healthy land. sustainable future. MARCH / APRIL 2010
NUMBER 130
Walking Between the Wild and the Back Forty— A Conservation Born of Love by Julie Sullian
I
’ve always walked. Along the tide line of the Pacific Ocean. To school and back. Silent backpacking in the Hoh Rain Forest. I like walking. You move at human speed, and only one human’s height from the ground at your feet. The slow movement encourages musing in the mind and observing by the senses. And while I’ve walked to get from one physical place to another, I also walk to move from one thought to another, to study a question and search for the answer. During a radio interview back in late October I was asked if it is possible to be a rancher and an environmentalist. I said that was a question I’m asking myself these days. Actually the question I’m asking myself, now and for many years, is “How do we love the land AND use it? Questions are useful, even when we aren’t sure we’ll find the answer. As Rainer Maria Rilke, in Letters to a Young Poet, states: we should “Live the questions now,” so that we can perhaps “live our way into the answers.” These days I walk in the wild, the back 40, and in between the two asking what the balance is between using the planet and saving it. Aldo Leopold encouraged us to formulate a land ethic that would guide our decisions and frame our relationship with the natural world. All ethics, he advised, evolve “upon a single premise: that the individual is a member of a community of interdependent parts…The land ethic simply enlarges the boundaries of the community to include soils, plants, and animals.”
More Than Either/Or Last fall we gathered piñon nuts from the loaded trees up Tracy Canyon. Sticky with pitch, my fingers chap in the raw fall air. I love
these lollipop-like trees: their whimsical shape, their dense black-grey, green color in this tawny landscape, their pithy scent, their shade in summer, their windbreak all year. For their endurance. I love them no less for the bounty of nuts in a year when money is tight. When did we and why did we decide you either use or love the world? It seems we no longer have the capacity, as a society or as individuals, to live in this grey area between absolutes. We cling to black/white, good/bad dichotomies; we fear straying from them and from our identification with whatever side of the dichotomy we believe to be truth. But is this the best way, the right way, to think about our world and our place in it? We have to use things to make our way, whether it’s yucca leaves for sandals or elk meat for food. We relate to our world, at least in part, by using it, just as a beaver does. We cut, move, gather, arrange, build, destroy, eat. In my strict environmentalist days I judged interactions with nature not by the goal, intention, or method, but solely by the presence of the word “use.” I felt the noblest relationship with land was one of the spirit, that need, especially economic need, sullied that relationship, smearing it with self-interest. I’m not so sure we have it right, we of the either/or, sacred/profane mindset when it comes to our relationship with the other-than-human. The mining company, the miner, the rancher, the urban sophisticate, the simple-living environmentalist all play into a system that, in respecting one aspect of our relationship with this beautiful world, denigrates the other aspects. Use needn’t damage love, reverence, or a sacred awareness of life in all its forms. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
WWW.HOLISTICMANAGEMENT.ORG
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
RANCHING and CONSERVATOIN
The Deseret Ranch manages for both wildlife and livestock to increase diversity of revenue and improve land health. To read about their story, turn to page 10.
FEATURE STORIES Investing in Ourselves— How Holistic Management Changed Our Lives LISA CLOUSTON AND GREG WOOD . . . . . . . . . 5
A Call for Collaborative Research FRANK ARAGONA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
The Open Space Pilot Project— A World of Water DON SCHREIBER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
LAND and LIVESTOCK The Deseret Ranch—Managing Rangelands for Wildlife & Livestock ANN ADAMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Carbon Neutral Ranching— Blackstone Ranch ANN ADAMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
NEWS and NETWORK From the Board Chair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Development Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Grapevine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 CE Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Affiliates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Marketplace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
healthy land. sustainable future.
Holistic Management International works to reverse the degradation of private and communal land used for agriculture and conservation, restore its health and productivity, and help create sustainable and viable livelihoods for the people who depend on it.
Economic benefit didn’t blind me to the shape and color of each pinon pine. Nor did it prompt greedy gathering that left nothing for jay and 13-stripe ground squirrel. I, like all other beings on the planet, must use the planet to live on it. As light as I try to make my print on the planet, I still make one. My only choice is how big and deep, how destructive, I make it.
In Harmony with Nature
STAFF Peter Holter, Chief Executive Officer Tracy Favre, Senior Director/ Contract Services Jutta von Gontard, Senior Director / Philanthropy Kelly King, Chief Financial Officer Ann Adams, Managing Editor, IN PRACTICE and Senior Director of Education Donna Torrez, Manager: Administration & Executive Support Mary Girsch-Bock, Communications Associate Valerie Grubbs, Accounting Associate Carrie Nelson, Education Associate
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Ben Bartlett, Chair Ron Chapman, Past Chair Roby Wallace, Vice-Chair John Hackley, Secretary Christopher Peck, Treasurer Sallie Calhoun Lee Dueringer Gail Hammack Ian Mitchell Innes Dennis Wobeser
A Conservation Born of Love
Mark Gardner Clint Josey Jim McMullan Jim Parker Jesus Almeida Valdez
ADVISORY COUNCIL Robert Anderson, Corrales, NM Michael Bowman,Wray, CO Sam Brown, Austin, TX Dr. Cynthia O. Harris, Albuquerque, NM Leo O. Harris, Albuquerque, NM Edward Jackson, San Carlos, CA Doug McDaniel, Lostine, OR Soren Peters, Santa Fe, NM Jim Shelton, Vinita, OK
A pulsing middle ground exists between the two ends of the spectrum of use and non-use. This is where all other creatures live, using the planet and returning their bodies to it for its use. We can live here too. Aldo Leopold wrote, “Conservation is a state of harmony between men and land.” Harmony can be defined as agreement, or accord. It is also defined as fitting together. When we consider harmony from a musical standpoint, we realize that total agreement may be a skewed way of thinking about harmony. Harmony isn’t 50 violins all playing the same note. It is multiple notes, often played by instruments vastly different from one another. All these different sounds fit together. The world is designed so that all the parts fit together. I have to believe that, as we are a part of nature, we fit too. How we fit is the question of using the planet and saving the planet. Leopold also wrote, “When we see the land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with the love and respect.”
continued from page one When we belong to something, when we love something, we act on its behalf. We want to take its needs into account, often willingly forgoing our own needs. Love isn’t just feeling: real love, deep love is action. Acting for the best interest of the beloved. And the actions aren’t necessarily large or grand. It is the small seemingly insignificant actions of love, like filling your beloved’s coffee cup or reading the same story every night for two months to your child. Or hand pulling invasive plants on 9,000 acres of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) range. If we want to use the land with love, as Leopold councils, we need to know it, and the stories of the things that live in and on the land. He wrote, “Disregarding all those species too small or too obscure to be visible to the layman, there are still perhaps 500 whose lives we might know but don’t.” All my years living outside and backpacking into wild places. I loved learning from the wild things and places I encountered. There were so many lives and so many stories to learn. When I moved to the ranch I realized that I could learn equally profound lessons from the less dramatic places, domestic creatures, cows. Every life has something to teach. And if the only story I know is my own, I can’t possibly live in harmony with the rest of the planet.
Stretching Our Capacity For over a decade I taught for the Audubon Expedition Institute, an environmental studies field college program. We slept outside and lived
The David West Station for Holistic Management Tel: 325/392-2292 • Cel: 325/226-3042 westgift@hughes.net Joe & Peggy Maddox, Ranch Managers
HOLISTIC MANAGEMENT IN PRACTICE (ISSN: 1098-8157) is published six times a year by Holistic Management International, 1010 Tijeras NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102, 505/842-5252, fax: 505/843-7900; email: hmi@holisticmanagement.org.; website: www.holisticmanagement.org Copyright © 2010
“We are all partnered to the land. We all make our living from it.” 2
IN PRACTICE
March / April 2010
outside for the entire semester, in order to build a closer, immediate relationship with the nonhuman. We also met with people on every side on an issue—in the Pacific Northwest we met with loggers, school district officials who needed the dollars from logging on state lands to provide textbooks, Earth First activists, biologists advocating for the spotted owl. We met the spotted owl. We believed, and I continue to believe, it is only by knowing all the stories from all the players can we begin to understand the complete picture, and find an inclusive solution. Hearing a story doesn’t mean we automatically will consider the needs of the other person, plant, or animal. We need to let ourselves be touched by the story—let it shake us up, shake up our preconceptions and opinions. We need, as Leopold wrote, to let it “build receptivity into our still unlovely human minds.” Stretching our capacity to understand and empathize with things other than human. We tend to be fixed in our personalities, our values and priorities and how we define ourselves. Receptivity pushes us past the blind spots and lopsided opinions that develop from limited experience with the array of creatures, places, processes and people on the planet.
What is Conservation? Learning the stories of “all of the things on, over, and in the earth,” as Leopold writes, and letting those stories affect how we balance using nature and saving it, leads to what I think is Leopold’s richest pro-active definition of conservation: “Conservation is a positive exercise of skill and insight, not merely a negative exercise of abstinence or caution.” There are two dictionary definitions of conserve. The first is “to keep from being damaged, lost, or wasted; to save. I think this is what most of us understand conservation to be—protecting and saving. I think, and I believe Leopold might have agreed, that this is a limited vision of what conservation is, as it is based on not doing. Just try telling a three year old not to throw a block at her friend. Sometimes she’ll comply easily. Sometimes she’ll sulk, think about it and refrain. And sometimes she’ll look you square in the eye and throw it. We are all a little like this—none of us like being told what we can’t do. This leads me to the second definition of conserve: ”to make into preserves.” To make jam. A positive exercise of skill and insight. We humans are better at moving towards a goal or vision, moving towards what we want, rather than moving away from what we don’t want. We like to take action, do things. Conservation, when understood to be a positive
“We have a deep bond with these animals. Every day we wake up committed to making it a good day for them. Every day we look for ways to change what is wrong in the cattle industry, bring it back to its soul: animal husbandry.” exercise of skill and insight, based on knowledge, and striving for harmony, offers good counsel in our interactions with nature. Let me share two examples that demonstrate George’s and my attempts at such positive exercises of skill and insight.
