nesting birds such as the prairie chicken are a species of concern across the state. Trampling from cattle make some wildlife biologists and land managers hesitant to adopt conservation grazing. Many interviewees noted additional research is needed to assess the long-term impact of cattle grazing on ground nesting birds. 

Logistics: several interviewees noted the logistics of getting cattle to public land sites can be challenging and time consuming along with the levels of bureaucracy and approvals that it takes to start a conservation grazing program. Some grazing opportunities have been lost due to delays in approval for watering systems and other infrastructure.

Public perception: When cattle are on public land near residential neighborhoods, land managers sometimes receive calls of complaints from residents. Since taxpayer dollars partially fund the management of public land, it is important that residents and community members are on board with conservation grazing. Interviewees have noted that they have managed some of this perception problem through signage and other education campaigns including relationship-building with the residents that live near public land.

Public land manager opposition: some public land managers perceive cattle as having the potential to cause damage to wildlife and the land and oppose the use of grazing. Additionally, they lack the technical skill and knowledge around conservation grazing. 

WIDNR Hire: in 2018 WINDR hired a Conservation Agriculture Specialist, Mary C Anderson, to run the conservation grazing program for the agency. Having a designated staff member gave the program the focus and attention it needed to expand.

Partnerships: Collaborative partnerships like the one Pasture Project has with WIDNR allowed for funding and technical assistance to build the financial case for conservation grazing on public land, fill information gaps, and support additional training for land managers. Additional partnerships are needed to keep advancing public land grazing. Mark Witecha mentioned working with existing producer-led groups like watershed councils and other coalitions would build advocacy for the practice and aid land managers in finding more graziers to work with.

Policy: According to some interviewees, there is support and interest from the Wisconsin Governor’s Office to increase conservation grazing. There is a water quality task force that understands the positive correlation between conservation grazing and water quality. There is also potential for Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP), to play a role in increasing technical assistance for land managers through grant funding.

Financial Analysis: As part of its goal to develop a sustainable and transferrable model for grazing programs within WIDNR and other public land agencies, the Pasture Project documented the financial performance of selected WIDNR sites. This analysis focuses on the financial costs and benefits of adding conservation grazing to a site’s management strategy compared to or in concert with other conservation management tools. Six grazing sites at five locations were selected for financial performance analysis by the Pasture Project. Selection was based on duration of grazing, diversity of grazing implementation (e.g., site conditions, conservation goals, manager/grazier relationships, etc.), and availability of financial records. The analysis will show how WIDNR conservation grazing program can evolve and other public land agencies can implement best practices. This report will be publicly available in the Spring of 2021.

Spatial Analysis and tool development: Pasture Project worked with WIDNR to complete a spatial analysis of current WIDNR sites that might be suitable for grazing. Pasture Project mapped management units across all WIDNR lands. Criteria that make sites more suited for grazing were included in a customizable app used to prioritize where grazing might be most beneficial, helping guide management decisions. The team is currently working with WIDNR GIS staff to integrate the Grazing Public Lands Site Selection Tool into the agency’s WisFIRS land management system to help guide additional grazing site identification. 

Infrastructure: Lack of infrastructure was the most common barrier mentioned among interviewees. Fencing, watering systems, and other infrastructure are essential to implementation of conservation grazing. Most states do not have a recent history of grazing or strong cattle grazing culture and therefore is typically no existing infrastructure and what existing infrastructure exists, is in dire need of replacement. If utilizing conservation grazing as a land management tool is going to expand, agencies will need to prioritize infrastructure costs in their budgets or through grant funding. WIDNR was able to use  Pittman-Robertson funding  from the Department of Interior to help fund infrastructure costs. Some states work with producers to split the costs of infrastructure in exchange for lower rental fees. 

Cross-collaborative Partnerships: Agencies with successful conservation grazing programs often formed partnerships with other agencies and conservation organizations to reach more producers and public land managers, shift policy for grazing, and acquire more land. Iowa DNR relies on partners in the state like Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI) and TNC to educate state policy makers. MDC and Missouri TNC have created new programs for farmers to advance grazing in Missouri. WINDR and Pasture Project partnered to continue to develop a model for grazing on public land in a way that is environmentally and economically viable. 

