Swaffar Joins Noble to Support Ranchers as They Rebuild Healthy Soils on Grazing Lands

This item has been supplied by a forage marketer and has not been edited, verified or endorsed by Hay & Forage Grower.

Noble Research Institute recently hired Steve Swaffar as an agricultural consultant. In this role, Swaffar will help farmers and ranchers learn about and apply regenerative grazing principles on their operations.

“Steve’s vast experience in regenerative agriculture, along with his passion for helping farmers and ranchers, makes him a tremendous asset to producers who are looking to rebuild soil and build a stronger bottom line,” said Hugh Aljoe, director of producer relations at the institute. “I know producers will appreciate his practical and applicable management tips and his dedication to improving soil health.”

Swaffar, who grew up working on his grandparents’ wheat and cattle farm in Grant and Garfield counties in northern Oklahoma, brings more than 30 years’ experience to the role. Most recently, he served as executive director of No-till on the Plains. Before that, he was director of natural resources and government relations director for Kansas Farm Bureau.

Swaffar said he’d long been a fan of the institute’s, and when the organization focused its operations on regenerative ranching, he knew wanted to join the journey.

“It really caught my attention, because that’s the space I was already working in,” Swaffar said. “It was a no-brainer for me. The reputation of Noble, the people of Noble and the focus on regenerative ranching — it’s everything I was looking for.”

Swaffar completed his bachelor’s degree in systematics and ecology in 1988 and his master’s degree in systematics and ecology in 1995, both from the University of Kansas. He is a member of Pheasants Forever, Quail Forever, American Fisheries Society and Kansas Grazinglands Coalition.

Noble Research Institute LLC is an independent nonprofit agricultural research organization dedicated to delivering solutions to great agricultural challenges. Headquartered in Ardmore, Oklahoma, Noble’s goal is to achieve regenerative land stewardship in grazing animal production with producer profitability. Achievement of this goal will be measured by farmers and ranchers profitably regenerating hundreds of millions of acres of U.S. grazing lands. Noble aims to remove, mitigate or help producers avoid the barriers that deter the lasting use of regenerative, profitable land management practices in grazing animal production.

Researchers, consultants, educators and ranch staff work together to give farmers and ranchers the skills and tools to regenerate the land in a profitable manner. Noble researchers and educators seek and deliver answers to producer questions concerning regenerative management of pasture and range environments, wildlife, pecan production, and livestock production. Regenerative management recognizes that each decision made on the ranch impacts the interactions of the soil, plants, water, animals and producers. Noble’s 14,000 acres of working ranch lands provide a living laboratory on which to demonstrate and practice regenerative principles and ideas to deliver value to farmers and ranchers across the U.S.