Trish Feiring is a field representative for the North Dakota Grazing Lands Coalition. With support from SHARE, the coalition is engaged in the outreach and promotion of regenerative-grazing practices to support soil health and economic resilience.
In the following Q&A, Trish discusses how SHARE has enabled the North Dakota Grazing Lands Coalition to provide a group-style, grassroots meeting format that is partnering with other groups and organizations.
“These meetings have allowed producers time to learn, share, and consider implementing new and regenerative practices,” she says.
When did your outreach program begin?
Feiring: We began research and development for the outreach program in August 2022 and piloted grazing road shows in 2023. We hosted our first outreach event branded as “Grazing Logic” in February 2024 and have since hosted seven more Grazing Logic events across North Dakota.
What are the primary objectives of your outreach program?
Feiring: Our first main goal is to bring people together to learn from farmers and ranchers who have successfully implemented regenerative-grazing practices. A second primary goal is to build bridges between animal agriculture, grassland resources, and public knowledge of conservation.
What do you want farmers/other stakeholders to know about your project/effort/initiative?
Feiring: We want producers and other stakeholders to know that it’s okay to ask for help and make mistakes. Our mentors want to share their successes and failures and encourage others to try new practices and think outside of the box.
What’s something new you’ve learned through your current SHARE-funded project or the SHARE collaboration itself?
Feiring: We’ve learned that by taking our programs out to communities across the state that we’ve been able to talk to a new group of producers. We have had more couples attend these events because they don’t have to travel as far. We’ve also learned that producers appreciate hearing from other producers and the fact that they are genuine in their message.
Does the SHARE collaboration affect your approach to soil health research or effort?
Feiring: Yes, SHARE has enabled the North Dakota Grazing Lands Coalition to reach a broader group of producers across the state to share why soil health is important to all of us.
Why are you interested in soil health?
Feiring: If we have healthy soil, we will have healthy grass. If the grass is healthy, the animals that consume it will be healthy, which will in turn promote healthy people.
Why are you interested in SHARE?
Feiring: SHARE has enabled the North Dakota Grazing Lands Coalition to provide a group-style, grassroots meeting format while partnering with other groups and organizations. These meetings have allowed producers time to learn, share, and consider implementing new and regenerative practices.
What’s your favorite soil health practice?
Feiring: Bale grazing – I love to watch the progression of what happens after a producer has bale grazed. How the bale ring progresses from leftover hay, manure, and urine to a weed ring to four times the production of what is around it to maintaining that production for years to come.
Visit ndglc.org for more information.
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