Common Ground Coalition Focuses on Next Generation
May 9, 2026
Livestock leaders from across the West gathered recently in Reno as the Common Ground Coalition kicked off the first of four regional summits focused on the future of the cattle industry and rural America.
Among the participants was Oregon cattle producer Blake Knowles, a fourth-generation rancher from Heppner, Oregon, who says the summit brought together a diverse group of producers focused on finding solutions to some of agriculture’s biggest challenges.
“It was a great opportunity to kind of sit back and listen,” Knowles said. “There were all ages involved in this and different sectors of the industry all came together. Some great minds all really moving forward with hopefully one goal of tackling some of these problems.”
One of the biggest topics discussed during the summit was how to encourage younger producers and new entrants to stay involved in agriculture.
“How do we get younger and emerging producers back into the game, and what can we do to help that process?” Knowles said.
Knowles says access to land and capital remain major barriers for the next generation of ranchers.
“It’s obviously a problem that is very much recognizable, but the answers are a little tougher to come up with,” he explained. “A lot of it is trying to establish ways to find access to capital and access to the land.”
He added that shrinking grazing acreage continues to create concern across the West.
“The common theme is that we’re losing grazing acres,” Knowles said. “There was a lot of discussion with how to combat that and focus energy to hopefully give opportunity to the next generation.”
Public lands grazing was another key issue raised during the discussions, especially among western ranchers who rely on federal grazing allotments.
“We absolutely need to be utilizing all grazed acres,” Knowles said. “I think there’s a large appetite to continue on with that, and we just need to keep pushing that win forward.”
Knowles also emphasized the importance of producers speaking with a unified voice and becoming involved in grassroots advocacy efforts.
“It’s super important,” he said. “I don’t know that I’ve ever sat in a room with more qualified and well-thought individuals. This really felt like it was from the producers that are out there every day doing things.”
The Reno summit follows the original Common Ground Coalition meeting held last year in Denver, Colorado. Additional regional meetings are scheduled for Omaha, Nashville, and Fort Worth later this year as the coalition continues building momentum nationwide.
To get involved, visit www.commongroundcoalition.net.
Source: Western Ag Network
