Stories and News
We offer an array of content to explore, including these stories from around the country sharing trusted practices found in indigenous cultures, in modern universities, in long experiences on a particular property, and in innovation by first-generation farmers.
The Latest
Retaining Soil Moisture at Lighthouse Herb’n Farm
By Luz Ballesteros Gonzalez, NCAT Agriculture Specialist
When will it rain again? How much will it rain? These questions are becoming more common—while such uncertainty has always existed, it’s now more prevalent. In the wake of unpredictable…
Extreme Heat: Don’t Let Summer Be a Bummer
By Luz Ballesteros and Darron Gaus, NCAT Agriculture Specialists
Farmers and ranchers are weather watchers—we begin the day by turning on the local news or checking our apps for the weather highs, humidities, and chances of rain. A lot…
When in Drought, Plan It Out: Rain Harvesting
By Stephanie Kasper, University of Texas Rio GraSoil for Waternde Valley Program Manager
As a south Texas farmer, there’s not much I love more than a refreshing rainy day. However, my rain appreciation grew deeper this year after my partner…
Regenerative Journeys
Texastopia: A permaculture dream come true
Texastopia is located outside of Blanco, TX along the Blanco River. It is the property of Pete Van Dyke and his wife Elenor Goode. Pete owns Van Dyke Earthworks & Design, a permaculture consulting business. They started managing a 10 acre…
Zanzenberg Farm: Staying innovative with hogs
Located Center Point, Texas in East Kerr County, Zanzenberg Farm specializes in raising heritage breed pigs on pasture. Much like heirloom vegetables, heritage breeds were very common on the American homestead centuries ago. Farm owners Justin…
Grotegut: Water for Future Generations
Dr. Chris Grotegut is a veterinarian, farmer, and stockman in Hereford, located in Deaf Smith County in the Texas Panhandle. Hereford has a rich agricultural heritage and economy built on the waters of Ogallala Aquifer. But this aquifer has…
Whitworth Ranch: A multi-species approach
Ward Whitworth and his family have lived in the far western end of the Texas Hill Country near London, Texas for many generations. Today Ward and his wife Barbara manage multiple properties. The Whitworths are diversifying their operation by…
Regenerating Rancho Las Damas in Mexico
We highlight internationally renowned rancher, president of Pasticultores del Desierto, consultant for Understanding Ag group, and Soil for Water technical advisor, Alejandro Carrillo. In the early 2000s, at the request of his father,…
TerraPurezza at Shield Ranch: Advancing regeneration
TerraPurezza was founded by Tina and Orion Weldon in Spicewood, TX in 2015. It has grown to over 1500 acres of native Texas prairie on multiple campuses including the Shield Ranch on Austin's Barton Creek and Willie Nelson's Luck Ranch in Spicewood,…