Loving the Land The worst drought in 700 years, so said the dendochronologists. No rain in more months than I can remember. Clouds build all around the valley, then split into two ribbons that dump rain all around us but bring us only wind. We’ve destocked by one third—selling off, in each wise mamma cow, generations of knowledge about how to live with this land. We’re on one pasture that we’ve decided is the sacrifice zone—we hate this. We hated selling those mammas too. George and I try to make all our decisions based on the triple bottom line: good for the environment, the economic realities of our life, and good on a social and quality of life level. This decision, the sacrifice zone, is good for only one reason: it might help us hold together long enough to come up with a better plan. If we sell out entirely, how would we ever replace those wise animals, how would we keep the land from being divided and sold? An opportunity arrives to save our range and home meadows by moving the cows 250 miles south to regenerate another piece of land. The mammas have never been on a truck. It’s a long trip in late June. And they are going to a
place with daytime temps of 109 degrees Farenheit. Risky, scary. The unknown for them and by extension for us. We truck the herd to Albuquerque, unload, and the cattle refuse to move more than a few hundred feet from the water tank for the first three days. This isn’t helping the land at all. But these cows are learning the place on their own timetable—every morning venturing further from the water for a longer period, coming back at noon for a drink, then moving out again when day cools to night. By week three they know the territory, know these new grasses, share the cool mud around the water tank with box turtles (we are amazed that no turtle is ever crushed by a cow. We can’t say this about our tires, much as we try to see the turtles nestled in the sandy ruts of the roads). We’re feeding oat and native grass hay on desolate ground, turned to talcum powder by weapons testing in the 1950s. Mechanical revegetation, at $1,000/acre didn’t get a blade of grass to grow, only straight lines of 4-wing saltbrush spaced 25 feet apart. We feed the cattle, let them eat on an acre of ground, all the while their hooves break up the thick cap on the soil and trample grass into the dirt. After about an hour we move them off that spot, and then the sky explodes with rain from summer monsoons. In the places where the cattle have been, CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
Number 130
IN PRACTICE
3
continued from page three revoking my allegiance to one or the other.
A Conservation Born of Love rain percolates into the soil up to four inches. On immediately surrounding ground the percolation is less than 1/8 of an inch. Grass begins to grow, annuals at first. But over the years the soil begins to wake up and heal. (See IN PRACTICE #93)
Loving the Animal After I’d been on the ranch about six months I had to tell George something I thought might end our relationship: I couldn’t ranch if it meant sending animals to feedlots. I’d been a vegetarian for over twenty years, in large part due to the horrors of industrial animal agriculture. I truly believe that all life has intrinsic value; that nothing on the planet is here solely for human use. George admitted that he felt that same way and always had. He hated the feedlots too. Thus began our long exhausting effort to create a better way for animals to live and grow. We now have four enterprises: the cow-calf operation George has had for decades; the bred heifers we raise for our operation or to sell to people who also are nuts enough to want to raise certified organic grassfed cattle; the steer calves growing happy and fat on field of grasses and homegrown organic hay; the meat that comes from all these efforts. We have a deep bond with these animals. Every day we wake up committed to making it a good day for them. Every day we look for ways to change what is wrong in the cattle industry, bring it back to its soul: animal husbandry. There is so much that is wrong in the way we treat animals, and not just domestic animals. Caging wild things, destroying their homes,
flattening them on highways with the trucks that bring tofu to Whole Foods or canned peaches to the dollar store. We are all culpable for all those deaths, whether or not there is a face on the actual food we eat. There are faces on all food, even if it is a carrot. George and I have the luck, problem, and challenge to have an immediate impact on the lives of all sorts of animals. Coyotes live and den and hunt on our land. Water fowl rest and eat here. Bachelor elk herds move through every fall. Resident harriers hunt the piled hay. Soil critters skitter and tunnel. It’s a small and imperfect thing we do, trying to make a good life and a good death for animals that are raised for meat. Each time we take an animal to processing we question what we are doing, so deeply do we love these animals. Our only consolation is that we have tried to reciprocate the gift they give us, by doing all we can for them every day of their lives.
Land Partners Leopold wrote, “When land does well for its owner, and the owner does well by his land, when both end up better by reason of their partnership, we have conservation.” We are all partnered to the land. We all make our living from it. It is more obvious how a rancher or farmer does this, but everything we each eat, wear, and use comes from the planet. We are partnered at the most elemental level to the land, animals, plants, soil, and ecological processes. There’s another partnership here: that between the wild and the back 40, between environmentalism and agrarianism. I’m a citizen of both and have no intention of
George asked me once if I felt I’d had to renounce part of who I once was and what I once believed in order to be a rancher. No. I haven’t. I try to blend the two, make them talk to one another, and learn from one another, rather than dismiss one another. It makes for a hard go sometimes, the land and cattle as my beloved and as my livelihood. I can’t say I’ve found answers for my questions, but I get up everyday and knock myself silly trying to find that “pulsing middle ground” between use and love. Aldo Leopold said he had no faith in a conservation born of fear. And so we must strive for one born from love. Love, like partnership, is a relationship between equals, characterized by kindness, commitment, and positive effort on behalf of the wellbeing of both partners. It is easy for us to list the loving actions we each make on behalf of a child, spouse, friend, pet, or even a special place. Less clear to us is how to extend those loving actions beyond this small, personal circle of concern to embrace all of nature. Leopold offers us a guiding light: “A thing is right only when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the community, and the community includes the soils, waters, fauna, and flora, as well as people.”
Julie Sullivan and her husband, George Whitten, own and operate the San Juan Ranch near Saguache, Colorado. Julie can be reached at: moovcows@gojade.org. This article was originally a presentation for the Quivira Coalition’s annual conference which in 2009 was focused on celebrating the life of Aldo Leopold.
San Juan Ranch follows the land ethics articulated by Aldo Leopold, “When land does well for its owner, and the owner does well by his land, when both end up better by reason of their partnership, we have conservation.” 4
IN PRACTICE
March / April 2010
Investing in Ourselves— How Holistic Management Changed Our Lives by Lisa Clouston and Greg Wood
W
e took our first Holistic Management course in the spring of 2008 with Don and Bev Campbell in Belmont, Manitoba. It was Greg’s sister, Shelly, and her husband Cam Hamilton that provided the momentum for us to attend. They were already attending grazing tours and had heard much information about Holistic Management. After talking with Shelly, I knew we needed to go. We were struggling with a small mixed farm (50± head of cattle, cropping, haying) on 480 acres (192 ha), off-the-farm jobs, teenagers, a desire to slow down the pace of life, and feel more in control of everything. It seemed that the harder we worked, the faster we got behind. We were exhausted and needed to either change or pack it in. We were losing hope in the ability to have a sustainable farm—one that the kids would be interested in participating on and continuing with.
Training Benefits The first positive payoff that came from the Holistic Management training was gaining a deep understanding that the family, the people are not only part of the holisticgoal as much as the resources and profit, but that the people is the reason for doing it all. Also, feeling that we were in this farming venture together was a huge accomplishment. I felt included. It is so easy to splinter off into each person having their own pockets of concerns, focusing in different directions, as opposed to combining forces, ideas, struggles and supports under the same roof. Thinking back, it seems impossible how we operated before the course. Another huge benefit was being able to take a look at every part of the farm with new eyes. After the course, when I looked at areas of long grass around trees and buildings, instead of wanting to start the mower, I wondered how long it would take to put up a fence and graze animals instead. I looked at empty buildings and
wondered if we could put birds in them. I looked at everything differently! Don Campbell inspired me to wonder about many things. We both took very close looks at the pastures, areas of overgrazing, weeds and bare ground. We started the bale grazing program the first weekend of the course—and saw benefits immediately in the spring after the snow melted! The grass grew taller and greener than any other grass in that pasture. When the cows were put in there, they went directly to that high stand. All of the spots where the cows winter bale grazed or summer grazed with 60 days recovery or more were astoundingly green and lush compared to how they were the previous year at the same time. We noticed in the late summer that our neighbors’ pastures were looking dry, depleted and brown, while ours were still producing grass, and we had more cows per acre. It was really amazing! You should have heard how many times we had the same conversation in the truck as we went for
Lisa and Greg’s daughter, Jessica, holds Wendy, the Purebred, Rare Breed Tamworth gilt the day she arrived last spring at about 25 pounds. the daily evening tours of the pastures. “Can you believe how much grass there is?” “No, I can’t! It is amazing, isn’t it?” “Wow!”
When the Grass Wins I am pretty sure that the neighbors thought we were crazy with all of the fencing that we did— going from four huge pastures to 23 smaller ones. But, we had three teenagers at home who were extremely helpful and handy. By the end of the first summer, they could put up an electric fence anywhere on their own. One would drive the quad, another would be in the back with a spool CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
To give the cows shelter from the wind in the winter Lisa and Greg provide portable windbreaks. Number 130
IN PRACTICE
5
Investing in Ourselves
This Rare Breed Silver Wyandotte is a great free range laying hen. They are hardy birds, still having their original chicken instincts intact and they are a good multipurpose bird.
continued from page five unwinding the wire, and another would step out the posts and pop up the wire. They are very involved with the operation and are interested in the changes that they saw. We all learned a tremendous amount that first year, and we continue to learn. Something that Don Campbell said really stuck in my mind, “When the grass wins, we win.” That made everything clear for me. It made so much sense that I actually cringe when I see one of our herd having a pee near the barn instead of out in the pasture! What a waste! Our kids also really began to understand how the shift in focus to caring for the grass was better than focusing on caring for the cows at the expense of the grass! Now our kids are doing projects in their high school agriculture classes on Holistic Management.
