Greening The Desert:
The Las Damas Ranch
Allen R Williams, Ph.D
The Chihuahuan Desert can be a very desolate, stark, and inhospitable place. For anyone who has been in the El Paso, TX or Las Cruses, NM area, you know what I am referring to.
The Chihuahuan Desert extends from Southwestern Texas and southern New Mexico deep into the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Coahuila (Figure 1). Vegetation can be sparse and conditions can be harsh.
It takes a lot of acres to support even a single cow and her calf.
Figure 1: Extent of the Chihuahuan Desert.
However, it wasn’t always that way. There was once a time when this region was a vast productive grassland that was well watered for a western landscape. Beaver and River Otter were prevalent, as were bison,
elk, antelope, deer, grizzly bear, mountain lion, and wolf. This landscape was a favored hunting ground of the Comanche peoples. The incursion of the Spanish explorers and missionaries, followed by other European settlement,
cattle ranching and farming, altered the landscape to what it is today. It did not take long for desertification to occur.
This is the story of one ranch located in Aldama County, Chihuahua, Mexico. The Las Damas Ranch is owned and operated by Alejandro Carrillo. The ranch is located in the middle of the Chihuahuan Desert,
about 250 miles due south of El Paso, TX. The ranch was purchased by Alejandro’s father in 1985 and consists of 30,00 total acres, of which 25,000 acres are grazable. There are currently three active generations
on the ranch, consisting of Alejandro’s father, Alejandro, his wife, and his two daughters, Paula and Daniela.
Alejandro with His Favorite Horse on the Ranch.
Alejandro’s Daughters Paula (red cap) and Daniela.
The 50-year average precipitation for the Las Damas Ranch has been 10 inches annually. However, the last three years have averaged about eight inches per year. For most ranches in the area,
150 to over 200 acres are required to support a single cow/calf unit. There is a short 2-3 month rainy season starting sometime in late June or July and extending into September.
That is followed by an extended dry season. Temperatures can soar to 105 degrees F or higher in the summer months.
The entire ranch is operated as a dryland ranch with no irrigated meadows. The terrain consists of valleys with rugged canyons, mesas, and mountains, all located within the Sierra Madre Range.
No hay is produced on the ranch as cattle are expected to graze year-round. However, some hay is purchased annually to support any animals that may be in the corrals from time-to-time.
TRANSITION PROCESS
The Early Years
From 1985 until 2006, the Las Damas was operated conventionally with three herds running on three separate areas of the ranch. Total number of cows on the ranch averaged about 200 head annually.
The herds were allowed to continuously graze each area with just a handful of permanent pastures in place. In 2006, there were a total of 12 pastures across 25,000 acres. The pastures were both over-rested
and over-grazed. The soils were being degraded further from their already degraded state.
During that time period, Alejandro attended a workshop on holistic management and decided to implement some of the principles he learned there.
By 2012, the Las Damas had installed additional permanent cross-fencing to form a total of 55 pastures on the 25,000 acres. The three herds were finally combined into a single herd and moved
across the ranch every few days depending on available forage in any one pasture. Alejandro was still experiencing symptoms of over-rest and over-grazing with an average of a four-month rotation between the pastures.
He was essentially experiencing rotational over-grazing.
During this time, Jesus Almeida became a mentor to Alejandro. Jesus was one of the earlier adopters of adaptive grazing principles and practices. Alejandro was able to see what Jesus had accomplished on his
ranch and that created a sense of hope and excitement in Alejandro. One of the most impactful statements that Jesus used to convince Alejandro to make the transition to adaptive (regenerative) principles was when
he said, “Consider that when you fix the ranch it will give more years of life to your dad.” That one statement stirred Alejandro and transformed his thought process and management decisions.
Typical View of the Chihuahuan Desert Under Conventional Grazing Management.
Transformation:
After the introduction to Adaptive Grazing practices and regenerative principles, the Las Damas started making transformational changes, both in water and temporary fencing infrastructure,
as well as in the productivity of the desert itself. By 2018 Alejandro had 300-plus pastures with a combination of both permanent cross fencing (most consisting of a single high tensile strand) and temporary polywire fencing.
The grazing had become far less selective and cattle were being moved at least once daily to fresh paddocks. Rest periods for previously grazed pastures was extended to a minimum of 10-14 months between grazing events.
Fencing and Water:
In the figure below, the yellow lines represent single-strand high-tensile fencing and the red lines represent temporary polywire paddocks. They are now moving the cattle twice daily with 500 paddocks now available.
It is important to note that during this regenerative process, the Las Damas has not used any supplemental inputs for the cattle, with the exception of some supplemental sea salt minerals.
No chemical or mechanical interventions were implemented to elicit changes in the landscape, nor was there any seeding of forage species. The tools used for the regenerative process in the desert
were daily cattle movement, improved fencing, and the installation of additional water infrastructure.
The following diagrams show the water installations that were constructed across the ranch. A total of 21 water reservoirs were constructed at higher elevations to allow for gravity water flow
downhill to smaller water troughs. Each reservoir stores up to 40,000 gallons of water.
Then, 38 permanent water troughs were installed at the lower elevations, each with a capacity of about 2,500 gallons of water. This network of water, coupled with some temporary water troughs,
allowed for far better distribution of water and adaptive grazing management. They have also become a huge draw for wildlife, providing more watering options for deer, birds, and many other species.
The Las Damas Today
The pictures below show the state of the Las Damas Ranch today as a result of adaptive grazing practices and regenerative ranching principles. This is quite a contrast to the surrounding ranches.
In 2018, the Las Damas and the surrounding region received only six inches of rain during the primary rainy season. The pictures below show the contrast between the Las Damas and the neighboring ranch. Both ranches received the same six inches of rain.
The neighboring ranch after 6 inches of Rain.
The Land is Calling.
LIBERTAS LAND
Where the work of regeneration becomes the work of life.