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In a drying West, more producers are looking for options to remain viable, which is why today we're taking a look at dryland farming.   Relying on water from the sky in the Colorado River Basin, where it feels like irrigation is the norm, is not an easy task. That's why we're chatting with Gus Westerman, director at Colorado State University Extension and drought advisor, to learn how to make farming economically and ecologically viable in a part of Colorado that puts the "dry" in dryland.  Show notes: https://onland.westernlandowners.org/2026/podcast/dryland-farming-in-the-colorado-basin-with-gus-westerman/  

A new report reveals that Western landowners invested at least $407.5 million of their own money in conservation in 2024, outpacing many of the most well-known public funding programs. This new data fills a major gap in how we understand conservation economics.  Today, WLA CEO Lesli Allison and WLA's communications director Louis Wertz walk through what the data shows, why these investments have gone largely unrecognized, and what it means for the future of conservation in the West.   Full report here: https://westernlandowners.org/landowner-investment/ 

Today we're sharing an episode from our friends at Reframing Rural, an award-winning documentary podcast telling honest, place-rooted stories of rural people and communities. Their new season, "Succession Stories," offers an intimate look at the family farm and ranch succession process - something rarely talked about openly, yet central to the future of working lands.  Before we roll the episode, we sit down for a short conversation with the show's creator, Megan Torgerson, to hear what she's learning from families across Montana.  Show Notes: https://onland.westernlandowners.org/2025/podcast/listen-new-podcast-season-provides-an-intimate-look-into-the-family-farm-and-ranch-succession-process/   Photo credit: Morgan Ellis   

Today, we're looking at the future of the Bureau of Land Management — a federal agency that oversees nearly 250 million acres of land in the West.    We're in the middle of a critical moment for public lands, especially the BLM. Staffing and budget cuts are hitting an agency that's already stretched thin, there's still no confirmed director, and a recent ProPublica investigation is once again raising questions about oversight of the grazing program.   To help put all these headlines in context, and consider what reforms might even be possible, WLA's CEO Lesli Allison sat down with Jesse Juen, former New Mexico State Director of the BLM.  Show notes: https://onland.westernlandowners.org/2025/podcast/whats-ahead-for-americas-public-lands-with-jesse-juen-former-blm-state-director/  

Today we're digging into a deceptively simple tool with big impacts on water and soil health: rock weirs. Rancher and Working Wild Challenge director Erik Kalsta joins us from Montana's Big Hole Valley to explain how he uses these low-tech structures to slow water and reduce erosion on his operation. He shares what he's learned from years of observing the land — and why small interventions can create big change. Show notes: https://onland.westernlandowners.org/2025/podcast/using-rock-weirs-to-slow-water-in-the-big-hole-valley-with-rancher-erik-kalsta/  

California's recent decision to remove four members of a wolf pack near Lake Tahoe sparked national attention - but the story behind it is much bigger.  Today on the On Land feed, we're sharing a special episode from our sister show, Working Wild University, which WLA produces with wildlife management specialist and prof. Jared Beaver at Montana State University Extension. In this episode, Wildlife Management professor at UC Berkeley, Dr. Arthur Middleton, joins us to dig into his recent New York Times op-ed and explore why America's predator recovery has outpaced our ability to support the people living in these landscape – and what we can do about it.   Show notes: https://onland.westernlandowners.org/2025/podcast/california-wolves-87-dead-cattle-and-the-nyt-op-ed-everyones-sharing/ This episode was hosted by Jared Beaver and produced by Zach Altman, with support from Avery Shawler and Louis Wertz.    

Only 7% of philanthropic dollars goes toward rural America, and our guest today is working to change that.   Today our CEO Lesli Allison sits down with Erin Borla, executive director of the Roundhouse Foundation in Sisters, Oregon. Erin's helping reimagine what philanthropy looks like in rural and tribal communities, through both the Foundation's grantmaking and their podcast Funding Rural. Show notes: https://onland.westernlandowners.org/2025/podcast/inside-the-movement-to-fund-rural-america-with-erin-borla/  

The American West is changing fast, and one of the biggest forces shaping that change is development. Sprawl - those 35-acre subdivisions and ranchettes you see spreading across the landscape - can mean paradise for some, and the unraveling of communities, wildlife habitat and productive landscapes for others.  Today we're talking about what's driving that growth, what it means for landowners and rural economies and what kinds of solutions might help us strike a balance between private property rights, conservation and community needs.   On the show today, our CEO Lesli Allison sits down with Ken Mirr, founder of Mirr Ranch Group and longtime land broker who has worked at the intersection of ranching, conservation and real estate for decades.  Show notes: https://onland.link/podcast  