Production Experimentation Because we were now open to new ideas, we began to explore the opportunity to raise Heritage and Rare Breed animals, because they retain their natural qualities and abilities. (We received a great education from Pam Heath of the Rare Breed Society!) We had cattle and calf shelters that were no longer being used after changing from winter calving to spring calving. We ended up buying a handful of Rare Breed Berkshire pigs and ended up with 15 piglets that were rescued from being gassed in a factory hog barn when the pork industry went down. They lived outside, in large straw bales and shelters filled with shredded straw, around a dug-out, grazing on pasture grass, and some of our own barley. They did great without being fed growth hormones, steroids or antibiotics. They took longer to mature to butchering size, but they were tasty! And we knew that we were feeding our
family healthy food— something very important to us. Now we have expanded to having Tamworth pork, as well as an Large Black gilt for breeding this spring. These Rare Breeds are known for their hardiness, size (600-800 lbs.), ability to do well on pasture, being good mothers with high birth rates and having sweet, tasty meat! Since our family of hardworking, physically active and hungry teenagers ate about five dozen eggs per week, we decided to get laying hens. We ended up with Wyandottes the first year because they are a heritage, multi-purpose bird, good for eggs and meat. In Joel Salatin style, they were moved to a fresh spot of pasture daily, were able to scratch for insects and roots, actually grazed the green grass, got fresh water, were fed our own grain (not organic—but pretty close) combined with flax screenings for seed variety and to produce Omega-3 eggs. After tasting these chickens, we realized that there wasn’t nearly enough to feed our family and extended family for a year. Also, once people heard what we were doing, the orders were plentiful. We raised 150 Cornish Cross for meat last year as pastured poultry after we had a bit of experience with the layers. We decided to keep the Wyandottes as “layers” and raise Cornish Cross
Lisa and Greg keep an assortment of yard ducks. On the left is four Rouines, a pair of Indian Runners (tall white ones), a few Swedish Blue on the right in the back, and Silly Goose in front, a beautiful Canada goose that adopted the flock and stayed for the winter.
6
IN PRACTICE
March / April 2010
for meat. Next year we will have at least 300 meat birds. We take them to a local poultry processing plant if there are groups of more than 10 to process (usually 40 at a time). The 10' x 12' pasture cages that we use are heavy-duty due to the problems we have with coyotes, foxes, raccoons and predatory birds. Every spring, for the last five or six years, our girls, Taylor and Jessica, have bought a newborn heifer each from the local “Swap and Shop” radio show to bottle feed, so they could raise tame herd mothers (and be able to play with the calves, brush them, teach them to jump over bales like “Super Dogs”, etc…). We already had the technology for bottle feeding, so it was not much of a stretch to get a few lambs to bottle feed for $10 each. Gads! So there we were, every morning, doing our chores, the girls with their calves, me with the lambs. I fell in love with them, and they graciously grazed in all of the hard to mow areas on the farm—where the weeds grew high and the trees grew low. The yard is so much cleaner now (but with need for more fencing). But, with coyotes in the area, we needed a
Lisa and Greg get flax “screenings” for the chickens from the local seed plant (very cheap!), so they get good variety of seed and weed and Omega-3 feed as well as the pasture they have to forage on.
donkey. Greg ended up with a 20 year old pet, free, from an older couple who could no longer take care of her due to their health issues. Now we are breeding Rare Breed Clun Forest sheep with the Cheviot and Suffolk ewes to see what tasty meat we can get. I use their fleece for knitting, selling the males for their beautiful meat, and keeping their hides for tanning. We are expanding slowly as we add fences every year, increasing the grazing options. We also ended up with Guinea hens to help keep down the potato bug population in the gardens and mosquitoes in the yard. Then we got ducks—Muskovies to help with the flies in the yard, Rouines to breed and eat, Swedish Blues because there are Swedes in my background, Indian Runners because they are cool and little Call ducks just because they are cute. Greg and I built them a duck pond. (Can you see how we lost our minds?) A Canada goose decided to live here with us year round. Then Greg came home with a miniature horse to add to the pasture of our several Quarter horses. We also see two Bald Eagles on a regular basis, and I hope to get a few Alpacas this spring. On and on it goes. To sum it all up, our farm has been through dramatic changes in the last two years. We are getting back to basics in so many positive ways. Greg and I are both strong believers in having a family friendly farm, where we all work together. We believe in clean, healthy eating. We have three generations on the farm, and want this trend to continue. We don’t think the only way to grow is to buy more land—we can make better use of the land and spaces that we have by harvesting the sun with intention and awareness. We can do things that are profitable, interesting and fun. We can grow and evolve into new enterprises as we choose. We can do all these things together. Greg and I both work off the farm. I am a social worker in the local school division, and Greg is part owner and full time butcher/manager of Cypress Meats shop—a very handy occupation for us! Greg no longer feels like a servant to the fertilizer companies. We can double the grass (or more) without buying more land. Like Don Campbell
said, “it’s like someone giving you free land.” We feel hope for our future and for the future of our children. We are looking forward to exploring cover-cropping and how this practice will improve our precious land, our grazing options and our profits. We are now corn-grazing with great success. We have purchased 20 more Rare Breed South Devons, known for their ability to marble very well on grass. They are hardy, gentle with people, have few foot problems and are good mothers. Neighbors call with great curiosity about what we are doing.
Management Club Support I would have to say the biggest benefit from Holistic Management has been the group of people (7 couples) that we met at the Holistic Management course, who have formed our Holistic Management community/management club. We meet monthly, tour each other’s farms, have a potluck, a sharing circle, and brainstorm all kinds of ideas. The age range is from young with new babies to older with grandchildren, and everything in between. We
have had meetings where we bring our children, young and old. It is the only group of people who totally understands the struggles, hopes and possibilities of each other. The people are amazing. Some producers have years of education and farming under their belts, and they share willingly. It is what we look forward to from month to month. We feel extremely grateful for what we have learned, for knowing the community of people who are interested in this way of living and farming, and for the incredible gift we have— to be able to have the opportunity to live where we do, have the lifestyle that we have, and to be “wildly optimistic” about it all! It is the future of our farm, our families, communities, and planet. Lisa Clouston and Greg Wood live near Cypress River, Manitoba, Canada. They can be reached at: lisagreg@inethome.ca.
Bella is a Purebred, Rare Breed Large Black gilt for breeding. Notice the floppy ears. Large Blacks are known for their docile nature, large litters, huge size, taste and hardiness and are a great choice for pastured living in a Northern Canadian climate. Number 130
IN PRACTICE
7
I
n the Briske et. al. 2008 synthesis paper entitled “Rotational Grazing on Rangelands: Reconciliation of Perception and Experimental Evidence,” the authors state: “The rangeland profession has become mired in confusion, misinterpretation, and uncertainty with respect to the evaluation of grazing systems and the development of grazing recommendations and policy decisions.” This uncertainty stems from a persistent gap between research and practice; a gap so wide that the very efficacy of the scientific process is called into question. To be clear, the scientific process is now so thoroughly entrenched in the fabric of our society that it should be considered separate and distinct from the principles and rules of evidence: empiricism, measurement, and data analysis. The understanding of management contributions to the performance of grazing systems has yet to be measured in a meaningful way. I find some of the conclusions of the Briske paper self-contradictory and confusing. But, the following mosaic of quotes, taken directly from the paper, are compelling and suggest a way forward: “This synthesis poses the hypothesis that the interface between human dimensions and grazing systems represents a major source of inconsistent interpretations regarding the potential benefits of grazing systems… Management goals, abilities, and opportunities as well as personal goals and values (e.g., human dimensions) are inextricably integrated within grazing systems, and they are likely to interact with the adoption and operation of grazing systems to an equal or greater extent than the underlying ecological processes.” And: “The potential synergistic effects of wellmanaged rotational grazing systems have not been examined experimentally at the level of the ranch enterprise. A quantitative accounting of the potential managerial contributions to the success of rotational grazing systems is a prerequisite for complete resolution of this controversy.” Yet, even after recognizing the complexity of the interface between human management and ecological process, even after condemning the incomplete scope of previous research, the authors conclude: “…that continued advocacy for rotational grazing as a superior system of grazing is founded on perception and anecdotal interpretations…and [rotational grazing] has been found to convey few, if any, consistent benefits over continuous grazing.” To be sure, holistic planned grazing is not rotational grazing, and has several critical differences. In a presentation before the Society of Range Management, research scientist Dr. Richard Teague advocated for a different 8
IN PRACTICE
A Call for Collaborative Research by Frank Aragona
approach, arguing that research should focus on “management aimed at achieving the best rotational grazing outcome.” Successful practitioners of management intensive grazing, argued Teague, manage for desired outcomes by balancing a number of different variables, including finances, species composition, rainfall, animal performance, and quality of life, to name a few. By elevating the limited results of experimental research to the status of Absolute Truth, research scientists have diminished the prospect that they will contribute anything useful to the practice of land management in the decades to come. In his paper “Grazing Lawns: Animals in Herds, Plant Form, and Co-evolution,” the behavioral ecologist S.J. McNaughton notes the complex and advantageous nature of gregariousness in grazing animals, also observing the impact these behavioral characteristics can have on the evolution of grass species and ecosystem geometry. If domestic ungulates like cattle exhibit similar behavior, then why wouldn’t we study ways to effectively mimic the natural order? One doesn’t need a PhD to realize that following Nature’s example is just good common sense, especially in an age of severe ecological deterioration. In an internal review of the scientific literature, HMI concluded that an overwhelming focus on stocking rates, and almost no direct research on the critical variables of stock density and animal impact, have rendered useless most attempts to evaluate the efficacy of Holistic Planned Grazing. Yet stock density is one of the critical variables in animal behavior. According to S.J. McNaughton: “…studies reveal that grazing animals commonly adjust their densities and vegetation utilization patterns in relation to the vegetation’s productivity potential, congregating and producing grazing lawns where that potential is
March / April 2010
high and dispersing where that potential is low.” How can we hope to effectively mimic natural processes if land managers are not trained to be sensitive to these changes in animal behavior, their impact on land, and the management tools one can apply to influence outcomes? Research conducted by Dr. Judi Earl of HMI Australia indicates that low utilization of grassland resources is the single most important factor determining recovery rates; lower utilization percentage per plant results in quicker, more robust recovery. More interestingly, Earl concludes that the management of utilization is essentially impossible without the concurrent management of animal densities. Holistic Planned Grazing is a prerequisite for the effective management of recovery periods and utilization, and is also the tool required to manage animal behavior in ways that continuous grazing of small herds in the absence of predators will never permit. Full-scale engagement with research scientists, especially those specialized in range science, may continue to be a disappointment for the Holistic Management community. It seems that many academic professionals, have made up their mind as to where they stand in this debate. Right or wrong, those who attest to the power of animal impact, herd effect, and holistic planned grazing are in the minority. This is why a series of articles presented to the authors of Briske et. al., by a co-author on the project no less, were rejected outright as contrary to the paper’s overall conclusion. What does this mean in practical terms? First, in land-based research, the measuring stick of success must be the practicality of results. We can ask some simple questions to test a proposed research initiative: Does this research enhance our understanding of critical and relevant natural processes? Does it provide us with practical insights, tools, or technologies to better manage our land? These key questions must be answered in the affirmative if a research initiative is to proceed and bear fruit. More importantly, the great burden of responsibility now falls on land managers and their direct collaborators to lead the way in developing practical methods for monitoring, data analysis, and presentation of results. Information technology provides us with that opportunity like never before. HMI is currently examining ways that information technology can be better leveraged as a tool within the Holistic Management framework. To date, the use of GIS on the West Ranch has greatly facilitated monitoring and research planning. There remain many possibilities in this realm yet to be explored. Via a database driven grazing CONTINUED ON PAGE 18
The Open Space Pilot Project—
possibilities often fit well with the Zeedyk principle, “fix the easiest things first.”
