The Growing Grass Project September 2026 grazing chat

Hello everyone, welcome to the September 2026 Grazing Chat! My name is Kable Thurlow, and I’m an Extension Educator at Michigan State University Extension working in grazing management and beef cattle production. Our guest speakers today are Anna Straus and Sam Henke We are going to learn more about The Growing Grass Project As the Deputy Director of The Growing GRASS Project, Anna Straus manages stakeholder partnerships, program design, and operations for a lasting impact on regenerative beef and bison byproduct supply chains. With a background in social work and sustainable food system development, Anna's work bridges policy, finance, and community engagement with the goal of stewarding material, meaningful supports for farmers, ranchers and herders. Sam Henke is the Growing GRASS Project's Producer Enrollment Coordinator. With a background in sustainable agriculture, data management, and communications, Sam connects producers with GGRASS and their network of technical service providers to deliver effective and impactful grant program offerings. By engaging regenerative beef and bison supply chains and partnering with regional and national experts in sustainable production systems and agricultural marketing, he helps build long-term capacity among beef and bison byproduct supply chains.