Michigan State University (MSU) is working with Spartan trained scientists at research institutes across the country on a $19-million research coalition to examine how grazing management decisions can impact soil health on pasture and rangelands, and benefit producers.
Researchers at MSU's Lake City Research Center, led by C.S. Mott Professor of Sustainable Agriculture Jason Rowntree, recently started work on key components of the collaborative project entitled Metrics, Management, and Monitoring: An Investigation of Pasture and Rangeland Soil Health and its Drivers (3M).
Lake City is one of the hubs that brings together researchers from 11 institutions and public universities, including co-leads Noble Research Institute in Oklahoma and Colorado State University. Serving key project roles are MSU graduates Isabella Maciel, regenerative ranching systems researcher for Noble Institute, and Paige Stanley, a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences at Colorado State.
The project is led by Noble Research Institute, MSU, CSU and the University of Wyoming, and includes collaborators from Oregon State University, National Grazing Lands Coalition, USDA-ARS (Maryland, Colorado and Wyoming), Savory Institute, Snaplands LLC, The Nature Conservancy and the UK's Quanterra Systems. Funding for the project comes from the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research and Noble, with contributions by Greenacres Foundation, The Jones Family Foundation and ButcherBox.
Research goals and impacts are wide-ranging and essential to the profitability and sustainability of the beef industry. It's a career highlight for Rowntree to examine how the industry can operate in tandem with nature and to have two of his former students working at his side.
"There is nothing more gratifying than to see students and postdoctoral scientists successful in their careers. These individuals are Spartans and create a legacy for our University throughout the world," he said.
Maciel is the 3M Project co-lead for Noble Research Institute, an independent nonprofit agricultural research organization located in Ardmore, Oklahoma. Its motto, "dedicated to the support of regenerative land stewardship in grazing animal production with lasting producer profitability."
She will lead research for adoption and application strategies within a regenerative ranching framework, while contributing to the development of educational materials for farmers and ranchers. The research will focus on how ranchers can effectively apply soil health principles.
"Land, forage, animal, people -- those are the key components of this project," Maciel said. "I am excited to work with ranchers and producers on how to have them on their lands for longer and what grazing management can do to help change and improve their way of life."
Maciel has conducted research on the fundamentals of beef cattle nutrition, food animal production, environment safety and mitigation of greenhouse gas emission.
Growing up on a ranch in Brazil, she has firsthand experience assisting in crop and livestock farming and impacted her career decision of being a veterinarian. She eventually became a Ph.D. student in her native Brazil working on projects related to greenhouse gas emissions and integrated livestock systems, but desired to train in the U.S. She aspired to work on regenerative beef production systems and sustainable animal agriculture and ultimately discovered Rowntree's work. She reached out, and Rowntree offered an opportunity to come to Michigan State University.
"At that time, I didn't speak English at all, and Jason was the person who opened the door for me to come to the U.S.," Maciel said.
With plans to immerse herself in Rowntree's MSU research program, learn as much English and as much about grazing management and American farming as possible before moving back to Brazil and finishing her Ph.D. program, Maciel had a surprising change of heart. "But after that first year, I was learning so much, I thought 'I don't think I want to go back anymore,'" she said.
Rowntree offered her an opportunity to be a post-doctoral researcher at MSU. A role she served until she was hired by Noble Research Institute in February 2022 as regenerative ranching systems researcher to lead Noble's portion of the 3M Project.
"Within one year, Isabella learned to speak English fluently, defended her Ph.D. in Brazil and then translated her work from Portuguese to English with multiple accepted manuscripts," Rowntree said. "Her dedication, energy and hard work are the foundation of her success. Isabella is a highly technical and organized scientist that manages people very well, and we are thrilled to have her co-lead this project."
Categories: Michigan, Education, Sustainable Agriculture