431: How Better Grazing Turned a Struggling Desert Ranch Around with Alejandro Carrillo

Alejandro Carrillo joins Lauren today on the podcast to share how his family transformed their cattle ranch in the Chihuahuan Desert from struggling with bare ground, woody plants and low rainfall into a more productive and profitable operation. After taking a holistic management class, Alejandro began changing the way they thought about grazing, soil health, biodiversity and cattle selection. Alejandro explains why healthy soil is the foundation of a successful ranch, how moving cattle daily and using multiple species can improve grazing, and why genetics and culling are critical to building cattle that thrive in a specific environment.

Links:

Connect with Alejandro on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alejandro-carrillo-b3a7a7/

Alejandro on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lasdamascattleranch/

Alejandro on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alejandro.carrillo.50951

CattleUSA Insurance - https://info.cattleusainsurance.com/l/1102253/2025-06-04/288f5m
⁠CattleUSA Website - https://www.cattleusa.com/
CattleUSA App IOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/cattleusa/id1673147759
CattleUSA App Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.edgarmcbee.cusamobile&pcampaignid=web_share
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/cattleusamedia
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/cattleusa.media/
Subscribe to our newsletter - https://www.cattleusa.shop/products/cattleusa-drive-premium-daily-newsletter?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&brid=YWdncwFNXt0EmdzFy5cJJBp84J9g
CattleUSA Media - https://www.cattleusamedia.com/
Lauren’s Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/_laurenmoylan/
Lauren’s Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@Showboatmediaco
The Next Generation Podcast Website - https://www.thenextgenag.com/

Key Takeaways:

• Better grazing management can help struggling ranches work with nature instead of against it
• Healthy, living soil is the foundation for productive pastures and cattle
• Plant and animal diversity can make a ranch more resilient
• Cattle need to be selected for their ability to thrive in the environment they are actually working in
• Daily movement and adaptive grazing can improve how forage is utilized and recovered
• Multiple species can complement one another and create more even grazing
• Improving soil health can increase forage quality and reduce dependence on supplementation
• Ranch profitability has to come first if producers want to sustain their land and livestock
• In arid environments, managing how much rainfall is captured and infiltrated can be more important than simply measuring rainfall
• Continuous education and learning from other ranchers can change the way an operation is managed

Chapters:

01:19 From Computer Science to Ranching03:34 Changing the Way the Ranch Was Managed05:54 The Challenges of Ranching in the Desert07:59 Why Healthy Soil Matters11:00 Building Biodiversity on the Ranch14:59 Selecting Cattle for the Environment18:49 Grazing Multiple Species Together21:37 Building Nutrient-Dense Forage24:44 The Biggest Lesson for Producers26:00 Making the Most of Every Inch of Rain

Alejandro Carrillo, Cattle USA Daily, desert ranching, cattle ranching, regenerative ranching, regenerative grazing, holistic ranching, grazing management, rotational grazing, adaptive grazing, arid environment, Chihuahuan Desert, cattle grazing, soil health, healthy soil, soil biology, biodiversity, forage quality, nutrient density, cattle genetics, cattle selection, cattle culling, cattle nutrition, livestock grazing, grazing cattle, pasture management, ranch profitability, ranch management, drought management, water infiltration, rainfall, arid ranching, sustainable ranching, beef cattle, cattle producers, ranchers, regenerative agriculture