A World of Water
The Whole Road is a Drain
by Don Schreiber
R
emember that old traveling folk song? All together now…“I’m goin’ down that road feelin’ bad, I’m goin’ down that road feelin’ bad…” Woody Guthrie’s Okies sang it along the 1,327 miles from Boise City, Oklahoma, heart of the Dustbowl, to Salinas, California, heart of the Promised Land back in the 1930s. Today, if we turned Tom Joad loose in the San Juan Basin gas field, his rattletrap Model T could travel 20,000+ miles of bad roads, enough for 15 trips from Oklahoma to California and never get out of San Juan or Rio Arriba County. That’s a lot of bad road. And on just one mile of that bad road more than a half-million gallons of water falls in any average year (5,280 feet length x 16 feet width x .83 feet or 10 inches depth x 7.49 gal/cubic feet). Much of that water is either impounded in the road, or accumulates and is set loose as an erosive tool on its way to the San Juan River via Largo Canyon Wash and other drainages.
Open Space Pilot Project In an effort to address these road and other associated problems, a pilot project was established in January 2008 covering 5,670 acres (2,268 ha) in the center of the San Juan Basin. The Open Space Pilot Project (OSPP) is a partnership of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)—Farmington Field Office, ConocoPhillips (San Juan Basin Unit) and Devil’s Spring Ranch. The objectives of the Project vary and overlap from partner to partner, but for the Ranch the objectives are to: 1) Preserve open space by drilling new wells from existing well pads
(twinning); 2) Improve existing roads to return water to the landscape in a beneficial way; and, 3) Establish sustainable vegetative cover and soil structures to repair and stabilize surface damage.
A Third of the Way There The second objective, improve roads, has seen 8.2 miles (13 km) of existing road improved since the Project started. These roads allow the water to return to the landscape in a beneficial way using methods and standards set out by Bill Zeedyk in his books and workshops. These 8 miles represent over a third of the existing 23 miles (37 km) of roadways within OSPP. As each new well is drilled, the existing road is improved back to its first major intersection, in one case, two miles. ConocoPhillips is able to allocate the cost of road improvement to each well as it is drilled and achieve a safer road surface that is longer lasting and easier to maintain. When OSPP is complete, most of the 23 miles of roads will have been upgraded.
The “Art of the Possible” Prior to the time of drilling of each new well, ConocoPhillips construction personnel and representatives of the dirt work contractor and Devil’s Spring Ranch conduct a walking survey of the existing roadway and lay out the alterations to be made in a collaborative process. Some of the roads are over 50 years old and in the interest of economy and practicality, a process of prioritization must take place in the planned improvement. Like politics, road improvement in OSPP is “the art of the possible.” Those
The most significant changes in the roads are the elimination of bar ditches, crowning and in-sloped surfaces, where possible, and the addition of rolling dips, sandstone surfacing and out-sloped surfaces, where possible. Several lowwater crossings have been built, some eliminating traditional culverts. These and other subtle changes combine to allow the whole road to drain as quickly as possible with the minimum interruption of normal surface flows. These improvements are confined to roads leading directly to well pads and include a 15 mph speed limit. Heavily trafficked “collector” roads with higher speeds are governed by the BLM Gold Book.
Accidental Safety Elimination of the bar ditches has yielded an unintended consequence of widening the roadbed without loss of vegetative cover. The traffic then has a significantly wider driveway, three to four feet, at the same time eliminating the serious hazard of vehicle rollover when one or more wheels become trapped in the ditch. Vehicle related incidents account for about half of all oilfield accidents.
Twinned Wells The first objective, twinning of wells, was accomplished by the fall of 2008 after extensive planning by ConocoPhillips and Devil’s Spring Ranch and approval by the BLM and New Mexico Oil Conservation Division. Of the 44 future wells to be drilled, 40 will be twinned, or about 90%. Of the 99 existing wells within the Project boundaries, only 9 are twinned, or 10%. Each twinned well saves the construction of a new road CONTINUED ON PAGE 18
Current oilfield roads are poorly constructed which results in not only erosion but poor drainage (photo on left). The photo on right shows a road with Zeedyk improvements which creates a more beneficial water flow for the landscape around it. Number 130
IN PRACTICE
9
& The Deseret Ranch
Managing Rangelands for Wildlife & Livestock by Ann Adams
R
ick Danvir is a man of many interests and great passion. As the wildlife manager of the Deseret Land and Livestock Ranch (DLL), he is well-versed in how to make a ranch profitable from both wildlife conservation and livestock. Rick started working at the Deseret as a wildlife biologist in 1983 and became the wildlife manager in 1990. Over the years he has come to realize that his principle management interest is integrating agricultural production and wildlife management for ecological and economic sustainability. The three men that helped him on his journey are Gregg Simonds, Allan Savory, and Fred Provenza. From them he learned how to help the DLL integrate profit, land, and animals.
New Management
Forage produced by the ranch has doubled since 1983 as shown in this graph. The occasional drop in the cow AU numbers through time is a response to drought. The drops in big game AUM’s is winter die-off of deer (most of the deer winter off-ranch). This increased AUM’s over all is a result of better utilization of plants due to higher stock density and improved riparian health and overall improved range health due to increased recovery time through planned grazing.
The DLL is 200,000 acres (80,000 ha) of private land on elevations that range from 6,300 to 8,700 feet (2,100-2,900 m). In the lowland sage-steppe the average precipitation is 10 inches (250 mm). In the mountain aspen/conifer area the average is 35 inches (875 mm). Nearly all the grasses are cool-season. Currently DLL runs 4,500 mother cows and 4,000 yearlings as well as providing 56,880 AUM of forage for wildlife, a 100% increase since they began managing holistically in 1983. The DLL was established in 1891 as a sheep ranch running 40,000 ewes. It switched to cattle in the mid-1960s until purchased by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) in 1983. It was budgeted to lose money that year and they achieved their goal. Gregg Simonds began working with the DLL in the late ‘70s. After he had training in Holistic Management, Gregg began experimenting with the grazing principles in the early ‘80s. But when Bill Hopkins was hired as the cattle manager in 1983 things really took off. Bill took the conceptual idea and made it happen on the ground. Over the years, the DLL management principles have evolved to: • Observe what nature is trying to do in this environment, and manage harmoniously • Understand the weather drives the system and manage accordingly 10
Land & Livestock
March / April 2010
• Manage holistically, focusing on water cycle, mineral cycle, succession, and energy flow • Understand and manage the effects of animal impact and the role of living organisms in the system • Increase the ecological and economic value of the resource • Generate profit—money allows good people to do good things These key principles are grounded in the influence of Simonds, Savory, and Provenza and the implementation of those principles by people like Bill Hopkins and Rick Danvir.
Form Follows Function It became clear that the ranch as a whole needed to be profitable as they struggled for the first few years with a negative cash flow. By 1987, the DLL was making a profit, but there was conflict between the wildlife and cattle divisions of the ranch as to how the expenses for various projects should be accounted for. Rick noted that there needed to be a way to get both divisions considering the overall financial health of the ranch and not just their
individual departments. “We needed financials to foster this idea,” says Rick. “Eventually we developed two main revenue centers, wildlife and cattle, and two main cost centers, rangeland and irrigated lands. Costs were then apportioned to revenue centers based on AUM’s (Animal Units/Month = 1,000 lbs/450 kg of feed) used by livestock and big game.” In other words, the financials reflected the reality of the DLL. It could not be profitable from just livestock or wildlife. They needed both. Exploring a variety of options lead them to list the following constraints of managing their whole: 1) It was difficult to produce vegetable food crops due to cold nights and short growing season. 2) The ranch could competitively grow ungulate forage that resulted in red meat, wool, and antlers 3) Due to low human density, they could produce (manage/conserve) wildlife species and recreation dependent on open space 4) They could not be profitable from cattle or wildlife alone—they needed multiple revenue sources Once all members of the ranch team bought into the need for both revenue centers and had a financial mechanism that fairly distributed the expenses of shared costs such as fence repair, roads, range improvement, water, strife was greatly reduced between the two departments who used to have day long fights over who was going to benefit from a given capital expenditure or maintenance expense. It helped them focus on the ranch’s bottom line rather than just the individual department’s bottom line. These discussions also helped team members understand that besides producing forage, the DLL is producing wildlife viewscape. With that in mind, they need to consider wildlife as well as cattle when they are considering tearing down a fence, keeping it, or putting one up.
