Legacy Landscapes - One Step at a Time
“Nature is always evolving and changing. You have to add to what you have and adjust and keep moving forward. I don’t know how we’re going to move forward, but we have to keep trying,” said James K “Rooter” Brite Jr.
Rooter has been involved with his local conservation district for 45 years and has been a rancher for over 50 years. His operation spans several counties in Texas’ North-Central Cross Timbers and Prairies.
Within his operation, Rooter is passionate about preserving native tall grass prairies. He said in the ‘60s he was part of an environmental program called ‘Great Plains’, which focused on reestablishing native grasses in Texas.
“About a third of this ranch was old cotton fields, and they were grossly depleted. All of the organic carbon was totally gone, and there was significant erosion. So, we went in and plowed those areas up and reestablished a native grass there,” said Rooter.
Rooter said that there has been an ebb and flow of changes that have alternated between economically and environmentally beneficial. “You can't focus on one thing and let go of another. It'll come back to create problems for you in the long run. So, it has to be all encompassing. It doesn't have to be perfect,” said Rooter.
In that same vein, Rooter described moving towards these goals as climbing a ladder. Taking one single step, even if you’re afraid of heights, is still a defined improvement. Good is still being done, not only in respect to economic and environmental benefits, but to the whole of society.
“Making improvements is a very manageable task if you do it one step at a time–and what fits with your operation and your workflow that you already have established. There’s not a one-size-fit-all type solution,” said Rooter.
Rooter is a participant in the Legacy Landscapes program – receiving support in record keeping and implementing grazing land improvements that benefit both his operation and the environment.
Legacy Landscapes is a collaborative program with NatGLC, Nestlé® Purina PetCare Company, AgriWebb, and Regrow. It’s designed to support livestock producers in improved grazing practices that benefit both the land and producers’ bottom-line.
Participants of the program have access to AgriWebb's leading livestock management software to track and manage their livestock and grazing through its record-keeping, insights and reporting, and expertise in implementing interventions. The goal is for producers to improve the efficiency of their grazing livestock, and in turn, a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
NatGLC is committed to providing technical assistance to producers throughout the program, not just at the beginning.
“We [producers] need to have confidence that a professional is there and available to support and reinforce our confidence that what we’re doing is correct, or if they observe something that needs to be tweaked a little bit, before it goes too far wrong,” said Rooter.
Rooter said that nature is generally forgiving and will recover quickly if a small spark of a mistake is made and then corrected. But, if that spark is allowed to turn into a fire, it will take a greater effort to undo the damage.
Change is never a quick or simple process, but it’s manageable, “if we just don't get overwhelmed by how much needs to be done and take it, you know, step-by-step,” said Rooter.
Currently, Legacy Landscapes is available to producers in Texas, Kansas, and Nebraska but could be expand to regions of the Great Plains. If you are interested in participating in the Legacy Landscapes Project and contributing to sustainable beef production, please fill out the Interest Form to get started.