The Endangered Species Act has helped save iconic species from extinction - but it's also created real tension for the private landowners who manage the majority of wildlife habitat in the U.S.  In this episode, WLA CEO Lesli Allison sits down with Leo Miranda, executive director of Conservation Without Conflict and former Southeast Regional Director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. From his early days as a field biologist in Puerto Rico to leading one of the most innovative regional conservation efforts in the country, and as a farmer in Georgia, Leo brings a unique perspective on what it takes to shift from conflict to collaboration.  Together, they explore how trust, transparency, and voluntary partnerships have produced conservation successes in the Southeast - and what it will take to scale those successes across the West.  Find show notes and more: https://onland.link/podcast Like what you hear? Make a gift today: https://westernlandowners.org/support/  

The Farm Bill. A piece of legislation that quietly shapes much of life in this country - especially for those of us in rural America.  The Farm Bill influences everything from food access to conservation, crop insurance to rural infrastructure. And yet, for how far-reaching it is, most Americans know very little about what's actually in it - or what's at stake when it comes up for renewal.  To help unpack the history, the politics, and the uncertain path ahead, Lesli Allison, our CEO here at Western Landowners Alliance, speaks with two former high-ranking staffers who served in the Senate Agriculture Committee, Jonathan Coppess, former chief counsel under former senator and chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, a Democrat from Michigan, and Joel Leftwich, a former staff director under former senator and chairman Pat Roberts, a Republican from Kansas.  Find the show notes here: https://onland.link/podcast  

For Chef Joshua Drage, fire is more than a cooking method - it is a unifying ingredient in his culinary creations. Drage's passion lies in crafting dishes that pay homage to the American West; emphasizing the connection between fire and food. Drage collaborates with local producers to source the freshest ingredients skillfully blending bold flavors while championing healthy eating.  Today's episode of On Land is a literal fireside chat with Chef Joshua Drage. Join WLA's Christina Wenikowski and Zach Altman on a culinary journey to Chef Drage's cabin in the forested hills near Phillipsburg, Montana. Show notes and recipes: https://onland.westernlandowners.org/2025/eating-on-land/fire-cooking-with-chef-joshua-drage/     Topics discussed: Food foraging, cast iron cooking, forest management, wildland urban interface, elk steak, morels, huckleberries, juniper, wildfire

Today we're chatting with Caroline and Justin Nelson, the powerhouse ranching couple behind Little Creek Feed in Townsend, Montana, and the owners of Little Creek Lamb & Beef, a direct-to-consumer meat company that prioritizes care for the land, the animals, and the people sustained by both.  We talk about what it was like to start a business while expecting their first child, why they're so committed to quality local products and top-notch customer service, the decline of community gathering spaces in rural areas, the origins and growth of their meat business, and so much more.  Find more in the show notes: https://onland.westernlandowners.org/2025/podcast/little-creek-feed/  

The future of forests, and the communities and wildlife that depend on them, is at a crossroads. In this episode of On Land, Western Landowners Alliance CEO Lesli Allison sits down with Dave Tenny, founding president and CEO of the National Alliance of Forest Owners, for a timely, wide-ranging conversation.  They dig into sweeping new federal directives aimed at expanding domestic timber production, what it really takes to reduce wildfire risk, and how private working forests are becoming critical players in wildlife conservation and the carbon economy.  Along the way, they peel back the curtain on the modern timber industry: how it's changed, the stewardship ethic driving today's forestry leaders, and why sustainable forest management may hold keys to healthier lands, watersheds, and communities across the West.  If you care about the future of forests, rural economies, or conservation, this is a conversation you won't want to miss.  Find the show notes here.

The American West is burning. We need to adapt. But what does it really mean to live with fire?  Today's guest has spent years trying to answer that question. Nick Mott is an award-winning journalist, podcast producer (Threshold, MTPR's The Wide Open, Fireline), and now author of the book This is Wildfire: How to Protect Yourself, Your Home, and Your Community in the Age of Heat, which he co-authored with Justin Angle, host of A New Angle and a professor at Montana State University's College of Business. Nick joins WLA's Zach Altman for a conversation about fire - where we've been, how we got here and what we can do now. They discuss forest management and insurance markets, prescribed burns and Indigenous fire knowledge, and how community might be the most powerful firefighting tool we've got.  Find the show notes here.  

Today we're bringing you a timely conversation with Lesli Allison, CEO of Western Landowners Alliance. With major shifts happening in federal policy—funding freezes, staffing cuts, and growing uncertainty—Lesli breaks down what these changes mean for working lands and the people who steward them.  We'll talk about the challenges landowners are facing, the opportunities to shape the future, and why landowner leadership is needed now more than ever.   Learn about WLA's policy work, share your thoughts and contact your reps here.