To eliminate conflict and competition between the wildlife and cattle divisions within DLL, managers revised the expense allocation procedure to reflect the AUM percentage utilized by each department for various infrastructure improvements.
ranches to understand their needs since their success was vital to the successful management of the wildlife herds. We found that good fences didn’t make good neighbors. We needed to have conversations and get past old resentments so we could collaborate. So we created a non-profit and began having the conversations. We had a series of discussions about the wildlife and focused on common goals. “One of the biggest things that brought people to the table was hunting A Collaborative Approach to Wildlife programs. We all knew it was the same herd running from one ranch to the Once the ranch team was clear about the synergy they were creating on other over the course of the year. We needed to figure out how to get the have the DLL as they focused on all the animals, the various habitat needs (land), nots sharing in the wealth (the folks who had the elk herd eating their and the people managing those resources, they began to look at how they stockpiled winter forage at the lower elevations). So we had a tour and invited could collaborate with their neighbors. Rick says, “We had to take the Deseret all the area ranchers to look at the land treatment projects and how we had beyond its borders by managing for large game herds and creating a changed the landscape to meet the multiple needs of the ranch. We said to synergistic relationship with the wildlife. So we worked with neighboring those ranchers, ‘We are managing for older age animals and know that depends on you and your management for that herd’s winter range.’ Those of us ranchers who were benefiting from their management were even willing to charge a 5 cents/acre fee over the 500,000 acres (200,000 ha) that we managed as seed money for the ranches that provided winter forage. We thought we could help fund land projects on those ranches to help with feed and conservation projects. So we asked the winter land ranchers, ‘Tell us what can we do?’ “They said, ‘Thank you for acknowledging the situation.’ That was all they wanted—for us to recognize their situation. After that, there wasn’t a problem between the ranches and they didn’t want anything else from us. We had had concerns After five years this exclosure was filled with Canadian thistle while outside the exclosure where cattle grazed there was a healthy mix of forage for livestock and wildlife. CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 Number 130
Land & Livestock
11
The Deseret Ranch
continued from page eleven
Forb rich meadows are important summer habitat. Wildlife activities like this beaver dam can increase water storage and infiltration as well as capture soil and build meadows, creating forage and riparian habitat. about acknowledging the situation because of issues of litigation and liability, but we had felt it was important to speak the truth. From there we didn’t have to talk about relationships and feelings. We just focused on goals.” The state of Utah has a mechanism to capitalize on big game on private land. As a private land owner, you have the option of joining a Cooperative Wildlife Management Unit (CWMU). This option is more promising to land owners than conservation easements are, notes Rick. “Conservation easements are limited. Landowners don’t like limiting choices for offspring. They also don’t want to see development, but they don’t have a lot of options. So a stop gap measure is to make money off of big game.” If you can get enough landowners to reach the 10,000 acres (4,000 ha) needed to enroll in a CWMU, you can then submit a management plan, and from there you can choose to sell 80-90% of antlered hunters (with each owner setting his/her price) with 10% of hunts as part of the state lottery system. These hunting packages can go for as much as $5,000-10,000, but more often they sell in the $1,000-5,000 range. For many land owners, a big motivation is that by enrolling in a CWMU the family will have a place to hunt for generations to come. Lastly, the ability to keep rural areas intact through a viable local economy is critical. This effort by the state has resulted in land owners recognizing the value of the wildlife and no longer seeing them as a problem. Now the situation has flipflopped with some land owners wanting more game than the land can support. Currently the DLL gets 30% of its income from wildlife (which includes hunting, bird watching, fishing, and sheep—the latter activity is included in the wildlife department because sheep are used to restore wildlife habitat). Expenses such as guides and extra security for wildlife events go specifically to that profit center. Deseret works mainly through outfitters for marketing of their hunts. Rick spends a fair amount of time giving presentations that are directed toward all the parties involved in ranching and wildlife (ranchers, hunters, government employees) to understand the importance of providing incentives for private land owners to manage for improved wildlife habitat. “If wildlife are viewed as a liability, ranchers will tend to want fewer of them. But if wildlife is viewed as an asset, ranchers will want more and will actively manage for them,” says Rick. 12
Land & Livestock
March / April 2010
“A wildlife management program is more than a hunting program. It is a program aimed at maintaining wildlife populations and management flexibility. For that to occur, managers need to look for strategies that can produce both wildlife habitat and agricultural commodities. This involves inventory, resource assessment, program development, and implementation.” Rick also notes that the healthier the landscape, the less likely an animal will become listed as endangered or threatened, which is extremely important to private owner conservationists. If an animal is listed then it makes managing for that animal so much harder because of increased regulations. About 10% of elk, mule deer, pronghorn and moose populations are harvested annually. Management goals include robust populations— approximately 3,500 mule deer, 1,800 elk, 600 pronghorn, and 100 moose— in good body condition, with good reproductive rates and a high percentage of males in the herd. Native predators are also managed on the ranch, and play a role in maintaining a healthy balance between foragers and healthy range. DLL hunts are conducted to minimize stressed and wounded animals. Hunters are required to pass a shooting proficiency test, obey wildlife laws, and conduct themselves safely and ethically.
Working with Nature The DLL has taken a lesson from elk and bison by selecting for small bodied cows that drop small, fast growing calves. 90% of the cattle are on 10% of the land area at one time during rapid growth season to maximize stock density, and they work to keep herds as large as possible. The four tools the DLL experiments the most with are: animal impact, grazing, technology (mechanical clearing), and fire. Stock density varies on the DLL depending on season and terrain. Wintering paddocks average 800 acres (320 ha) and during the growing season they may be in paddocks as much as 5,000 acres (2,000 ha). 90% of their forage grows from the precipitation that comes from May 15th to July 1st. They run three mother cow herds separated by age. In July they combine the two older herds and run in larger paddocks. Recovery periods average 12+ months so animals do not hit the plants at the same time of the year, unless there are specific reasons for that. For example, ranch staff will sometimes allow the cattle to overgraze crested wheat to shift an area into browse for wildlife. When ranch staff first went to planned grazing, during a four-year period, paddock health shifted dramatically. The DLL worked with the NRCS to train
This series of photos shows (left) a one-paddock continuous graze situation, (middle) three paddocks set up, and (bottom) a 12 paddock set-up. Note the increased health of the land with increased paddocks allowing for greater management of animal and increased recovery periods.
ranch staff in monitoring so they could do the baseline monitoring in 1981. In 1986, there was a 5-8% increase in herbaceous cover and an increase in the diameter of grasses, except for the areas that were being grazed during the growing season. That is why Deseret does not graze almost a third of its land every growing season, providing adequate recovery for those grasses. Sagebrush is a different story. Rick notes, “If you rest sagebrush, you get more of it. If you graze sagebrush, you get more of it.” So the DLL leases 1,000 sheep in October-December and in three weeks they graze 50-100 acres (20-40 ha). Stock density can be as much as 1,000 sheep on two-five acres (.8-2 ha) for two to three days. They have been putting ewes there prior to breeding but may choose to continue treating land during breeding season. The sheep are put on the sagebrush at this time of year when the terpenes of the sagebrush are down in the roots and the sheep can browse it more heavily. Animal impact and herd effect are increased by placement of protein supplements that balance the terpenes ingested. Supplementation also includes corn. Each animal receives 1/2-pound (1/4 kg) of supplements over the two-three days they are in the area. Total cost of treatment for herders and supplements averages about $25/acre ($62.50/ha). Ranch staff also uses some herbicide and fire to pressure the sagebrush further to create mosaics and edge effect. The herbicide they selected was Spike which they were told only kills sagebrush. They also have bitter brush and want to keep that. The Spike is mixed with clay pellets and then spread from a plane. Using Spike adds an additional $25/acre cost. Using mechanical (approximately $35/acre) or fire treatment (approximately $5/acre) can mean additional costs, and if federal money is used, an archeological survey alone can cost $20/acre. Rick says that where they did no sagebrush treatment, there was a sagebrush encroachment of 5% more sagebrush over a 25 year period. Likewise there was no species diversity. Where there were treatments there was a reduction of 75-90% of the sagebrush, thus allowing for other species. All of these treatments came through the range cost center which was paid for through the wildlife and cattle departments. The results of these treatments in terms of forage production were significant. What had been 600-800 pounds/acre (675 –900 kg/ha) of shrub production and 200-300 pounds/acre (225-338 kg/ha) of herbaceous matter (grass and forbs) per year annual growth was now the opposite. After treatment there was 600-800 pounds/acre (675 –900 kg/ha) of herbaceous matter and only 200-300 pounds/acre (225-338 kg/ha) shrubs. Ranch staff treats (includes all different treatments) approximately 1-2% of its landbase each year to shift
the succession away from the sagebrush dominance. Historically fire only burned through the ranch at the same rate as the ranch staff is treating this land base, once every 50-100 years, so the DLL works to mimic nature in this way. That diversity of plants is the key to DLL’s range management. Rick notes, “I think we have this idea that perennial grasses are so good and what we need to manage for exclusively. We forget to really appreciate how good annuals are as well. You need the mix. For example, we have exclosures that are 20 years old that nothing can get into bigger than a mouse. In there you see a few perennial bunch grasses with dead centers, sagebrush and some other woody forbs, and capped soils with huge cracks. “We also have exclosures that only keep the cattle out but large wildlife CONTINUED ON PAGE 14
Number 130
Land & Livestock
13
The Deseret Ranch
continued from page thirteen
With proper timing and supplementation, DLL has been successful at thinning sagebrush with sheep. Sheep are more aggressive in their browsing of the sagebrush in the fall when terpenes are in the roots of the plants.
can use. There we see the capped soil is broken and there are more perennials. Where we have both cattle and wildlife we have more perennials and annuals. The idea is to create a variety of habitats to address the needs of a diverse animal population.� That interest in diverse animal populations extends to tunneling mammals because of how they cycle nutrients in the soil. Rick believes that even a level of 5% of the landscape affected by these mammals is acceptable and valuable because they increase infiltration, bring minerals to surface and create early-seral forb patches. Controlling movement of wildlife herds can be more challenging, but ranch staff induce elk to bunch and move to certain areas of the ranch by grazing areas early in summer so that those areas will then be attractive to elk in late summer-fall when the regrowth happens. Likewise, ranch staff use sheep, herders and dogs in certain areas which causes the elk herds to move away to avoid contact. Even the people paying to fish can be used to move elk out of riparian areas.
With over 25 years experience of managing holistically, the DLL has learned a lot about the management of land, livestock, wildlife, and people. Their commitment to conservation and profitability has led them down a path of improved resource management and ever greater use of the tool of human creativity. A critical piece to their success has been their desire to learn from others and to work with others beyond the borders of their own landscape, once again demonstrating the importance of collaborating with those who livelihoods depend on the resources in question to create successful conservation programs. Rick Danvir earned a Bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Science from Utah State University. His wildlife research experience includes studies of black bear, prairie dog, cougar, mule deer, elk, pronghorn and greater sage grouse ecology. Rick has served as a Utah Fish and Game Commissioner, on the Utah Habitat Council, as a board member of the Utah Cooperative Wildlife Management Unit Association, the Utah Foundation for Quality Resource Management and the BEHAVE Advisory Board. He can be reached at: rdanvir@ARI-slc.com. This exclosure shows just how much production is generated and the amount of forage taken by the elk herds. The exclosure on the right has had no animal larger than a prairie dog. The area outside the exclosure on the left has had only wildlife.
