Connect with fellow ranchers and share knowledge, tips, and stories at Rancher-to-Rancher Central Coast!

 

Welcome to Rancher-to-Rancher Central Coast!

The Central Coast Soil Hub invites you to join the Rancher-to-Rancher team at the Santa Rita Ranch to connect with fellow ranchers and land managers, discuss challenges and opportunities of ranching, and engage in soil health demonstrations. We'll focus our discussion on managing through the dormant season. Participants will be encouraged to share their experiences and strategies, as well as successes and lessons learned. Bring your questions and curiosity.

We welcome participants from San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura, and neighboring counties.

Coffee, snacks, and water will be provided - please bring a resusable water bottle and a camp chair. We plan to be outside as much as possible, so plan accordingly.

After the event concludes, there will be an optional dinner from 4:00-6:00, provided by our partners Grassroots Carbon. This will be a great chance to get to know your fellow ranchers and discuss questions and lessons learned from earlier in the day. Please let us know on your registration form if you plan to attend this optional dinner.

This event is FREE, but registration is required.

 

About the Organizers

The Coastal San Luis Resource Conservation District serves ranchers, farmers, and other land managers in the southern coastal portion of San Luis Obispo County, with a mission to protect and enhance natural resources through education, restoration, conservation, and collaboration with local stakeholders. Together with our partners at the Upper Salinas-Las Tablas RCD (serving inland/northern SLO County), the Cachuma RCD (serving Santa Barbara County), and the Ventura County RCD we form the Central Coast Soil Hub. This regional partnership is dedicated to supporting the management and stewardship goals of Central Coast ranchers and farmers by providing financial assistance and technical guidance.

Rancher-to-Rancher is a project of the Soil Carbon Coalition. The R2R team helps land managers, citizens, and communities combine social, economic, and technical assets toward what they need and want on working landscapes, and toward a shared intelligence on the immense power and potential of the circle of life. The team has considerable exposure to Allan Savory's holistic management framework, as well as to various flavors of regenerative agriculture and grazing management.They are not consultants or advocates for branded systems or branded ``"best management practices,'' but are advocates and practitioners of self-education and participatory learning based on observation and evidence, as well as understanding basic ecosystem functions.

 

The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County has owned and managed Santa Rita Ranch since 2020. This 1,715 acre ranch is located in the heart of the southern Santa Lucia Range in San Luis Obispo County. Santa Rita Ranch is home to a 234 acre-foot lake, the fourth largest privately owned reservoir in the county. The property hosts a diversity of habitats, from valley oak and bay laurel forests to serpentine grasslands. A variety of rare and endemic plants can be found on the property, including Bishop manzanita, club-haired mariposa lily, and Palmer’s spineflower. The ranch also provides a critical wildlife corridor for a diverse population of fauna. American black bears, gray foxes, bobcats, and American badgers have been observed on wildlife cameras at the ranch. Check out Learning Among the Oaks’ Wildlife Camera Project to view wildlife photos from Santa Rita Ranch.

Grassroots Carbon is a regenerative land management and carbon removal company that partners with ranchers to restore soil health, strengthen ecosystems, and unlock new revenue streams through measurable, verified ecological outcomes. At its core, Grassroots Carbon connects two sides of the same solution, the people restoring America’s working lands and the organizations investing in a more resilient future. By rewarding ranchers for regenerative practices that rebuild soil health, improve water cycles, and enhance biodiversity, the company is transforming U.S. grasslands into one of the planet’s most powerful climate solutions.

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Event Date: Friday, April 24th, 2026
Event Time: 9am-4pm
Address: Santa Rita Ranch | 3520 Old Creek Road | Templeton, CA 93465
Google Maps:  Santa Rita Ranch

Scan the QR code above to sign up or click the link below:
Rancher to Rancher - Santa Rita Ranch - Grazing Through the Dormant Season

Please reach out to Regional Rangeland Planner, Grant Johnson, at gjohnson@coastalrcd.org with any questions.