Documentary filmmaker to discuss regenerative grazing at UWRF
Documentary filmmaker to discuss regenerative grazing at UW-River Falls
“Roots So Deep” docuseries investigates grazing technique as solution to climate change
Aug. 13, 2026 — Documentary filmmaker Peter Byck will discuss his documentary series, “Roots So Deep,” and present an abridged screening on Tuesday, Sept. 15, from 3 to 6 p.m. at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls in the Kinnickinnic River Theater in the University Center, 501 Wild Rose Ave. The event is free and open to the public. Byck will be joined by Jason Rowntree, a professor in Michigan State University’s Department of Animal Science and co-director of the Center for Regenerative Agriculture, one of the key researchers featured in the series.
Byck describes “Roots So Deep” as “a four-part documentary series all about inventive farmers and maverick scientists building a path to solving climate change with hooves, heart and soil.” The series investigates adaptive multi-paddock grazing, which mimics the way bison once roamed the land, as a way to restore depleted soils, rebuild wildlife habitat and draw down large amounts of carbon in the atmosphere, all while improving farmers’ financial bottom lines.
“Peter Byck’s documentary, ‘Roots So Deep,’ was a monumental effort to study the benefits of adaptive multi-paddock grazing,” said Michael Orth, dean of UWRF’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences. “The project spanned several years and included many different scientific disciplines. The results of the research generated will be of great interest to our students, faculty and agricultural community.”
Byck is a professor of practice at Arizona State University in both the School of Sustainability and the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism. He is the director, producer and writer of “carbon nation,” a documentary film about climate change solutions and “carbon cowboys,” a documentary short film series focused on regenerative grazing.
Photo: Peter Byck. Contributed photo.