Rising from the Ashes: Resilient Ranching in the Desert
Las Damas Ranch and Grassland Regeneration Project
Alejandro Carrillo is a fourth-generation rancher in the Chihuahuan desert. His ranch, Las Damas, along the Mexican border, is renowned for its drought resilience. Alejandro mimics the processes of nature to improve the success of his operation and business in a challenging environment. His keynote address will focus on how mimicking nature builds a strong and resilient operation in uncertain times.
At Las Damas, precipitation rarely goes beyond 9 inches of rain per year. Every drop counts to grow more grasses. He is not willing to waste any water in such a brittle environment if he wants to graze year-round without inputs.
The ongoing drought that ranchers faced on these arid landscapes, encouraged Alejandro to look for better ways of doing things. He took his first Holistic grazing management class back in 2005. From then on, he has traveled and learned from the best regenerative ranchers around the world. Thru trial and error, he adapted these learning experiences to his brittle environment. Nowadays Alejandro can carry 3+ times more cattle than neighboring ranches on a per-acre basis, while lowering his inputs substantially.
Alejandro’s ranch, Las Damas, has been part of multiple documentaries and studies focused on regenerative ranching such as Sacred Cow, To Which We Belong, and Water in Plain Sight.
Alejandro established a solid relationship with bird conservation organizations 10 years ago, working closely with both Mexican and US organizations to protect migratory birds.
Alejandro assists ranchers and institutions on regenerative practices mainly across the Western USA, but also in South America. He also participates as a delegate to the United Nations to Combat Desertification and Land Degradation in multiple countries.
Before getting his boots on the ground full-time, Alejandro worked as a software engineer and IT consultant in various countries. He has a BS in Computer Science from Monterrey Tech, and an MS in Technical Management from Johns Hopkins University.