In September 2022 the Turner Institute of Ecoagriculture hosted a group of four student journalists associated with Planet Forward (www.planetforwrad.org) for a field tour of the McGinley Ranch. It was an action-packed tour that allowed employees of the Institute to share concepts such as implementing and monitoring regenerative agriculture practices on a working bison ranch. The students participated in a low-stress animal handling to herd bison, collected rumen samples from bison, sampled local stream communities, looked at rangeland and soil health, and visited with collaborating researchers from local universities.
Each of the four students were able to report on a topic they experienced while at McGinley Ranch. As their tour leader Frank Sesno said, “They reported from the field, interviewed the ranchers and researchers, and saw with their own eyes – and cameras – just what’s being done.”
It was an inspiring tour for all participants and allowed employees of the Institute to reflect on and share the incredible place where we live while working to fulfill the mission of the Institute – to research, practice, and disseminate sustainable strategies and techniques for conserving ecosystems, agriculture, and rural communities.
The student projects and related articles can be accessed at the following links:
https://www.planetforward.org/story/growing-soil-managing-wild-at-mcginley-ranch/
https://planetforward.org/story/reporting-from-mcginley-ranch/
https://planetforward.org/story/soil-care-regenerative-agriculture/
https://planetforward.org/story/growing-soil-nebraska-sandhills-hint-changing-tides-in-agriculture/