Weaver Ranch Field Day – Reversing the Dust Bowl

We hope you will join us at Weaver Ranch this fall!

Join us at Weaver Ranch in Causey, NM and learn about efforts to bring prairie life back to abandoned fields affected by the dust bowl, via innovative organic amendment applications such as compost, biochar and bale grazing. New Mexico State University’s Dr. Rajan Ghimire will discuss his research related to soil health and organic amendments, Amy Larsen will talk about Quivira’s case studies of amendments on rangelands, and attendees will participate in hands-on field monitoring for rangeland soils. Josh Weybright of Bright Way Agriculture will discuss microbes of the soil food web and their roles in the soil ecosystem. Check-in and orientation will take place from 9:00-9:30am and the workshop will start promptly afterwards. 

This workshop is FREE. Light breakfast, lunch, and water will be provided. Participants should bring a water bottle. Be prepared for cold or wind.

Questions? Contact Amy Larsen at carbonranch@quiviracoalition.org.

This workshop is sponsored by a USDA-NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant to study the effects of dryland management techniques to improve soil fertility and organic matter by comparing inputs of compost, biochar, and bale grazing on three ranches in New Mexico. Gratitude to NMSU ACES for collaboration in workshop presentation.

Agenda:

Meet at Senior/Community Center in Causey, NM

9:00-9:30 Welcome & Sign-In, Light Breakfast (Amy & Willard)
9:30-9:45 Healthy Soils Principles on Rangelands (Amy)
9:45-10:30 NMSU Soil Health & Organic Amendments Research + Q&A (Dr. Ghimire)
10:30-11:00 Drive from Community Center to Weaver Ranch
11:00-12:00 Orientation to the Site & Amendment Plots (Willard Heck), Quivira’s Organic Amendments Case Studies – Lessons learned (Amy), Soil Microbes 101 (Josh)
12:00-12:45 Lunch
12:45-2:00 Soil Testing in the Field (Amy) – Demonstration & Field Tests: Vegetative Transect and Infiltration test
2:00-2:30 Rainfall Simulation Demonstration – Soil Health Principles in Action
2:30-3:00 Wrap Up , Evaluations & Closing

More about Weaver Ranch:

Weaver Ranch was established in 1984 when James Weaver moved to eastern New Mexico and bought his first two sections of land. Having been interested in prairie grouse since his teen years, the area’s population of Lesser Prairie-chickens was a major attraction. Over the years Jim acquired adjacent properties as they became available and today Weaver Ranch comprises about 26,000 contiguous acres. With a keen interest in wildlife, Jim has prioritized habitat management as the focus of the Ranch. Grassland restoration and the careful management of livestock to preserve Lesser Prairie-chicken habitat along with a ready willingness to cooperate in related activities with private, university and agency wildlife professionals has earned Weaver Ranch widespread recognition in the conservation arena.

Additional Resources:

Soil Health Workbook
Rural Composting in Drylands
Biochar in the Southwest