14
Land & Livestock
March / April 2010
Carbon Nertrual Ranching—
Blackstone Ranch by Ann Adams
I
n 2003 Pat and Susan Black purchased the Blackstone Ranch in Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico. The Blacks already owned a biodiesel facility in Pennsylvania and funded the Blackstone Institute, a foundation that funded sustainability focused working groups. So with Blackstone Ranch they were committed to achieving sustainable agricultural practices. In 2007 they retained Holistic Management International to train Blackstone employees in a variety of sustainable land and cattle management techniques, producing a healthier landscape. From a business standpoint Blackstone is a cow/calf herd of approximately 60 head of black Angus. The ranch in Ranchos de Taos is approximately 160 acres (64 ha) of mostly irrigated pasture, and they also own property in Questa (a colder and drier location approximately
Blackstone Ranch in Ranchos de Taos has improved its grazing planning and implementation so much that in one year they increased their sequestering of CO2 by 13,638 tons.
45 minutes away to the North) which includes 140 acres (56 ha) of range as well as 346 acres (138 ha) of irrigated alfalfa. The long-term goal of the Ranch is to raise only enough calves to select for replacements and feed into a finishing operation up at the Questa operation which has infrastructure for cattle finishing and has been reseeded to perennial grasses on the pivots. When HMI began working with Blackstone and Livestock Manager, John Adams, there were a number of issues to address due to previous infrastructure decisions and additional recreational use of the land as well as concerns about management practices by neighbors. As ranch staff learned more about grazing planning and implementation, the results were spectacular. • Stocking rate increase of over 200% • Livestock gross income increase by 395% • Animal Day Production increase of almost 300% • Stock density increase by 220%
Healthy Land The top photo was taken in 2008. The one below was taken in 2009. Note the additional forage production and tighter plant spacing despite 2009 being a dry year.
Under HMI’s recommendations, not only did Blackstone personnel increase recovery periods and stock density, they CONTINUED ON PAGE 16
Number 130
Land & Livestock
15
Blackstone Ranch
continued from page fifteen
also began bale grazing in the dormant season. When HMI performed the baseline biological monitoring in the summer of 2008 and again in 2009, it was evident that these combined practices resulted in the following improvements: • Organic Matter increase average 48%. Some areas as much as 90% • Bare ground decrease average 27%. One pasture has a decrease in plant spacing of 400% • Plant diversity increase average of 106%. As much as 133% As per Holistic Management biological monitoring protocols, monitoring transect sites were selected from diverse soil types and key management areas. Two transects were socially sensitive sites due to neighbors and recreational use. One of those sites, the Uplands, was a wetlands area and was rested with a close eye for negative land health resulting from that treatment. Questa, as a range pasture, was very different biologically from Blackstone headquarters which was irrigated. The NE Pasture #1 was a good example of a productive pasture and the Red Barn Pasture was an example of a less productive pasture with many weeds and less palatable grasses.
Questa Questa monitoring showed there was still need for more animal impact, but there had been great improvement from the 2008 to 2009. As you can see from the monitoring photo on the previous page, the plant spacing is
BSR GRAZING DATA Number of Paddocks
2007
2008
2009
13
15
15
(with temporary fencing up to 30 paddocks)
(with temporary fencing approx. 15)
SAU Carried
77
98
151
Total Animal Days Produced
10,667
25,160
85,113
(INCLUDES HAY OPERATION)
improving. There is still a great deal of bare ground with little litter but plant spacing has decreased from 3.51 inches to 2.92 inches. This represents an almost 25% decrease in bare ground—a significant improvement in one year on this type of land. HMI noted that water development in this area was critical in order to increase stock density to create greater land health improvement. Likewise, winter feeding on this area would increase organic matter. Another interesting shift was that plant species shifted from a mix of 57% Dropseed (warm) and 43% Crested Wheat (cool) to 36% Dropseed and 64% Crested Wheat. Likewise, seedling and young plant percentages rose from 32% to 44% also indicating more new plants in a community that is increasing in health. Likewise, overrested plants have been reduced from 47% to 42%. This is a positive trend and will improve with increased stock density.
NE#1 Pasture This pasture had good soil cover to begin with, but the breakdown of litter had improved dramatically since the previous year. Likewise there is now an increase of species due to longer recovery periods and increased stock density (an 80% increase in grass species). There was also a huge increase in warm season grasses from 0% in 2008 to 28% in 2009. There was also 32% young/seedlings up from 22% in 2008. Lastly, insect sign went from 6% to 66%.
Red Barn Pasture This was the challenge pasture we picked with some heavily disturbed areas from equipment and from prairie dogs and gophers. In 2008 50% of the ground was bare with an average of 8.54 inches between the dart point and the nearest perennial grass. In 2009 there was 38% bare ground (30% decrease) with the average distance to nearest perennial being 2.1 inches (400% decrease). Feeding cattle here in the dormant season helped as there were many new seedlings and forbs coming into to cover bare ground. A good sign was the 100% increase in plant species.
Soil Sampling When we compared soil samples between the two years there was a significant increase in organic matter in most pastures. When using standard calculations on the number of acres and the percentage increase in organic matter, we calculated that Blackstone had sequestered an additional 13,638 tons of CO2. If the ecological services of that sequestered carbon were given a $25/ton value (as some scientists have calculated), then Blackstone created $340,954 additional value through increased organic matter. Likewise, if we take the average of 6 tons of CO2 each person in the U.S. contributes to the atmosphere, then in one year Blackstone helped 2,273 people become carbon neutral. HMI thanks Pat and Susan Black, Debbie Peterson who oversaw the contract, and John Adams and all the livestock crew at Blackstone for their excellent work at improving land health and demonstrating how ranching can be carbon neutral. To learn more about HMI’s consulting services, contact Tracy Favre, HMI’s Senior Director of Contract Services at tfavre@holisticmanagement.org
16
Land & Livestock
March / April 2010
From the Board Chair
2010
Development Corner by Ben Bartlett
—A NEW DECADE! Remember Y2K and all the concern that technology would let us down, when in reality it was people, 9-11, that had the biggest impact on people’s lives. And then there was the 2008/2009 economic meltdown and all the bad financial decisions that will “cost” us for some time to come. The decisions that people make, individually and collectively, really do make a difference. As we start a new decade, let me share with you how HMI is going to make decisions to start this new decade. We will be making our decisions “holistically” of course. We’ll be testing our decisions towards HMI’s holisticgoal and statement of purpose: “To advance the practice and coordinate the worldwide development of Holistic Management to heal the land while improving quality of life and creating healthy economies.” From our holisticgoal and statement of purpose, the Board and staff are revising the strategic plan to more clearly identify the objectives for 2010. Here are some of the projects we are working on for the coming year to move HMI as an international non-profit HMI toward its holisticgoal. • The Contract Services Department continues to work with Horizon Organic Dairy with new possibilities being considered, is close to starting a land remediation project with the Army Corps of Engineers, and has a number of other very interesting public service/healthy land/ income producing project possibilities. • Under the excellent leadership of Peggy Maddox, we are hoping to have an additional 600 kids participate in the Kids on the Land program, beyond the 2,200 that have already participated. What could be more important than teaching our young people the importance of healthy land? • The Education Department has worked with Certified Educators from the Northeast and gained a very significant three-year grant to teach Holistic Management to 180 women farmers. The requests for the IN PRACTICE publication continue to increase with the electronic version up over 25% in 2009. • The Outreach Department continues to improve HMI’s communication to a diverse audience through a variety of social networking tools including placing clips of the PBS video, “The First Millimeter,” on YouTube, and we also maintain a Twitter account and Facebook page and, of course, our newly updated webpage, with hits up almost 20% in 2009. HMI also supports affiliate efforts in Australia, Mexico, Canada and Africa. 2009 was a rough year economically and in 2010, it looks like the challenges will continue. HMI will continue to test all our decisions and closely look at the marginal reaction of all our efforts and investments. The good news is that we have the decision making tool of Holistic Management to keep us on track and headed toward our goal. Thank you for all your past support and looking forward to even more collaborative efforts in 2010.
A Legacy to Consider
by Lee Dueringer
P
ete C. from Arizona is not a rancher, but it’s important to him to see healthy rangeland and open working landscapes, and he believes that Holistic Management is a way to make that happen for generations to come. That’s why Holistic Management International is one of the beneficiaries in his will. As HMI heads into its second twenty-five years of healing the land and creating a sustainable future for all who depend on it—that’s only everybody and everything—this may be a good time to consider your own lasting impact on the planet. A well planned legacy gift to HMI may just be the way to ensure that this important work continues for a long time to come, and estate planning is the way to go! Estate planning is the process of managing accumulated assets for the present and future. It’s a written expression of your intentions for the protection and preservation of your assets which could include your ranch or farm. Estate planning offers you the opportunity to make an enduring statement of your belief in and support of HMI. This act of stewardship can leave an indelible mark on HMI or one of its programs of your choice. There are many ways to give. Although the choices may seem overwhelming at first, they are simply different options designed to fit various circumstances and meet your individual goals. Here some options to consider. Real estate can provide unique gift opportunities regardless of whether it has increased or decreased in value. Sizeable capital gains often occur when property that has been held for many years is sold. An outright gift of real estate will result in tax savings since you will be receiving a charitable income tax deduction for the appraised value of the property. Capital gains tax is avoided if the charity sells the property. You can make a gift of your home or ranch property and still retain the use of it during your lifetime. This allows you to claim a charitable deduction for the gift while retaining all the benefits of ownership. After your lifetime, HMI will have complete control of the property. A portion of the value of the property is deductible as a charitable donation in the year of the gift. Charitable Remainder Trust involves an irrevocable transfer of assets to a trustee and the creation of a trust agreement. The trustee manages assets and makes payments to the income recipient. You can designate yourself as the income recipient of the trust (either at death or a set term of years); the remaining trust assets are used to support the work of HMI as you designate. Life Insurance: Giving life insurance may offer you benefits and a chance to make a gift where other options are not feasible. You can name HMI as a beneficiary on an existing life insurance policy. Transferring ownership of a policy to HMI could be an option for you. This allows you to claim a charitable deduction for the approximate cash surrender value of the policy. Lastly, you can purchase a new policy to make a charitable gift to HMI. A policy you have given to HMI that continues to require premium payments may allow you to declare premiums you continue to pay as tax deductible gifts. For more information on planned giving and HMI, please contact Jutta von Gontard, Senior Director of Philanthropy at 505/842-5252 or juttavg@holisticmanagement.org. Lee Dueringer is a major gift officer for the University of Arizona Cancer Center, a long-time friend and supporter, and a board member. You may also remember Lee from his three years as HMI Development Director from 2002-2004. Number 130
IN PRACTICE
17
T he news from holistic management international
Grazing Lands Conference
T
he national Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative (GLCI) conference held in Sparks, Nevada in December 2009 was attended by approximately 1,000 attendees. Holistic Management was very well represented at the conference, not only with presentations dealing directly with Holistic Management, but also several Holistic Management practitioners speaking to their experiences with Holistic Management, gave well attended, highly anticipated presentations. Greg Judy, Terry Gompert and Doug Peterson were part of a session on high density grazing that was standing room only. The panel discussion entitled “Plan to Win with Holistic Management” moderated by HMI Certified Educator, Richard King, and with presentations by Certified Educator Rob
Rutherford, Joe Morris and Bill Burrows, was also well attended and generated some good discussion during the question and answer session. HMI presented two papers at the conference; one a case study of the Horizon Organic dairy project currently underway and managed by HMI, the other a review of the progress made at the David West Station for Holistic Management in Ozona, Texas. Both presentations were well received. HMI also hosted a social mixer that gave an opportunity for all Holistic Management folks to get together for conversation and some good food. Thanks to all who participated in the conference.
