As the autumn gathering season at TomKat Ranch winds down, we are reflecting on the diverse groups and collaborations that TKREF has hosted this year.
Gathering for Action: It’s been a busy year!
Participants at the Central Coast Rangeland Coalition gathering visiting a 2-year-old prescribed fire area on TomKat Ranch. Photo credit: William Milliot
11/18/2025
By: Bella Newcomb
Regenerative Ranching Initiative
This year, efforts to monitor the ecology of our working lands continued in partnership with Point Blue Conservation Science and the Rangeland Monitoring Network. We also joined the Ecdysis Foundation’s 1,000 Farms Initiative to contribute data from TomKat along with a network of farms and ranches across North America. We even got to host Dr. Jonathan Ludgren, founder of the 1000 Farms Initiative and an engaged group of participants, to discuss findings from agricultural operations nationwide.
In the fall, in partnership with the Western Landowners’ Alliance, we held the second annual “Land as a Lever for Good” workshop. This event brought together young farmers and ranchers from across the West for a weekend of conversations and connection about the challenges facing the next generation of land stewards.
Also in the fall, the Central Coast Rangeland Coalition held a great meeting of ranchers, agencies, nonprofits, land managers, scientists, and more to focus on brush management methods including a tour to observe our goat herd grazing trials, and visit the 2024 prescribed burn site to see different practices in action.
Dr. Jonathan Ludgren, eighth person from the left, in a grey-blue t-shirt holding a soil drill, poses with participants at the Ecdysis Foundation’s 1000 Farm Initiative gathering at TomKat Ranch. Photo credit: William Milliot
Fork to Farm Initiative
The emergent theme of our Fork to Farm initiative this year was nutrient density. In April, we hosted “Healthy Food, Healthy Planet,” a two-day workshop in collaboration with Dr. Stephan van Vliet of Utah State University. This event explored the connections between biodiversity and nutrient-dense food. Attendees heard from a wide array of experts working at the intersection of nutrition and regenerative agriculture. They discussed topics such as nutrient density in hospitals and schools, the relationship between land management and healthy food, and future visions for a transformed food system.
Following this convening, a new collaboration was born with World Link and Food + Planet called “Nourish 2.0.” Over three days and many shared farm-to-table meals, attendees worked to develop strategies to equip nutrition and school professionals with tools to embed food literacy across K-16 education and strengthen farm-to-institute partnerships in California.
Nourish 2.0 participants in the Milky Lane Kitchen, TomKat Ranch. Photo credit: Aram Armstrong
Local Community & National Impact Partners
Partnerships are a critical component of our Gathering for Action program.
This fall, we hosted Puente a la Costa Sur’s annual fundraiser, raising donations for Puente’s community healthcare program. We are proud to support their work in the Pescadero community, advocating for equitable access to housing, healthcare, education, and economic security for all.
On the land, we host a bi-monthly Basket Weaving Circle with the Muchia Te’ Land Trust, where Indigenous community members gather indigenous plants, speak their languages, and practice traditional craftmaking.
We welcomed back the Climate Philanthropy Catalyst Coalition whose mission is to broaden the quantity and quality of climate philanthropy by fostering peer-to-peer learning among organizational leaders at the forefront of promoting climate philanthropy. Their work continues to increase philanthropic investments in high-impact climate spaces.
To close out 2025, we will hold a gathering on Regenerative Economies with Regen Bridge for leaders and changemakers working towards a regenerative economic future and the transformation of extractive economic systems that support healthy communities and a healthy planet.
Participants at the Central Coast Rangeland Coalition gathering in the South Barn, TomKat Ranch. Photo credit: William Milliot
Regardless of who is visiting, we aim to integrate the content and context of TomKat Ranch into every gathering. We welcome ranchers, philanthropists, scientists, students, food systems advocates, investors, and many others to engage with the plants, soil, animals, local food, and messages. Through our commitment to serving local food (and turning any uneaten food into compost), and getting every visitor walking on the land and thinking about soil, we celebrate the unique osmosis of knowledge, stories, and practices at each gathering.
As our 2025 Gathering For Action season draws to a close, we are filled with immense gratitude for the hard, ceaseless work of our partners and neighbors, and look forward to what the new year brings.
