Armor Your Operation: Water Management, Agroforestry, and Adaptive Grazing for Maximum Resilience

In the brittle landscapes of the American West, drought is not an anomaly—it is the baseline condition we must design for. To ensure the survival and profitability of our family farms and ranches, we must deploy the infrastructure and management techniques required to thrive through these changing conditions.
This session explores practical Restoration Agriculture principles that eliminate costly inputs and drive bottom-line profitability through biological design. By mimicking native keystone species—using earthworks to replicate beaver activity and high-density grazing to simulate wild herds—we can accelerate soil building, expand wildlife habitat, and boost production simultaneously. By analyzing real, established systems, participants will master the core concepts of slowing, spreading, and soaking water to build a permanent biological buffer against drought.
Presenter, Jake Takiff, is the owner and manager of Cedar Springs Farm in Western Colorado, where he has spent the last decade transforming an overgrazed drylot into a biodiverse, productive system sustaining cattle, hogs, fruit trees, and trout ponds. Jake is also the lead consultant and project manager for Restoration Agriculture Development, traveling globally to design water management systems and consult with producers to unlock the highest ecological and economic potential of their land.

Questions? Contact jake@restorationag.com.