Marshall Johnson, Chief Conservation Officer for the National Audubon Society, argues that the Conservation Ranching Program demonstrates how market-based certification can scale working lands conservation by aligning rancher livelihoods with grassland health. Johnson traces the program’s evolution from a pilot involving ranchers like Jerry Doan in North Dakota to a national effort, noting that Audubon absorbs the program’s annual costs to return financial value to landowners rather than charging them. Johnson points to collaborations with brands such as Thousand Hills and Lifetime Grazed, which carry the Audubon Certified Bird-Friendly Land seal, as evidence of growing consumer demand for conservation outcomes that benefit both producers and wildlife. Johnson applies the concept of realpolitik to explain why voluntary Farm Bill incentives remain the viable path for passing legislation, despite concerns that regulatory measures might be more effective at reversing grassland bird declines. Johnson notes that birds serve as sentinels for environmental health, revealing issues such as the decline of the Ogallala Aquifer years before human impacts become visible, making the current Farm Bill renewal a critical moment for integrating regenerative agriculture practices.

The role of birds as connectors between urban and rural communities, and as sentinels that reveal environmental crises years before human impacts become visible.

Marshall Johnson, Chief Conservation Officer for the National Audubon Society, joins Bill and Anders to discuss the Conservation Ranching Program, a market-based certification effort that has grown into Audubon’s largest terrestrial habitat program. Johnson explains how the initiative aligns rancher livelihoods with grassland health, arguing that healthy working lands can support both people and wildlife without one coming at the expense of the other. The conversation traces the program’s evolution from a small-scale pilot to a national framework, highlighting collaborations with brands like Thousand Hills and Lifetime Grazed that carry the Audubon Certified Bird-Friendly Land seal.

Johnson describes how ranchers proved to be the easiest constituency to convince for a program that initially lacked a track record, while organizational leadership required more persuasion. He addresses the political realities of the Farm Bill, noting that voluntary incentive programs remain the only viable path through Congress despite their inertia. The discussion also explores the role of birds as connectors between urban and rural communities, and as sentinels that reveal environmental crises, such as the depletion of the Ogallala Aquifer, years before human impacts become visible.

The episode underscores the tension between the need for rapid conservation action and the slow pace of legislative change. Johnson suggests that the current Farm Bill renewal offers an opportunity to integrate regenerative agriculture practices and virtual fencing, technologies that were not scalable in previous iterations. The conversation invites listeners to consider how market-based certification and voluntary incentives can serve as practical tools for conservation, even when regulatory measures might theoretically be more effective.

In this episode:

• Conservation Ranching Origins Marshall Johnson explains how the Conservation Ranching Program began as a market-based certification effort to align rancher livelihoods with grassland health. He notes that ranchers were the easiest constituency to convince for a program that initially lacked a track record.
• Scaling Working Lands Programs The conversation covers how the program evolved from a small pilot to a national framework without changing its core structure. Johnson highlights collaborations with brands like Thousand Hills and Lifetime Grazed that carry the Audubon Certified Bird-Friendly Land seal.
• Farm Bill Realpolitik Johnson applies the concept of realpolitik to explain why voluntary Farm Bill incentives remain the viable path for passing legislation. He argues that regulatory measures might be more effective but lack the political support required to pass Congress.
• Birds as Connectors The discussion explores how birds act as diplomats connecting urban and rural communities, producers and conservationists. Johnson describes birds as sentinels for environmental health, noting that they reveal environmental issues years or decades before human impacts become visible.
• Old Salt and Grassland Stories Johnson compares the national scale of the Conservation Ranching Program with the small-scale storytelling of the Old Salt Festival. He views both as part of the same story, using local ranching narratives to demonstrate that working lands can also be conservation lands.

Links & Resources

Media & Books:

• Flight Plan: Audubon’s Strategic Plan to Bend the Bird Curve — Audubon’s five-year strategic plan detailing the organization’s goals to bend the bird curve.
  

Organizations & Initiatives:

• National Audubon Society — The National Audubon Society, Marshall Johnson’s employer and the organization behind the Conservation Ranching Program.
• Audubon Conservation Ranching Program — A market-based certification program for ranch lands started by Audubon to align rancher livelihoods with grassland health.
• Working Lands Initiative — A team created at Audubon to support landowners, forest managers, and ranchers through education and transactional partnerships.
• Montana Audubon — A partner delivering the Conservation Ranching Program in Montana.
• Thousand Hills Lifetime Grazed — A brand collaborating with Audubon, with all eighteen of its ranches certified and carrying the Audubon Certified Bird-Friendly Land seal.

Places & Landscapes:

• Mannix Ranch — The location of the Old Salt Festival and the setting for the hosts’ original conversation with Marshall Johnson in Helmville, Montana.
• Ogallala Aquifer — An aquifer in the West that Johnson notes has been pulled down more than 50 percent, illustrating environmental crises revealed by bird declines.

People Mentioned:

• Jerry Doan — A rancher in central western North Dakota who was one of the first to join the Conservation Ranching Program.
• Dr. Allen Williams — An agriculture leader who worked with Marshall Johnson to design the Conservation Ranching Program.
• Dr. Elizabeth Gray — The CEO of the National Audubon Society, under whose leadership the organization adopted a hemispheric vision.

We’re thrilled to share that The Wild Idea podcast has been named a Finalist in the 5th Annual Signal Awards, in the Sustainability & Environment category.

Being a Finalist also makes us eligible for the Signal Listener’s Choice Award. Voting is open now through Thursday, October 15.

Marshall Johnson serves as Audubon’s Chief Conservation Officer. In this role Marshall leads Audubon’s strategic conservation efforts across the Western Hemisphere, overseeing science, policy, state and country offices, and chapter engagement. He is deeply committed to engaging in impactful, mission-driven work to address the urgent challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss. Marshall previously served as Vice President of Audubon Dakotas, where he launched initiatives that have conserved nearly 500,000 acres in partnership with over 300 farmers, ranchers, and communities, and helped launch the Conservation Ranching Program, now spanning nearly 4.5 million acres across the Great Plains, Midwest, and the West. Marshall’s journey at Audubon reflects a remarkable path of growth—beginning in 2009 as a part-time State Outreach Coordinator and rising to an executive role with broad leadership responsibility across the
organization.

Marshall plays an active role in shaping global conservation policy throughout the United States, Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean. He serves on the North American Wetlands Conservation Council, the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Advisory Group, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s Hunting and Wildlife Conservation Council. His contributions have been recognized with the North Dakota Habitat Award, Prairie Business “40 Under 40”, and the University of Minnesota’s Abbey Alumni Award. A proud Canopy member, he stands for the protection of birds and the places they need to thrive. Marshall is an avid sportsman and a lifelong history enthusiast. Though often on the road, he remains grounded in his belief that conservation starts with connection—both to people and to place. He and his fiancée share their home in Fargo, North Dakota, with their two dogs who are a daily source of joy, loyalty, and play.

This episode of The Wild Idea is sponsored by The Wilderness Society. 

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