Cattle culture: Many interviewees noted the lack of cattle or grazing culture in their state, or cattle are clustered in certain parts of the state. For example, there are more cattle grazing operations in southern Illinois than eastern Illinois. Cattle can be a scarce resource and sometimes land managers have difficulty finding cattle producers near their public land. However, there has been significant investment in technical assistance in the region to increase regenerative grazing through organizations like Pasture Project, PFI, TNC, NRCS, and others.

Education, training and technical assistance (TA): Training and technical assistance are the foundation for expanding the implementation of conservation grazing. Across the region there is need for education and technical assistance for public land managers and other agency staff. Agencies, like WIDNR, that have invested in staff training have more successful conservation grazing programs. There is also a need to educate farmers on the benefits of grazing on public land, such as access to below-market rates for pasture. 

Mindset: Managing misperceptions among the hunting community, land managers, policymakers, and the general public is seen as a challenge across the region. Some land managers have inaccurate ideas about conservation grazing and compare its use to that of the  Bureau of Land Management  in western states, where land is often overgrazed. Many interviewees noted running into challenges among the hunting community who influence the recreational use of public land. Hunting is common practice on DNR land and hunters are a major stakeholder in the management of public land since hunting licensing fees contribute to the management of DNR land. Hunters complain about the structural barrier that fences impose and worry there will be a loss of game with cattle in the pasture. Similarly, public taxpayer dollars go to pay for the maintenance of public land. Interviewees noted that if the public is not in support of conservation grazing, the programs will not succeed. Many states and agencies are also fighting a dominate row crop culture where any land that is not managed intensively with row crops is perceived as a wasted resource. All states called for a mindset shift among all stakeholders of public land and grazing to one that understand the mutual benefits of conservation grazing to the health of the land, economy, wildlife, and community. One such example of public outreach is this  grazing brochure  created by MNDNR. 

Conservation grazing implementation on public land varies widely by state, each with its own unique barriers and opportunities. States with more public land acreage, such as Minnesota, tend to utilize grazing more often than states with less available public land like Iowa. Conservation grazing is a more widely accepted practice within agencies and states where there is support from agency leadership or supportive policy, such as Wisconsin. Below are a few specific recommendations:

• Budget for infrastructure: Funding for infrastructure will need to be prioritized to increase conservation grazing on public land. This can be done through grant funding like WIDNR with Pittman-Robertson funding or by working with producers to share the initial cost of infrastructure in exchange for lower land rent. 
• Matchmaking: Create systems to match good graziers with public land. States like Minnesota, Missouri, and Iowa invest time into finding the right grazier for each property; graziers that understand the methodology and theory behind conservation grazing. This ensures long-term positive relationships between producers and public land managers that are mutually beneficial. 
• Improve land-use data: Agencies need to improve data availability, accuracy, and use to analyze where grazing is of most value to assist land managers with prioritizing land to graze. The prioritization tool Pasture Project created with WIDNR is one such example. 
• Education campaigns: Create informative education campaigns and signage for the hunting community and producers to dispel misconceptions of cattle and explain the benefits of conservation grazing. MNDNR and WIDNR have done this with signage on public land and through  articles  and  brochures , as well as at  MDC . Additionally, increase in TA for farmers and land managers on the nuts and bolts of conservation grazing on public land. Many agencies, for example, WIDNR, have invested in training for their staff. 
• Hire dedicated staff: Hiring staff dedicated to expanding conservation grazing has been hugely beneficial to agencies like WIDNR with the hire of Mary C. Anderson. 
• Long-term research: Many interviewees called for the need for additional research on the long-term impacts of cattle grazing on native prairie and impacts to wildlife habitat. MDC is leading these efforts with its 15-year plant study.

Pasture Project sees a significant opportunity in overcoming barriers to conservation grazing on public lands through cross-agency collaboration within and between states. Additionally, between state and federal agencies and conservation organizations who often have similar wildlife habitat and conservation goals. States with successful grazing programs should share lessons learned with others across the region in order to advance the practice more quickly. These collaborations could help with expanding the crucial technical assistance and education needed to advance conservation grazing. Everyone must work together to move conservation grazing forward on public land. A first step in accomplishing this is finding the right outlet for these conversations. Pasture Project is tentatively planning an in-person convening for the fall of 2021 for public land managers and public land grazing advocates. Our goal is to create opportunities for practitioners to connect and share technical expertise and best practices that will go a long way in expanding conservation grazing on public land throughout the Midwest.