Grazing Gone Wild: Hoskin Family Farm Earns Audubon Bird-Friendly Certification

Pingree, N.D. (August 6, 2024) — The National Audubon Society proudly announces that the Hoskin Family Farm in east-central North Dakota is the state's newest Audubon Certified bird-friendly habitat. The certification goes to owners Greg Hoskin and his daughter, Nici Flann, and recognizes them for managing their land for birds and biodiversity. 

The Audubon bird-friendly land certification is earned through Audubon’s Conservation Ranching program, an ambitious initiative to help stabilize declining grassland bird populations through partnerships with farmers and ranchers. The certification is awarded when producers meet all requirements centered on habitat management, environmental sustainability, and animal welfare, and allows producers to use the Audubon Certified bird-friendly seal for packaging and promoting beef and/or bison products grazed on certified lands. Over 100 ranches have earned this certification, collectively managing nearly 3 million acres of bird-friendly habitats.

Located 25 miles northwest of Jamestown in the heart of the Prairie Pothole Region, the Hoskin Family Farm spans native prairie, restored prairie, and wetlands. In working with Audubon on creating a farm-specific habitat management plan, Nici and Greg are continuing a conservation journey that began when the family purchased the property nearly 20 years ago. 

Working with multiple conservation organizations, Flann and her father have converted 200 acres of cropland back to grasslands replete with native flowers. They also permanently protected the farm’s natural habitats through grassland and wetland conservation easements through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

“The current condition of the property is a product of years of work and commitment to something bigger than us, the land itself. Our goal was to return the land to the condition it had been in before it was settled while allowing for active ranching,” Flann said, “We extracted years of garbage, destroyed trailer homes, vehicles, appliances as well as generations of cross fences from nearly every quarter. Wetlands were restored and row crops were replaced by native vegetation. Active ranching for wildlife allows our past work to be sustainable into the future.”

Flann adds that prescribed fire is another management tool they actively use for prairie enhancement. “None of this would have been possible without partner organizations providing funding and on-the-ground support,” she said, adding conservation projects on the farm have been supported by Audubon Great Plains, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Ducks Unlimited, Pheasants Forever, and the North Dakota Natural Resources Trust. “There has been a lot of work behind the scenes to manifest the wonder that now exists. Our deepest gratitude to all of our partners,” Flann said.  

Charlene Kohler Prodzinski, a Range Ecologist for Audubon Great Plains, says Nici’s vision for the property is aided by her partnership with local ranchers Shane and Liz Smith, who lease the Hoskin Family Farm to graze their cattle. 

“They share a desire to create a mosaic of habitat for birds, and to use rotational grazing as the primary tool to do that,” Prodzinksi said. Kohler Prodzinski points out that rotational grazing is at the center of the Audubon bird-friendly certification, with the technique – modeled on how herds of bison once roamed the very same prairie as the Hoskin Family Farm – used to promote a variety of vegetation structures that support different bird species.

“High-intensity grazing and long periods of rest will leave patches of short vegetation for species like the Chestnut-collared Longspur and Upland Sandpiper, and higher vegetation structures in rested areas make great habitat for the Bobolink, Grasshopper Sparrow, and Sharp-tailed Grouse,” she said. 

For more information about Audubon Conservation Ranching in central and western North Dakota, please contact Charli Kohler Prodzinski. For more information about the program nationally, reach out to ConservationRanching@Audubon.org. 

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About Audubon Conservation Ranching

A wildlife habitat initiative of the National Audubon Society with a unique market connection, Audubon Conservation Ranching aims to stabilize declining grassland bird populations in partnership with ranchers. Audubon Conservation Ranching’s enrollment includes over 100 ranches and nearly 3 million acres that have earned status as Audubon Certified bird-friendly land. Incentivizing this habitat work for birds and biodiversity are consumers with an appetite for conservation, who support it by purchasing products grazed on these lands. Shoppers see a special package designation – the Audubon Certified bird-friendly seal – that sets these products apart. For more information, visit www.audubon.org/ranching.

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Media Contact: Anthony Hauck, anthony.hauck@audubon.org