https://www.farmers.gov/blog/inflation-reduction-act-in-action-bell-rock-livestock-association-partners-with-usda-keep
Apr 22, 2024
By Leonard Luna, NRCS, New Mexico
Just west of Albuquerque, New Mexico, lies what many describe as an enchanting landscape of mesas, foothills and mountains. Spanning four counties of this vast western landscape is the 500,000-acre territory of the Pueblo of Laguna – a federally recognized Native American people.
This landscape also offers some of the state’s most interesting rock formations. In fact, one distinctive bell-shaped rock formation atop the Mesa Gigante cliffs inspired the name of one of the Laguna Pueblo’s livestock associations – the Bell Rock Livestock Association.
Over the years, members of the Bell Rock Livestock Association, alongside USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), have implemented significant conservation practices and enhancements across the landscape. Through Farm Bill programs such as the agency’s Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), these practices improved water source locations for livestock and wildlife as well as grazing lands.
In 2023, the association once again consulted with NRCS on incorporating stewardship goals specifically focused on livestock and wildlife climate-smart agriculture practices. This time, funds from the Inflation Reduction Act are helping achieve these goals.
Utilizing Inflation Reduction Act funds through CSP, the association will incorporate forage sampling throughout its vast livestock working lands. Forage sampling is collecting a representative sample of grazing material across a field to represent what the livestock are grazing in that field. Forage sampling is part of CSP enhancement – E528A (Maintaining quantity and quality of forage for animal health and productivity). Forage samples are submitted to New Mexico State University, and the association uses the results to help maintain forage quality and quantity to improve animal health and productivity, while enhancing soil carbon stocks through more precise forage management. Forage samples taken from the rangeland help increase understanding plant quantity, along with nutritional values, and aid in identifying the most nutritionally valuable grazing areas for cattle during breeding and weaning seasons.
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