Opportunities for Peer-to-Peer Technical Assistance
This interactive 45-minute workshop will explore how Regenerative Ranching 101, a collaborative, place-based education program developed in partnership with ranchers, conservation districts, and nonprofits, can serve as a replicable model for peer-to-peer technical assistance across the country during a time of declining public funding for technical assistance programs.
Participants will learn how the course’s design centered a rancher-to-rancher approach; blending practical fieldwork with ecosystem science can empower land stewards to implement regenerative practices with greater confidence and connection to the land and others.
Drawing on outcomes from 2023, 2024 pilot programs in California, participant feedback on both the curriculum and field days, the session will offer concrete strategies for how to build localized, community-driven support networks to increase adoption of regenerative grazing. Attendees will leave with tools, templates, and inspiration for launching similar efforts in their regions—rooted in trust, shared learning, and land-based transformation.
This presentation will be hosted by Kevin Watt (TomKat Ranch Education Foundation and Bookcliff Consulting), Eliza Milio (San Mateo Resource Conservation District), and a student from the Regenerative Ranching 101 program.
Questions? Contact Kathy Webster at kathy@tomkatranch.org.
Speakers:
Kevin Watt is a regenerative agriculture consultant for Bookcliff Consulting, which supports individuals and organizations growing food systems that are socially, spiritually, environmentally, and economically regenerative. Kevin’s work focuses on the importance of personal development and the thoughtful integration of technology to enhance human understanding of complex ecosystems. Kevin served as a director and on the board of the San Mateo County Resource Conservation District and has worked on leading regenerative farms and ranches across the United States, including TomKat Ranch in California, Polyface Farm in Virginia, and The High Lonesome Ranch in Colorado.
Eliza Milio serves dual roles as Agricultural Stewardship Program Manager and San Mateo County Agricultural Ombudsman. As Program Manager, she oversees a variety of projects concerning conservation, climate, and farming. As the Agricultural Ombudsman, she serves as a liaison between agricultural producers and County officials, helping farmers and ranchers navigate County permitting and assisting the County with improving its agricultural permitting process. Before joining the RCD, Eliza spent a decade farming organic food and flowers in Santa Cruz and Healdsburg. Eliza holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from UC Santa Cruz, a Certificate in Advanced Ecological Horticulture from CASFS, and a master’s degree in Environmental Conservation and Education from NYU. She is currently a Junior Fellow at the Safina Center, where she writes at the intersection of food systems and climate change.