The Only Constant on a Ranch Should Be Change
A California cattle rancher discovers a new take on what it means to be a sustainable rancher and encourages others to do the same.
Fifteen years ago, Mike Williams was not a sustainable rancher. At least he didn’t use the word to describe himself or the way he chose to manage his ranch. The word itself – especially when uttered by folks who don’t ranch – brought about an unsettling feeling within him. The former Army man turned California cattle rancher is skeptical of anyone who can’t spot a bull in a herd of heifers telling ranchers how to do things on their land.
Williams has learned to weather tough times, including droughts and wildfires, since he started ranching nearly a quarter-century ago. But an encounter with environmental activists was the catalyst that spurred him to reevaluate what it means to be a sustainable rancher.
Keeping an Eye on the Sustainability Movement
Years ago, Williams was the target of a campaign by a local group of activists concerned about his ranch’s impact on water quality. Challenged with how to best respond, Williams found support and resources with the California Cattlemen’s Association (CCA).
“After that, I became a believer in ranchers working together through these associations,” says Williams.
Williams swiftly moved from new CCA member to serving in a leadership position. During his tenure, Williams learned of the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (USRSB). It’s an initiative led by stakeholders across the industry focused on continuous improvement in the sustainability of the U.S. beef supply chain. Carrying his preconceptions about what a sustainability group might mean for his industry, he asked to be involved.
“I got started because I was very alarmed about the fact that the CCA, not to mention National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, was involved in an organization that had sustainability in its name,” Williams says. “When I got there, I was comforted because there were other producers and other people that had the right ideas on this issue.”
He came to understand that USRSB didn’t intend to be a burden on farmers and ranchers. Instead, he found there was benefit from understanding constraints at every point in the supply chain and working together to address them.
“The group was asking, ‘how can we work together? How can we help our industry partners address the issues they’re facing from their investors or their board of directors and how can we help ranchers and farmers become better ranchers or farmers,’” says Williams.
Not only was his conscience eased that the USRSB was aligned to support farmers and ranchers, but he also began to develop a different definition of sustainability related to farming and ranching.
Sustainability Creates Success On Ranches
Today, Williams leads the work of the USRSB as its 2024/2025 Chair. And he now considers sustainability a key management factor on his ranch. For Williams, being sustainable simply means taking better care of his resources. When he looks at practices that improve environmental health and those that improve ranch profitability, he sees a win-win.
“A rancher doesn’t have to care about climate change or the big picture; all he has to care about is better forage production, because it’s the exact same practices that increase your forage production on your ranch.”
Williams encourages ranchers to evaluate their ranch and ask themselves how they can improve the operation. Last year, he updated his holding pens for safer cattle handling. Currently, he sees that the water infrastructure on the ranch is the area holding him back.
“No ranch is run the same today as it was at the turn of the 20th century,” says Williams. “Every rancher has to adjust to make changes based on the availability of knowledge, resources, markets and all these outside factors.”
Sustainability is a word Williams uses often now. Not just to describe his ranch, but to encourage other ranchers to reclaim the word for the industry. He’s seen a shift in conversations he has with ranchers when the term ‘sustainability’ comes up. Today they are more likely to discuss the idea, as is Williams.
Laura Brenner
Laura Brenner, Sr. Content Writer
Laura Brenner is a senior content writer for Noble Research Institute. She’s worked in agricultural communications for over a decade, specializing in nonprofit communications and storytelling. Laura earned a bachelor’s degree from Penn State University and a master’s degree from Purdue University. She resides near her hometown of Lancaster County in south-central Pennsylvania.
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