Conservation Ranching

Working with landowners to support better bird habitat.
Photo: Stacy Steinke

ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ Certified Bird-Friendly Land

ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ Conservation Ranching aims to stabilize declining grassland bird populations in partnership with farmers and ranchers. 

Why farmers and ranchers? The majority of grassland birds–whose populations have declined by more than 40 percent in the last 50 years–inhabit privately owned land. This is where we scale our impact.

Landowners voluntarily enroll in our program, and when they meet requirements centering on habitat management, environmental sustainability, and animal welfare, they earn the ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ Bird-Friendly Land certification. Nationwide, more than 100 ranches and nearly 3 million acres have earned status as ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ Certified Bird-Friendly Land

Consumers with an appetite for conservation support these bird-friendly habitats. A special package designation – the ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ Certified Bird-Friendly seal – lets shoppers know which beef or bison products come from these lands managed for birds and biodiversity. 

About Conservation Ranching
For Retailers and Institutions
For Retailers and Institutions

Learn why you should carry products that meet the desires of your eco-conscious customers.

Our Team
A person with a light beard, wearing a blue ball cap and dark-framed eyeglasses, looks at the camera

Nat Miller

Senior Director, Wings Over Working Lands

Christopher Wilson

Program Director, ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ Conservation Ranching

Anthony Hauck

Communications Director, Wings Over Working Lands

Thomas Schroeder

Senior Partnerships Manager, ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ Conservation Ranching

A Chihuahuan Meadowlark standing on a wooden fence post, singing.
Bringing Bird-Friendly Ranching to the Southwest
June 10, 2026 — Meet ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½'s New Working Lands team in Arizona and New Mexico
Mountain Island Ranch Now ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ Certified Bird-Friendly Across 76,000 Acres
June 04, 2026 — Colorado & Utah ranch recognized for conservation leadership and bird-friendly grazing practices
A sparrow perches on a brown blade of grass.
Missouri’s Horstmann Cattle Company Earns ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½â€™s Bird-Friendly Land Certification
April 29, 2026 — Regenerative grazing creates critical habitat for grassland birds
ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ to Expand Rancher-Powered Conservation for Birds Across 500,000 Grassland Acres
April 07, 2026 — NFWF investment will scale regenerative grazing practices to the benefit of grassland birds
Birds That Depend on Grasslands
Bobolink
Dolichonyx oryzivorus
Blackbirds and Orioles
Chestnut-collared Longspur
Calcarius ornatus
Longspurs and Snow Buntings
Greater Prairie-Chicken
Tympanuchus cupido
Pheasants and Grouse
American Golden-Plover
Pluvialis dominica
Plovers