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Mentorship & Management for Rangeland Resilience
June 28 @ 8:00 am - 3:00 pm
Friday, June 28 | 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. | Fountain, CO
Registration starts at 7:00 a.m.
Exact address will be provided to registrants before event
Most field days you’ve been to probably highlighted the good things happening on a ranch: the green lush fields, the happy animals, the smiling employees… but what about building resilience for when things go wrong?
While it’s great to see models of success, it’s also important for our ranching communities to see how peers stay resilient in the face of failure and manage their teams through the ups and downs. This field day, co-hosted by Quivira Coalition, National Young Farmers Coalition, and Colorado State University Extension, will examine ranch successes, failures, and uncertainty not only in grazing management, but also in interpersonal relationships on the ranch, be that via mentorship, family, or employment.
We will make stops at three neighboring ranching operations with three different contexts – all of the sites will weave in how mentorship has impacted their learning journeys.
- The Hanna Ranch: Maggie Hanna, rancher and director of the Central Grasslands Roadmap Initiative, will discuss her ranching context and goals, as well as hurdles she’s experienced along the way.
- Burk Ranch: Kenny Burk and Colorado State University Extension’s Annie Overlin will explain their research together in improving rangeland.
- Frost Livestock Company: Owner Will Frost will discuss his experience in building a direct-market meat business on irrigated pastures.
After a burger lunch and social time, we will host a speaker panel who will discuss best practices that both employers and employees can utilize for long-lasting professional relationships. Attendees will then break into small groups to tackle common challenges related to mentorship and learning on the ranch.
This event is free, but please register so we have an accurate count for lunch.
There will also be lodging options available on 6/27 and 6/28. There are limited spots in the big historic ranch house and also a camping option. Please see registration form for more info and to request a spot.
Please contact Taylor Muglia with any questions at taylor@quiviracoalition.org.
What to Expect:
Please note that this event will primarily take place outdoors on a ranch and will include walking, sitting, and/or standing on uneven surfaces. We are committed to doing our best to make this event accessible to anyone who wants to come, so please make us aware in your registration if we can help make your experience easier.
We will keep registrants updated the week of the event with any changes to the plan due to weather, but guests can expect the outdoor tours to happen rain or shine.
Here is a list of items anyone may want to bring to this event:
Hat/Sunscreen/Sunglasses
Bug Spray
Long pants
Closed-toed shoes
Water bottle
Rain jacket
Camp chair (there will be periods of standing while we listen to speakers)
Pen/notebook
Business cards if applicable
Speakers:
Maggie Hanna
Maggie manages Hanna Ranch, a cow/calf operation southeast of Colorado Springs. The Hanna family has long focused on grazing as a key management tool, though there have been bumps in the road and Maggie is still very much on the learning curve of grazing. The ranch has been partially protected by a perpetual conservation easement, deployed farm bill funding through EQIP, and is actively working with Colorado State University Extension on a soil health and productivity study. Professionally, Maggie serves as the Director of the Central Grasslands Roadmap Initiative, focusing on grassland conservation across North America.
Maggie received her BA from Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas, in History and Urban Studies: Urban Environments and completed a graduate certificate in Ranch Management from the Texas Christian University Ranch Management Program in Fort Worth, Texas. She is a Trustee of the National Western Stock Show, was a member of Class 13 of the Colorado Agricultural Leadership Program, and was recognized as a 2021 Who’s Who in Agriculture by the Denver Business Journal.
Annie Overlin
Annie is from a ranch family in southeast Colorado and is a rangeland and riparian ecologist. She aspires to understand the ecology, business management, and restoration pathways of our system well enough to assist managers with economically and scientifically sound tools for adaptive management. She focuses her time on Range Specialist for CSU Extension, family’s farm and ranch operations, and two teenagers. She is a partner in a rangeland restoration business (17 years) focused in the arid west. Her expertise is in rangeland improvements, permitting, and anything related to grazing, plants, soils, and groundwater. Their main clients are ranchers, mining companies, NGO and federal agencies.