New Certified Educators
C
ongratulations to new HMI Certified Educators, Linda and Ralph Corcoran,
The Open Space Pilot Project
A Call for Collaborative Research plan, for example, many different variables can be taken into account in a single iteration: animal performance, recovery periods, monitoring data, maps, land indicators, weather, soils, etc. Land manager participation in the development of these types of tools will be a critical factor. These tools must, by definition, produce useful, actionable information for the land manager. There is additional benefit from the use of database driven planning tools. Databases keep records, reams of them, efficiently and retrievably. If enough users begin to participate, there will be a veritable gold mine of data for an entire community of collaborators to analyze and disseminate. This may be a more viable path than the path of full engagement with traditional research institutions. If you have a research project you would like to collaborate on with HMI, please contact Frank Aragona via hmi@holisticmanagement.org or at (505) 842-5252. IN PRACTICE
Soil Carbon Research
H
ave you sampled your soil for carbon or organic matter more than once? If so, we'd like to put you on the MAP of measured soil carbon change with other landowners and research projects. This is not a trading scheme, but can show possibility and inspire others.
http://soilcarboncoalition.org/changemap
continued from page nine
and pipeline as well as the new well pad. To date, 12 of the 44 twinned wells have been drilled with the remaining wells to be drilled within approximately two years. continued from page eight
18
people, programs & projects
Allison Guichon, Blain Hjertaas, Brian Luce, and Tony McQuail from Canada. Under the instruction of Certified Educators Don Campbell and Kelly Sidoryk, these educators trained for two years in HMI’s Certified Educator Individualized Training Program. Congratulations also to Ralph Tate from Nebraska who completed this same program under instruction by Certified Educator Terry Gompert. To learn more about HMI’s Certified Educator Training Program, contact Ann Adams at 505/842-5252 or anna@holisticmanagement.org.
March / April 2010
Surface Rehabilitation The third objective, surface rehabilitation, is now in the planning stages with the first activities planned for this spring. Devil’s Spring Ranch has established an OSPP Fund at Holistic Management International (HMI) and BLM has contributed mitigation monies to the Fund. Frank Aragona, HMI’s Data and Documentation Coordinator, will oversee this project in 2010. HMI will be looking for additional funding for the “Holistic Management Remediation on Oil and Gas Drilling Sites Project.”
A World of Water Returning, or harvesting, the water from just these eight miles of improved “Zeedyk” roads, (and here we’re talking about over 4 million gallons!) is a “world of water” for anyone interested in conservation. Thinking back to Mr. Joad and his Dustbowl, it was in response to that awful erosion that Big Hugh Bennett started the Soil Conservation Service whose initial emphasis was not on dust, but on water. We hope the OSPP will have a similar influence on land and water health on many acres and many gallons of water. We believe this is a great opportunity to help address this critical issue so we can improve land health through collaboration with all our partners. Don Schreiber owns and manages Devil’s Spring Ranch with his wife, Jane. He can be reached at vivarioarriba@gmail.com. The information regarding Bill Zeedyk’s techniques are from his book, A Good Road Lies Easy on the Land: Water Harvesting from Low Standard Rural Roads. Bill Zeedyk (2006) Santa Fe, NM. The Quivira Coalition and Construction and Maintenance of Oil Field Roads, and Bill Zeedyk (2008) seminar and field workshop sponsored by the BLM.
UNITED STATES
Certified Educators
TEXAS
To our knowledge, Certified Educators are the best qualified individuals to help others learn to practice Holistic Management and to provide them with technical assistance when necessary. On a yearly basis, Certified Educators renew their agreement to be affiliated with HMI. This agreement requires their commitment to practice Holistic Management in their own lives, to seek out opportunities for staying current ◆ These educators provide with the latest developments in Holistic Management and to Holistic Management maintain a high standard of ethical conduct in their work. instruction on behalf of the institutions they represent.
For more information about or application forms for the HMI’s Certified Educator Training Programs, contact Ann Adams or visit our website at: www.holisticmanagement.org.
associate educators * These provide educational services to their communities and peer groups.
WASHINGTON
Guy Glosson 6717 Hwy. 380, Snyder, TX 79549 806/237-2554 glosson@caprock-spur.com Peggy Maddox P.O. Box 694, Ozona, TX 76943-0694 325/392-2292 • westgift@hughes.net ◆ R. H. (Dick) Richardson University of Texas at Austin Section of Integrative Biology School of Biological Sciences Austin, TX 78712 • 512/471-4128 d.richardson@mail.utexas.edu VIRGINIA
UNITED STATES CALIFORNIA Richard King 1675 Adobe Rd., Petaluma, CA 94954 707/769-1490 • 707/794-8692(w) richard.king@ca.usda.gov * Christopher Peck 1330 Gumview Road, Windsor, CA 95492 707/758-0171 Christopher@naturalinvesting.com ◆ Rob Rutherford CA Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo, CA 93407 805/756-1475 rrutherf@calpoly.edu COLORADO Joel Benson P.O. Box 4924, Buena Vista, CO 81211 719/395-6119 joel@outburstllc.com Cindy Dvergsten 17702 County Rd. 23, Dolores, CO 81323 970/882-4222 hminfo@wholenewconcepts.com GEORGIA Constance Neely 1421 Rockinwood Dr., Athens, GA 30606 706/540-2878 clneely@earthlink.net MICHIGAN
* Ben Bartlett N4632 ET Road, Traunik, MI 49891 906/439-5210 (h) • 906/439-5880 (w) bartle18@msu.edu * Larry Dyer 1113 Klondike Ave, Petoskey, MI 49770-3233 231/439-8982 (w) • 231/347-7162 (h) dyerlawr@msu.edu MONTANA Roland Kroos 4926 Itana Circle, Bozeman, MT 59715 406/522-3862 • kroosing@msn.com * Cliff Montagne P.O. Box 173120 Montana State University Department of Land Resources & Environmental Science Bozeman, MT 59717 406/994-5079 • montagne@montana.edu
NEBRASKA Terry Gompert P.O. Box 45, Center, NE 68724-0045 402/288-5611 (w) tgompert1@unl.edu Paul Swanson 5155 West 12th St., Hastings, NE 68901 402/463-8507 • swanson@inebraska.com Ralph Tate 1109 Timber Dr., Papillion, NE 68046 402/932-3405 • Tater2d2@cox.net NEW HAMPSHIRE ◆ Seth Wilner
24 Main Street, Newport, NH 03773 603/863-4497 (h) • 603/863-9200 (w) seth.wilner@unh.edu NEW MEXICO ◆ Ann Adams
Holistic Management International 1010 Tijeras NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102 505/842-5252 anna@holisticmanagement.org Kelly Boney 4865 Quay Road L, San Jon, NM 88434 575/760-7636 kboney@plateautel.net Kirk Gadzia P.O. Box 1100, Bernalillo, NM 87004 505/867-4685, (f) 505/867-9952 kgadzia@msn.com NORTH DAKOTA Wayne Berry 1611 11th Ave. West Williston, ND 58801 701/572-9183 wberry@wil.midco.net OREGON Jeff Goebel 52 NW Mcleay Blvd. Portland, OR 97210 541/610-7084 goebel@aboutlistening.com
Byron Shelton PO Box 558, Upperville, VA 20185 719/221-3259 (c) landmark@my.amigo.net
Sandra Matheson 228 E. Smith Rd., Bellingham, WA 98226 360/398-7866 • mathesonsm@verizon.net Doug Warnock 1880 SE Larch Ave., College Place, WA 99324 509/540-5771 • 509/856-7101 (c) dwarnock@charter.net WISCONSIN Andy Hager, 715/678-2465 W. 3597 Pine Ave., Stetsonville, WI 54480-9559 Larry Johnson, 608/455-1685 W886 State Rd. 92, Brooklyn, WI 53521 LarryStillPointFarm@gmail.com * Laura Paine Wisconsin DATCP N893 Kranz Rd., Columbus, WI 53925 608/224-5120 (w) • 920/623-4407 (h) laura.paine@datcp.state.wi.us
INTERNATIONAL AUSTRALIA
CANADA (con’t.)
