Photo By Cpl. Jade Venegas | Alejandro Carrillo, founder of Grasslands Regenerations Project poses for a portrait...... read more read more
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[MCAS Yuma, Arizona] - The landscape surrounding Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Yuma is undergoing a unique transformation with the introduction of an innovative regenerative grazing pilot project.
Personnel from the Department of the Navy, MCAS Yuma and Grasslands Regenerations Project came together with a singular focus of implementing the art of regenerative grazing and bringing the green back to the arid desert landscape of southwest Arizona.
Deborah Loomis, Senior Advisor for climate change to the Secretary of the Navy highlighted the collaborative effort behind the project, praising Marine Corps leadership and expertise of ranchers like Alejandro Carrillo, a globally renowned figure in regenerative agriculture.
Loomis stated, “There were people all up and down the Marine Corps chain who helped make this a reality, General Maxwell (commanding general, Marine Corps Installations Command) has been very supportive. We've got our natural resources lead at headquarters (Headquarters Marine Corps), Jacque Rice who has been just super, like a force of nature getting this done and of course, the Yuma team.”
U.S. Marine Corps Col. Jared K. Stone, commanding officer, MCAS Yuma said, “I think there's a lot of misconceptions out there about what the military does, about the impact we have on the environment. And I think people are commonly very surprised to find out that for example, Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, which is the busiest air station in the Marine Corps, conducting all kinds of training getting people ready for war, also manages climate resiliency programs.”
Regenerative grazing means actively building healthy soil by monitoring and managing livestock on the land to increase plant growth and draw carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere through photosynthesis, locking that carbon underground in soil. MCAS Yuma’s regenerative grazing site is about 300 acres of land with mixed cattle. 93 cows were imported from Chihuahua, Mexico, and 10 donkeys and burros came from a rescue facility in California.
Within the 300 acres of land there are eight paddocks of four-acres. A paddock is a fenced off space of land where the cattle are allowed to roam. Each paddock is subdivided into half an acre. The cattle move every hour roughly eight times a day.
Blake Hash from the MCAS Yuma Conservation Division emphasized the project’s goal: “The primary purpose of the project is to improve soil conditions that will in turn promote the growth of native plant species. If we can increase the number of plants we have growing on the landscape, we can essentially turn the desert into a carbon sink. However, before that can be accomplished, we need to improve the soil conditions.”
Moving the cattle every hour to a new spot is essential to the regenerative agriculture premise because as soon as the cows enter the space they immediately begin to eat all the plants and weeds that naturally grow within the area. It’s important to mention that the ranchers also lay out hay for the livestock to eat but the livestock choose to eat the naturally grown plants first.
Albert Varela, a grazing manager with Grasslands Regenerations Project explained why, “They actually like the weeds more or the forbs, we believe it’s because they have a better nutritional value to them, than just hay.”
Once the hour is up, the ranchers reset the mobile fences to open up a new space of land in the paddock and move the livestock. The hooves of the cattle knead the soil and separate the ground which causes space for water to flow into the ground rather than running off, and space for microbes in the soil create a healthy environment.
In order to make this possible Loomis needed a skilled team of professionals on the ground to execute the project, “We have some ranchers who are just world renowned for what they do. This is not just any rancher that we picked to come here. When I wanted to do something in the West, I reached out to one of the biggest names in regenerative agriculture and I said I want to try to green a desert, who do you got… Alejandro Carrillo. We're incredibly fortunate that Alejandro was willing to come here. He works all over the world. And we're just super excited to have a really great team here.”
Alejandro Carrillo, founder of Grasslands Regenerations Project explained that as the nutrients are returned into the soil, the idea is to go from a worst-case scenario of bare ground, to a best-case scenario of thriving perennial grasses. “We use livestock as our main tool. Livestock brings biology that is lacking in the soils, through manure, urine, saliva and the hoof action,” said Carrillo.
At night the ranchers open up all eight paddocks to let the cattle roam free, which allows them to do another sweep of light grazing on the land. This helps the ranchers get feedback from the livestock to know if the speed and space they are using is at an appropriate pace for the animals and the project.
Carrillo explained, “You know, we don't want to keep the animals too long (in one place). Because we don't want the animals to get hungry, that's why we call this the art of grazing. So, you look at your animals, are they happy? Are they full? You can see for example, the animals here are very full, very shiny.”
There is a very symbiotic relationship between the ranchers, the livestock and the environment. The purpose of letting the livestock roam on their own free will at night is to prevent overgrazing, prevent hunger and allow the process to promote plant growth.
