Success Stories

Resilient Farming in Pinal County

In 2018, Bridgestone Americas, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), and a Maricopa Stanfield Irrigation & Drainage District (MSIDD) producer initiated a pilot project to test guayule production in Pinal County, AZ. As a low-water use, nearly pesticide free native desert shrub, guayule could be the foundation of the future farm economy in Pinal County and help to solve the supply-demand imbalance of water in Central Arizona.

Supporting Ranchers and Trout

Deming Creek is a small creek in Klamath County and is home to native Bull Trout and Redband Rainbow Trout. Five livestock watering wells were installed in nearby pastures and rangeland to keep cattle out of the creek.

Colaboration on the Deschutes

Building on a rich history of collaboration in the Deschutes Basin, a partnership with the National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) leveraged funding from a wide range of sources to modernize aging irrigation infrastructure at a basin-scale.

Win-Win Modernization in Wyoming and Utah

Trout Unlimited is partnering with 6 large ranches along the Henry’s Fork River to improve 12 irrigation diversions for fish passage.

On-Farm Water Upgrades

MB3 Farms outside Cheraw, Colorado utilized an Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) contract from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to upgrade the operation’s irrigation to a more efficient center pivot system.

Restoring the Sagebrush Sea

Private landowners in the Warner Mountains teamed up with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the Bureau of Land Management, and other state and local partners to remove young juniper trees from historic shrublands with hand-held chainsaws while leaving old-growth woodlands alone.

Finding Common Ground

By creating an agricultural conservation easement, the Lightning Creek Ranch found common ground with conservation partners.

Restoration and Sustenance at Ladder Ranch

The O’Toole’s Ladder Ranch, located on the CO and WY border in one of the most effective conservation districts in the country, is proof that conservation and agricultural production go hand-in-hand. The decade-long conservation work comprising wetland, forest, and river restoration activities; sustainable pasture management; and protection of threatened bird populations benefits the valley as a whole while simultaneously sustaining ranch production.