When fourth-generation rancher Carrie Richards took over the family farm from her father, she knew that she wanted to do things differently. She was concerned about bouts of pink eye among her cattle and that the farm could run a more efficient grazing plan. This when she discovered regenerative ranching and changed the trajectory of her family farm.
Richards’ family has been farming on a 6,500-acre plot of land outside Sacramento, California, since 1941. Over the years, the farm has changed. The farm launched a beef brand, Richards Regenerative, offerings products that are American Grassfed Certified and Land-to-Market (Ecological Outcome Verification) Certification from the Savory Institute.
Like many family farmers, Richards faced succession planning challenges when she took over the family farm. Her father wanted to run the farm one way, and she wanted to try new things, she told AgNavigator.
“I wanted to figure out how to graze more properly, and our animals were getting a lot of pink eye in the summer. I just felt like our plan wasn’t great, and so that’s how I found regenerative ranching through the Savory Institute,” Richards elaborated.
Regen ranching in practice
Upon learning about regenerative agriculture, Richards shifted her farm to a winter ranch model, where her cattle grazed at the farm for six months in the winter and six months in an irrigated meadow in the summer, Richards said.
During the summer months, Richards keeps the soil covered to protect it from the heat, allowing the grass to grow for the cows to return, she said. Since switching to regenerative farming, the cattle are not experiencing the same issues with pink eye, she added.
This regenerative process not only improves the feed for cows, but the farming practices also protect wildlife and animals, she added.
“We’re leaving our riparian and creek areas more intact because we’re not depending on them in the summer, and so those areas are flourishing and widening. Those water tables are widening, and we don’t have to buy extra hay. We don’t have to add fertilizer. We don’t have any of those inputs that we had when I first moved there,” Richards said.
The Savory Institute will take pictures of the farm each year and soil and water samples every five years to ensure the farm’s regen ag practices are working to restore the land. Additionally, Richards works with climate-smart conservation group Point Blue to test the sustainability of its farming practices.
While different regen ag standards exist, Richards explained that the core of regen ag is the same: to ensure every person and animal in the system are thriving.
“Regenerative ag is working with the land you have, with the people that are in your community, and the animals that you have, and making sure everybody’s thriving. So, you want to make sure the land is thriving, [the] animals that you’re raising are thriving, and the people that you’re working with and the community you’re in are thriving,” Richards elaborated.
Cashing out or staying in: What are ranchers to do?
Like many beef producers, Richards is also grappling with the high demand for beef and animal protein, while the U.S. herd is at its lowest point in 75 years. Following the plant protein hype, “we’ve seen a dramatic switch back to animal protein,” with the overall protein movement being “really good for ranching,” Richards noted.
The U.S. recorded 86.2 million head of cattle and calves as of Jan. 1, 2026, a dip from 86.5 million head the year before, according to the USDA Cattle Inventory.
“What’s happening now — which is a result of many things — is cattle are worth more than they’ve ever been because the herd is the smallest it’s ever been, and a lot of older ranchers are cashing out because this is the highest market they’ve ever seen, and it’s hard for the younger generations to convince them to cash out,” Richards elaborated.
She added, “The main issue with ranching right now, and beef specifically, is that these animals are worth so much, and how do we turn them into beef without making them a $75 steak?”
