Murdock Trust grant to Sustainable Northwest funds new regenerative ranching program

Sustainable Northwest's first, anchor partner: Country Natural Beef, Redmond-based cooperative

PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust has granted $488,500 to Sustainable Northwest’s new program for regenerative ranching, which aims to become the nation’s largest regenerative ranching program, covering 100 ranches and 6.5 million acres by 2025.

“Our benefactor, Jack Murdock, believed deeply in celebrating and preserving the natural beauty of our region. Ranchers in the Pacific Northwest play a vital role in helping our region thrive but face a variety of challenges, including development, climbing costs, climate change, and more. Organizations like Sustainable Northwest are doing important work to help support the individuals and families who run these spaces. We are grateful to continue our commitment to invest thoughtfully in projects that help steward our environment and natural resources,” said Steve Moore, executive director, M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust.

“Their new regenerative ranching program provides an innovative, sustainable solution that helps our natural landscape thrive while simultaneously growing local business. Jack would have loved this!”

The grant to Sustainable Northwest reflects the Murdock Trust’s continued investment in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. Since 2017, the Murdock Trust has contributed more than $102 million through 492 grants to nonprofits serving communities in Oregon and more than $1.2 billion in grants across the Pacific Northwest region overall since opening its doors in 1975.

Regenerative ranching consists of a range of practices, including grazing cattle in a way that builds nutrients in soils – instead of depleting them. Regenerative ranchers often use rotational grazing – moving cattle around to different areas – as well as planting specific types of grasses and forage plants that are good for the land, climate, water, and wildlife.

Sustainable Northwest’s Regenerative Ranching program will start out working with their anchor partner, Country Natural Beef (CNB), a cooperative of more than 100 family ranching operations covering 6.5 million acres of land across the West. CNB is headquartered in Redmond, and Oregon is a priority geography for the program.

“Country Natural Beef originally formed to advance good land stewardship and rangeland health. Their members want to be on the forefront of change and embrace regenerative practices as consistent with holistic land management,” said Greg Block, president and CEO of Sustainable Northwest. “As CNB’s conservation partner, we hope to validate and measure the impacts of adopting regenerative practices while also ensuring these early adopters are recognized and rewarded in policy and in the marketplace.”

Sustainable Northwest emphasizes that the program is not prescriptive. It will be tailored to local conditions, climate, and soil type.

“But one thing will remain the same,” Block said. “Regardless of the location or conditions, this program will measurably improve soil and rangeland health, and provide benefits that ranchers, consumers and westerners care about.”

The goal is to get all CNB ranches voluntarily enrolled in the program and implementing regenerative practices in the next four years.

About M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust

The Murdock Trust, created by the will of the late Melvin J. (Jack) Murdock, provides grants to organizations in five states of the Pacific Northwest—Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington—that seek to strengthen the region’s educational, spiritual and cultural base in creative and sustainable ways. Since its inception in 1975, the Trust has awarded more than 7,500 grants totaling more than $1.2 billion. For more information, find the Murdock Trust on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and on our website.

About Sustainable Northwest

Based in Portland, Sustainable Northwest is a nonprofit that works to solve natural resource challenges to keep lands healthy and provide economic and community benefits.