**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** THE PROPOSED RESEARCH RELATES TO THE PRIORITY AREA 4. BIOENERGY, NATURAL RESOURCES, AND ENVIRONMENT PROGRAM, PRIORITY CODE A1401 - SOIL HEALTH. WE ADDRESS THE SECOND COMPONENT OF THAT CODE BY CONTRIBUTING TO THE ASSESSMENT AND ADOPTION OF NOVEL CONSERVATION PRACTICES ON LIVESTOCK RANCHES, EXEMPLIFIED BY ADAPTIVE MULTI-PADDOCK (AMP) GRAZING MANAGEMENT. THE RESEARCH WILL BE CONDUCTED ON THREE PAIRS OF WELL MANAGED CONTINUOUSLY GRAZED (CG) AND AMP COW-CALF OPERATIONS IN THE NORTHCENTRAL TEXAS SEGMENT OF THE SOUTHERN PLAINS, WHICH IS A KEY ECOREGION IN THE NATIONAL LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION SECTOR. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH PROJECT WILL SUPPORT NRCS CONSERVATION GOALS OF IMPROVING RANGELAND SUSTAINABILITY BY TESTING THE HYPOTHESIS THAT, COMPARED TO TRADITIONAL CG, AMP GRAZING LEADS TO IMPROVED SOIL HEALTH METRICS, MICROBIAL ACTIVITY, CARBON SEQUESTRATION, FORAGE PRODUCTIVITY AND RANCH ECONOMICS. WE WILL DETERMINE THE POTENTIAL FOR EXPANDING CONSERVATION GRAZING MANAGEMENT THROUGHOUT THE SOUTHERN PLAINS REGION BY COMPARING CG AND AMP RANCHES ALONG THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES OF METRICS: (1) SOIL MANAGEMENT ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK (SMAF) PARAMETERS AND SOIL MICROBIAL INDICATORS FOR SOIL HEALTH (2) DELIVERY OF ECOSYSTEM SERVICES OF FORAGE PRODUCTION AND CARBON SEQUESTRATION, (3) RANCH PROFITABILITY AND RESILIENCE, AND (4) BY ALSO DETERMINING BARRIERS TO AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR ENHANCING THE ADOPTION OF CONSERVATION GRAZING PRACTICES. GIVEN OUR TEAM'S EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH CG AND AMP RANCHERS IN THE SOUTHERN PLAINS, AND WITH SOIL HEALTH METHODOLOGIES, MICROBIAL AND CARBON BALANCE ASSESSMENTS, AND RANCH ECONOMIC ANALYSES, THE PROJECT'S LIKELIHOOD OF SUCCESS IN PROVIDING POTENTIAL MECHANISTIC EXPLANATIONS TO PRIOR OBSERVATIONS OF THE BENEFITS OF AMP GRAZING IS HIGH.