The U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (USRSB) and the Public Lands Council (PLC) co-hosted the U.S. portion of the 2026 North American Grazing Lands Congress, welcoming ranchers, researchers, conservation organizations, agency partners and international leaders to explore the role grazing lands play in supporting resilient food systems, wildlife habitat, healthy ecosystems and more. Rather than simply discussing stewardship, the U.S. program gave attendees the opportunity to experience it firsthand.
Held in recognition of the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP), the North American Grazing Lands Congress was co-convened by USRSB and the Canadian Cattle Association as a two-part North American tour highlighting the ecological, economic and cultural importance of grazing lands across the continent. The U.S. program, held July 8-9 in Utah, showcased how producers steward working landscapes and the role that partnerships with researchers, conservation organizations and government partners play in supporting resilient beef and sheep production.
“The International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists gives us an opportunity to tell an American story that deserves to be shared,” said Tom McDonald, 2026-2027 USRSB chair. “Across the United States, ranching families steward millions of acres of working grasslands that provide wildlife habitat, protect water resources and produce nutrient-dense protein. We were proud to welcome our international guests to these landscapes and show how stewardship and livestock production work together every day.”
The Congress welcomed more than 65 participants, including eight delegates from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), led by Director-General QU Dongyu. In addition, representatives from the Canadian Cattle Association and stakeholders from across the U.S. beef value chain and policy landscape joined the event.
“When we support ranchers, pastoralists and producers, we invest in the knowledge and stewardship that sustain these landscapes,” said FAO Director-General QU Dongyu, who in his address further emphasized that healthy rangelands are essential to food security, biodiversity and sustainable agrifood systems around the world.
Participants visited Red Pine Land & Livestock’s U.S. Forest Service grazing allotment and JY Ferry & Son’s grazing allotment at the Eccles Wildlife Center, where they learned how managed grazing supports watershed health, wildlife habitat, wetland restoration and wildfire mitigation, among many other benefits, while sustaining livestock operations. Both operations have received national recognition for their conservation leadership, including the Leopold Conservation Award.
“The International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists recognizes something ranching families have known for generations, which is that healthy rangelands depend on active management,” said Tim Canterbury, president of the Public Lands Council. “Hosting the Congress gave us the opportunity to share how public lands ranchers work alongside agency partners, researchers, and conservation organizations to care for these landscapes while producing food and fiber. We hope our international guests left with a better understanding of the people and partnerships that make that stewardship possible.”
The Congress also featured presentations from the FAO, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Texas A&M Center for Grazinglands and Ranch Management, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and other partners on grazing land conversion, outcome-based grazing management, public lands grazing, wetlands restoration and sustainable livestock systems.
For USRSB, the Congress highlighted the value of bringing together diverse perspectives to advance science-based solutions for the future of grazing lands.
For PLC, the event provided an opportunity to showcase the stewardship of America’s public lands ranchers and the importance of policies that support working landscapes.
The U.S. portion of the North American Grazing Lands Congress was made possible through the support of Title Sponsor Cargill; Silver Sponsors the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Partners for Fish & Wildlife Program; Bronze Sponsors Noble Research Institute and Envu; and Event Supporters AgSpire, Ducks Unlimited, Partnership of Rangeland Trust, The Nature Conservancy, and Duckworth.