“That’s what we're trying to do essentially is to mimic nature, because we consider that movement is equal to health. And not only the animal but also the land, you know. So, imagine that you're getting like a new plate of fresh salad, in this case, like every hour,” said Carrillo.
The cattle also have a pathway to the water towers on the perimeter of the grazing site. The water they drink is potable provided by the Colorado River.
Emphasizing the importance of water from an environmental resilience standpoint, Loomis said, “We are taking an approach really focusing on the desert bases and focusing on water. Because at the end of the day, climate change and all the impacts we feel from climate change are about water. It's the water cycle being out of whack…. desert water is kind of boom and bust. There's not a lot and then it comes all at once. And you really want your soils to hold that water in so that you can make it through the dry times,” she added.
According to the National Weather Service on January 22, 2024, Yuma, Arizona, recorded 1.07 inches of rain. In contrast, it only received about 0.49 inches of rain in the entire month of February and 0.36 inches in March. Even with the smallest bit of rain the land was beginning to look healthy and was producing a good amount of vegetation. If the goal is to grow more plants through regenerative grazing, the idea is that there will be more vegetation that can hold rainfall for a longer period of time.
“One of the main problems here is water scarcity. I mean, like lack of water, because you know, we're in a place where it really doesn't rain much and we're relying on the Colorado River. So, what we do is actually improving what we call the effective rainfall. That effective rainfall is don't tell me how much rain you get, but tell me how much rain you keep,” said Carrillo.
Carrillo explained why perennial grasses are so important, “they're important because grasses are helping us to fix the water cycle, grasses are really good at actually retaining and infiltrating the water.”
Utilizing natural regeneration processes, not only can it replenish the land but it can also capture carbon. Carbon sequestration is the process of capturing, securing and storing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it in plants.
Loomis explained that besides offsetting carbon emissions we need to go beyond that and try removing it from the air. “We know that all the climate models say we cannot get where we need to go by just lowering our emissions. We actually have to suck carbon out of the air, which is what plants do, right?... As a steward of nearly 5 million acres of land, which is what the Department of the Navy manages, here's what we can contribute. We can try to goose up that carbon sequestration as much as we possibly can. Because oh, by the way, it also makes you more resilient.”
Climate change challenges our military readiness and poses a serious national security concern. Carrillo mentioned, “we learn this holistic regenerative grazing and now we're trying to get that benefit into the military installations, so we can actually make a more resilient environment.” When asked about how he felt working with the Marine Corps he said, “it feels great. We’re really excited.”
Stone emphasized why projects like this are important to MCAS Yuma’s overall mission set, “climate resiliency is a national security threat, and we have to address that as well as all of the other threats that face the country.”
The success of a pilot project of this caliber is crucial not only to other Department of Defense installations but on a national scale this can provide research opportunities and truths that we can all learn from globally.
Stone continued, “it certainly presents it as being possible. If we can demonstrate success with programs like this, particularly where we’ve got the Department of the Navy involved here today, that opens up the aperture for the entire Navy to look at employing similar projects and we’re absolutely on board with sharing information, sharing data and helping out other bases and organizations.”
The pilot project, spanning two months, will conclude in mid-April. Its success could set a precedent for other Department of Defense installations and national environmental initiatives. Hash expressed optimism, stating, “projects like this showcase the military’s proactive approach to landscape stewardship and demonstrate that our mission and environmental protection go hand in hand.”
While visiting the paddock, you can see where the land has been grazed and where it hasn’t. There is visibly more vegetation and healthy soil on spots where the livestock already grazed as opposed to the parts they haven’t touched.
The project’s success is being closely monitored, with observations already showing increased vegetation and soil health in grazed areas compared to untouched sections. Despite Yuma’s minimal rainfall – 0.85 inches between February and March – the transformation of 300 acres within two months is remarkable. All this could not have been done without the dedication and contribution of all parties which include: The Department of the Navy, Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Grasslands Regenerations Project, even all the way down to the livestock being our ‘hooves of the ground.’ We look forward to demonstrating our success in Yuma to pave the way and inspire other installations and organizations to contribute to making the earth a greener place.
To learn more about MCAS Yuma’s Range Management and Conservation mission please visit: https://www.mcasyuma.marines.mil/Staff-and-Agencies/Range-Natural-and-Cultural-Resources/
| Date Taken: | 04.01.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 04.18.2024 10:02 |
| Story ID: | 468801 |
| Location: | YUMA, ARIZONA, US |
| Web Views: | 411 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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