Maier’s Thousand Hills Lifetime Grazed Farm Recognized as First Audubon Certified Bird-Friendly Habitat in Minnesota

CLEARWATER, Minn. (July 23, 2025) — The National Audubon Society is proud to announce the Thousand Hills Lifetime Grazed Farm, located near Clearwater, Minnesota, and owned and operated by Matt Maier, as the first farm or ranch in the state to be designated Audubon Certified Bird-Friendly Land through the organization’s Audubon Conservation Ranching program. The certification recognizes lands managed for birds and biodiversity.  

Audubon Conservation Ranching is a partnership with ranchers to sustain healthy grasslands, abundant birdlife, and resilient rural communities. Through the certification, participating farms and ranches meet rigorous standards for habitat management, environmental sustainability, and animal welfare—verified through third-party audits. Once certified, producers are eligible to use the Audubon Certified Bird-Friendly seal on packaging. By purchasing products from Audubon Certified Bird-Friendly Lands, consumers become conservationists, helping protect America’s grasslands and the birds, wildlife, and people that depend on them. 

Maier’s home farm is joined by the entirety of the source ranch network – 14 independent, family-owned ranches across the Midwest and Great Plains – for his brand, Thousand Hills Lifetime Grazed, in earning the Audubon certification. This means grassfed beef products from Thousand Hills Lifetime Grazed – available at more than 2,500 retail locations nationwide – will begin carrying the Audubon Certified Bird-Friendly seal, the certification’s package designation. Nationwide, 127 ranches have earned the Audubon Bird-Friendly Land certification, adding up to more than 3 million acres under bird-friendly management.  

“This certification is not just a stamp—it’s a recognition of land stewardship that highlights how working farms and ranches can work for birds too,” said Sarah Hewitt, Senior Conservation Manager for Audubon’s Upper Mississippi River region. “Grassland birds have declined by 43% since 1970, and more than half of grassland-dependent bird species are in steep decline. Programs like Audubon Conservation Ranching are essential in reversing these trends by conserving the very habitat these birds need to survive.” 

For Maier, the designation reflects more than a conservation goal—it reflects a way of life. 

“On our farm, the sound of birds chirping, insects buzzing, and lightning bugs flickering isn’t just ambiance—it’s an indicator that our land is alive,” said Matt Maier, owner of Thousand Hills Lifetime Grazed. “Cattle thrive here, but they’re just one part of a bigger system. The way we graze builds soil, protects water, and helps birds and other wildlife. Getting this certification from Audubon confirms we’re doing right by the land.”  

Audubon Grassland Ecologist Krysten Zummo worked alongside Maier to create and implement a habitat plan for the farm tailored to benefit grassland-dependent bird species. She says a lot goes into bird-friendly management–from managing invasive species to cutting out chemical use–but it revolves around using rotational grazing to create a diverse mosaic of habitat that supports grassland birds through their life cycles, providing for nesting, foraging, and cover from predators and the elements.” 

“Grazing in this manner allows for longer rest periods, ample residual structure for grassland nesting birds, and promotes plant diversity, richness, root growth, and plant vigor. This regrowth is also good for the cattle’s next buffet,” she said. As a data point, she notes that conventional farms may have only one lot or pasture, while Maier’s farm has a setup to use 180 different pasture zones, which are rested 40-60 days between grazing. Zummo points to the initial bird surveys at the farm–which showed priority grassland species, including Bobolinks, Dickcissels, Grasshopper Sparrows, Savanna Sparrow, Sedge Wrens, and Vesper Sparrows–as evidence of an ideal patchwork of grassland habitat. 

Funding for the Audubon Conservation Ranching program in Minnesota is provided by the Minnesota Environment Natural Resources Trust Fund, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Additional conservation partners include Ducks Unlimited, Land Stewardship Project, Minnesota Board of Water Soil Resources, Minnesota DNR, Minnesota Grazing Lands Conservation Association, Sustainable Farming Association, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the USFWS Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program. 

For more information about the Audubon Conservation Ranching program in Minnesota, please contact Krysten Zummo. For more information about Audubon Conservation Ranching nationwide, contact ConservationRanching@Audubon.org.   

About Audubon Conservation Ranching 

Audubon Conservation Ranching partners with ranchers to sustain healthy grasslands, abundant birdlife, and resilient rural communities. Through our bird-friendly land certification and science-based approach, we empower land stewards to enhance habitat, improve soil health and water quality, and strengthen the connection between conservation and ranching. By purchasing products from Audubon Certified Bird-Friendly Land, consumers become conservationists, helping protect America’s grasslands and the birds, wildlife, and people that depend on them. For more information, visit www.audubon.org/ranching.  

About Thousand Hills Lifetime Grazed

Founded in 2003, Thousand Hills works with dozens of family farms across the U.S. to raise Lifetime Grazed Grass Fed Beef with regenerative agriculture practices. To date, 600,000 acres have been transitioned to regenerative practices to support biological diversity, natural resources, native wildlife habitat and soil fertility. Regional, decentralized processing builds a resilient supply chain for customers while invigorating rural economies. A leader in the industry, Thousand Hills produces the #1 fresh protein product nationally in the natural channel. The company’s mission: Nourishing soil, plants, cattle and people by grazing cattle for their lifetime. 

Media contact:

Anthony Hauck, Communications Manager, Audubon Conservation Ranching, Anthony.Hauck@audubon.org