VIDEOS | Meet The Thomas Family, Sustainable Ranchers in Idaho
Watch short videos to hear how and why two young ranchers have put in place conservation practices that benefit the bird and their herds.
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These brothers have been ranching their whole lives. They’ve partnered with the Sage Grouse Initiative to improve sagebrush range for livestock and wildlife. Photo: Brianna Randall
Young ranchers make big strides to improve range health through a variety of conservation practices
Three years ago, Seth and Logan Thomas approached the Sage Grouse Initiative (SGI), led by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), to inquire about options for improving their agricultural operations as well as wildlife habitat.
Seth, 34, and Logan, 28, have been ranching since they were knee-high. Their father, Bob, bought ranchland in southwestern Idaho in 1996. Now, along with their father, the brothers run the Thomas Cattle Company.
The 150,000 acres of rangelands they manage stretch from 2,600 feet in elevation along the Snake River up to 7,000 feet in the Owyhee Mountains straddling the border of Idaho, Nevada, and Oregon.
“We want to show that we’re willing to take steps to improve things. We know that we have to take care of this land, make it better, so it can support us and our kids for generations to come,” says Logan.
Watch these short videos to hear how and why they’ve put in place all sorts of conservation practices that benefit the bird and their herds:
Learn how Seth and Logan are working with SGI to improve water, grass, and other natural resources to benefit wildlife and livestock on their ranch in southwestern Idaho.
Ed Contreras, SGI field conservationist, talks about how Seth and Logan Thomas spread the word among neighbors about opportunities for improving their operations and the sagebrush landscape.
