Karlie Kammerer is Letting the Land Lead in South Dakota's Grasslands
- Buz Kloot, Ph.D.
- 10 hours ago
- 3 min read
In western South Dakota, where the prairie stretches wide and the wind speaks in long, slow sentences, Karlie Kammerer has learned the most important lesson a young rancher can know:
The land doesn't read a rulebook.
It doesn't follow a calendar. It doesn't operate by formulas. It responds to care — attention — and patience.
Karlie, 17, is the seventh generation to ranch on her family’s land near Piedmont, South Dakota — a place they’ve called home for over 140 years. Today, that legacy continues as her family leans hard into regenerative ranching — not as a trendy label, but as a way to stay rooted in the land they love and to ensure it thrives for generations to come."We had to change," Karlie says plainly. "We were doing what everybody else was doing — conventional management — but it wasn't working."
A Shift in Thinking — From Control to Care
Like many ranch families, the Kammerers once measured success the way they were taught — by production, efficiency, and numbers.
But the land was telling them something else.
So Karlie’s dad, Riley Kammerer, did what good ranchers do: He paid attention. He asked questions. He went looking for better ways — through grazing schools, Ranching for Profit, and conversations with ranchers already walking the regenerative path.
Today, the Kammerers follow the five familiar principles of soil health — minimizing disturbance, keeping the soil covered, promoting diversity, maintaining living roots, and integrating livestock.
But for them, the most important principle is the one that doesn’t always get listed on the handouts:
Context.
Context Changes Everything
Context is what ties their whole operation together. It's not a practice — it's a posture.
“Every pasture is different,” Karlie says. “You can’t treat them all the same.”
Context means they don’t move cattle just because the calendar says it’s time. They move cattle because the grass says it’s time, the soil needs rest, or a dry year calls for a different strategy.
It means knowing that some fields respond to more animal impact while others need to be left alone.
It means understanding that a practice that works 100 miles west on somebody else’s ranch might not fit here — in this soil, with this rainfall, on this ground.
“You have to ranch with your eyes open,” Karlie says — quoting her dad but clearly taking the words as her own.
Regenerative Ranching as Legacy Work
For the Kammerers, regenerative ranching isn’t about appearances. It’s about leaving something behind that lasts.
Their investment isn’t just in cattle or grass — it’s in the next generation.
“My dad always says what we’re doing now isn’t just for us,” Karlie explains. “It’s for whoever comes after us.”
Sometimes, that means slowing down. Sometimes, it means letting nature take the lead.
Sometimes, it means walking away from short-term gain for long-term health.
“That’s what context teaches you,” Karlie says. “It teaches you to look past the quick fix and ask what’s really good for the land.”t takes dogs. It takes daily checking. But it works. And it works because it fits the context.
Why Grasslands Matter
The Great Plains grasslands — like the ones Karlie calls home — are among the most endangered ecosystems in the world.
Millions of acres have been lost to cropland conversion, urban development, and woody encroachment. Yet these grasslands hold the key to clean water, healthy soil, wildlife habitat, and carbon storage.
Without healthy grasslands, none of the rest works — not the cattle, not the wildlife, not the rural communities that depend on them.
But Karlie believes there’s still time — and still people willing to listen to what the land needs.
Listening to the Land — And To Each Other
Perhaps what’s most remarkable about Karlie Kammerer is not just how much she knows — but how much she’s willing to keep learning.
In a world hungry for fast answers, she stands in the long tradition of ranchers who know the truth of the prairie:
The land doesn’t shout. It whispers.
It takes a lifetime to listen well.
That’s why Karlie talks about legacy — not just as a word — but as a way of life.
“It’s not about doing everything perfect,” she says. “It’s about paying attention. Leaving it better. And teaching the next ones to do the same.”
By: the Growing Resilience Team
Visit these “Growing Resilience Through Our Soils” information pages:
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2. Video page to watch videos of other ranchers’ journeys toward improved rangeland/pasture.
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