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ARS Home » Plains Area » Las Cruces, New Mexico » Range Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #417953
Research Project: Knowledge Systems and Tools to Increase the Resilience and Sustainability of Western Rangeland Agriculture

Location: Range Management Research

Title: Integrating adaptation into production: The Sustainable Southwest Beef coordinated agricultural project

Author
item Spiegal, Sheri
item STEINER, JEAN - New Mexico State University
item DUFF, GLENN - New Mexico State University
item Estell, Richard
item Bestelmeyer, Brandon

Submitted to: Society for Range Management Meeting Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/1/2025
Publication Date: 2/13/2025
Citation: Spiegal, S.A., Steiner, J., Duff, G., Estell, R.E., Bestelmeyer, B.T. 2025. Integrating adaptation into production: The Sustainable Southwest Beef coordinated agricultural project. Society for Range Management Meeting Abstracts. Abstract.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Rangelands and the supply chains connected to them are central to the agrifood systems of the Southwestern United States. Local ranchers are simultaneously arid lands managers, herd managers, and marketing managers. To stay in business, they must constantly adapt to unpredictable forage resources and markets while conserving soils and vegetation resources for the long term. As climate warming and drying exacerbate the complexity and difficulty of day-to-day production, producers and policy-makers are seeking alternatives to “business as usual”. To meet this need, the LTAR-Jornada team has developed a package of strategies to help producers adapt to the local and inter-regional challenges. The package includes heritage cattle, precision ranching systems, and adaptive value chains. Five ranches across the Southwest that have adopted different combinations of the strategies are partnering to measure their benefits and inadvertent drawbacks in real-world conditions. Opportunities for controlled experimentation differ among the ranches, so we use LTAR’s indicator system to assess and compare results. Even as we invest in co-producing knowledge about these three strategies, we recognize that progressive aridification and urbanization of Southwestern rangelands create challenges for which a single “silver bullet” agricultural innovation is unlikely to provide durable solutions. We are learning from each other about ways to adjust the development of new options.