Judi Earl 73 Harding E., Guyra, NSW 2365 61-2-6779-2286 judi@holisticmanagement.org.au Mark Gardner P.O. Box 1395, Dubbo, NSW 2830 61-2-6884-4401 mark.gardner@vbs.net.au * Paul Griffiths P.O. Box 3045, North Turramura, NSW 2074, Sydney, NSW 61-2-9144-3975 • pgpres@geko.net.au George Gundry Willeroo, Tarago, NSW 2580 61-2-4844-6223 • ggundry@bigpond.net.au Graeme Hand 150 Caroona Lane, Branxholme, VIC 3302 61-3-5578-6272 (h) • 61-4-1853-2130 (c) graeme.hand@bigpond.com * Helen Lewis P.O. Box 1263, Warwick, QLD 4370 61-7-46617393 • 61-7-46670835 helen@insideoutsidemgt.com.au Brian Marshall P.O. Box 300, Guyra NSW 2365 61-2-6779-1927 • fax: 61-2-6779-1947 bkmrshl@bigpond.com Bruce Ward P.O. Box 103, Milsons Pt., NSW 1565 61-2-9929-5568 • fax: 61-2-9929-5569 blward@the-farm-business-gym.com Brian Wehlburg Pine Scrub Creek, Kindee, NSW, 2446 61-2-6587-4353 brian@insideoutsidemgt.com.au Jason Virtue PO Box 1406, Gymbie, QLD 4570 61-2- 07 5485 1997 jason@spiderweb.com.au
Linda & Ralph Corcoran Box 36, Langbank, SK S0G 2X0 306/532-4778 • rlcorcoran@sasktel.net * Allison Guichon Box 10, Quilchena, BC V0E 2R0 250/378-4535 • allison@guichonranch.ca Blain Hjertaas Box 760, Redvers, Saskatchewan SOC 2HO 306/452-3882 • bhjer@sasktel.net Brian Luce RR #4, Ponoka, AB T4J 1R4 403/783-6518 • lucends@xplornet.com Tony McQuail 86016 Creek Line, RR#1, Lucknow, ON N0G 2H0 519/528-2493 • mcqufarm@hurontel.on.ca Len Pigott Box 222, Dysart, SK, SOH 1HO 306/432-4583 • JLPigott@sasktel.net Kelly Sidoryk P.O. Box 374, Lloydminster, AB S9V 0Y4 780/875-9806 (h) • 780/875-4418 (c) sidorykk@yahoo.ca KENYA Richard Hatfield P.O. Box 10091-00100, Nairobi 254-0723-506-331; rhatfield@obufield.com Christine C. Jost International Livestock Research Institute Box 30709, Nairobi 00100 254-20-422-3000; 254-736-715-417 (c) c.jost@cgiar.org * Belinda Low P.O. Box 15109, Langata, Nairobi 254-727-288-039; belinda@grevyszebratrust.org MEXICO
PENNSYLVANIA Jim Weaver 428 Copp Hollow Rd. Wellsboro, PA 16901-8976 570/724-7788 • jaweaver@epix.net
CANADA Don Campbell Box 817 Meadow Lake, SK S9X 1Y6 306/236-6088 • doncampbell@sasktel.net
Ivan A. Aguirre Ibarra P.O. Box 304, Hermosillo, Sonora 83000 52-1-662-281-0990 (from U.S.) 51-1-662-281-0901 Rancho_inmaculada@yahoo.com.mx
Number 130
IN PRACTICE
19
INTERNATIONAL NAMIBIA Usiel Kandjii P.O. Box 23319, Windhoek 264-61-205-2324 kandjiiu@gmail.com Colin Nott P.O. Box 11977, Windhoek 264/61-225085 (h) 264/81-2418778 canott@iafrica.com.na Wiebke Volkmann P.O. Box 9285, Windhoek 264-61-225183 or 264-81-127-0081 wiebke@mweb.com.na
NEW ZEALAND King John * P.O. Box 12011, Beckenham, Christchurch 8242 64-276-737-885; succession@clear.net.nz SOUTH AFRICA Jozua Lambrechts P.O. Box 5070, Helderberg, Somerset West, Western Cape 7135 27-21-851-5669; 27-21-851-2430 (w) jozua@websurf.co.za Ian Mitchell-Innes P.O. Box 52, Elandslaagte 2900 27-36-421-1747; blanerne@mweb.co.za
UNITED KINGDOM Bubb Philip * 32 Dart Close, St. Ives, Cambridge, PE27 3JB 44-1480-496-2925 (h) +44 7837 405483 (w) philipbubb@onetel.com
Holistic Management Principles of Success: Healthy Land, Sustainable Future March 17-18, 2010 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily Extension Office, 507 Civic Center Dr., Wauchula, Florida A two-day Holistic Management class will be team taught by Joshua Dukart and Terry Gompert. • Testing & Management Guidelines • Planning Procedures • Feedback Loop • How Holistic Management Can Enhance Your Success
Terry is an UNL Extension Educator with a focus on grazing education. He is also a cow/calf producer who loves low-cost techniques and a functional cow. He is a Holistic Management® Certified Educator—teaching its principles around the Americas. He likes to think of himself as an “orchestrator” of holistic management and grazing education. His to-the-point, energetic presentation will make the event enjoyable.
Videos and cameras are welcome. 9:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m. 11:00 a.m. 12:00 noon 1:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m.
• How to Meet Your Management Challenge Effectively • How to Address Key Environmental Issues Effectively
Terry Gompert of Center, Nebraska
Grazing Seminar & Steak Dinner Friday, March 19, 2010 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. University of Florida Extension Office 507 Civic Center Dr., Wauchula, Florida Registration and Coffee Florida Holistic Grazing - Ino Velazquez Holistic Grazing - Terry Gompert Lunch Mob Grazing - Neil Dennis Cocktail Mixes to Enhance Soil Health - Joshua Dukart Dung Beetles & More - George Wagner Steak Dinner
Neil Dennis of Wawota, SASK, Canada Neil is an experienced mob grazier who loves to experiment and perfect methods of moving cattle. He is a highly sought after international speaker who relates very well with producers around the world. His humor and energy are contagious and entertaining. Come hear his stories!
Joshua Dukart of Bismarck, North Dakota Speakers Include: Ino Velazquez of Zolfo Springs, Florida Ino has spent five years of hard work in establishing new grasses and legumes and dividing the land into small paddocks so that Holistic Grazing Management can be practiced. This allows the rotation of cattle on a daily basis so they are continually moved to fresh, new pastures. He has developed a herd of Murray Grey and Devon cattle which are known for their genetic ability to convert grass into high quality beef. He utilizes NO antibiotics or growth promoters and the cattle care raised solely on grass. There are NO chemicals used on the land. The land is healing and stocking rate is greatly increasing. Grass is now tall, diverse, and abundant.
Velper Ranch Tour & Walk Saturday, March 20, 2010 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. 6933 Bethea Rd Zolfo Springs, Florida Learn the hows and whys of Holistic Management and High Stock Density Grazing. What you will see and do: ! Monitoring Demonstration ! High Stock Density Daily Moves ! Purely Grassfed from Birth to Finish ! Holistically Managed, No Chemicals on Animals or Soil ! Walk About with Terry Gompert and Neil Dennis ! Cuban Style Pig Dinner Bring your own lawn chairs and clothing for all weather conditions. Videos and cameras welcome.
Joshua is a practitioner and facilitator of holistic management through the Burleigh County SCD and ND Grazing Lands Coalition. His ranching background provides hands-on experience in the integration of grazing and cropping enterprises. He has extensive experience brewing cover crop cocktails to enhance soil health and improve the land. His combination of enthusiasm and deep thinking will challenge your paradigms.
George Wagner of Winnetoon, Nebraska George is an “observant rancher” who grazes goats yearround and really understands the mineral cycle. He also custom grazes cattle. He holistically manages for dung beetles and wildlife.
Registration Costs or More Information Florida Grazing Event Pre-registration discount by March 1, 2010 Before Mar 1 After Mar 1 HM Class $250.00 $250.00 Seminar $100.00 $150.00 Extra Dinner/Feast $ 20.00 $20.00 Tour $100.00 $150.00 BEST BUY $350.00 (for all events before March 1) Note: The cost for the second member of the family attending any event will be 25% of the cost. Contact information for registration or ranch: UNL Extension in Knox Co. Velper Ranch Co. P.O. Box 45 Grass Fed Beef Center, NE, 68724 www.velperranch.com email - knox-county@unl.edu 863-735-0758 or phone - 402-288-5611 305-323-1844 Directions and details will be sent after registration is received.
Extension is a Division of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln cooperating with the Counties and the United States Department of Agriculture. University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension educational programs abide with the nondiscrimination policies of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the United States Department of Agriculture.
20
IN PRACTICE
March / April 2010
ARIZONA HRM of Arizona Norm Lowe 2660 E. Hemberg Flagstaff, AZ 86004 928/214-0040 loweflag@aol.com COLORADO
Florida Grazing Event
What to expect to learn: • Holistic Management Concepts • The 4 Key Insights • Decision Making • Ecosystem Processes
AFFILIATES
Colorado Branch For Holistic Management® P.O. Box 218 Lewis, CO 81327 www.coloradoholisticmanagement.org Cindy Dvergsten, webmaster 970/882-4222 NEW YORK Central NY RC&D Phil Metzger 99 North Broad Street Norwich, NY 13815 607/334-3231 ext 4 phil.metzger@ny.usda.gov NORTHWEST Managing Wholes Peter Donovan PO Box 393 Enterprise, OR 97828 541/426-5783 www.managingwholes.com OKLAHOMA Oklahoma Land Stewardship Alliance Charles Griffith, contact person Route 5, Box E44 Ardmore, OK 73401 580/223-7471 cagriffith@brightok.net PENNSYLVANIA Northern Penn Network Jim Weaver, contact person RD #6, Box 205 Wellsboro, PA 16901 717/724-7788 jaweaver@epix.net TEXAS HMI Texas Peggy Cole 5 Limestone Trail, Wimberley, TX 78676 512-847-3822 peggy@hmitexas.org www.hmitexas.org West Station for Holistic Management® Peggy Maddox PO Box 694, Ozona, TX 76943 325-392-2292 westgift@hughes.net
T H E
M A R K E T P L A C E
HANDS-ON AGRONOMY BASIC SOIL FERTILITY GUIDELINES Now Available on DVD
BUY THE DVD TODAY! Runs 80 minutes and covers the following topics:
$30
• Feeding and Balancing the Soil • The Albrecht System • Soil Testing • Considering Soil Test Results • Sulfur • Calcium, pH, and Liming • Potassium and Sodium • Nitrogen • Manures, Green Manures
(postpaid to US addresses)
For consulting or educational services contact:
Kinsey Agricultural Services, Inc. $30 (plus shipping) (PAL orders add $5)
297 County Highway 357, Charleston, Missouri 63834 Phone: 573/683-3880; Fax: 573/683-6227, neal@kinseyag.com WE ACCEPT CREDIT CARD ORDERS (VISA, MC)
Tape and wire you can rely on.
4 2 1
1.. WRAPPER 1 WRAPPER W WIRE IRE w with ith 6 s stainless tainless steel steel strands strands that that d deliver eliver a h high igh s shock hock iimpact. mpact. White White o orr o orange. range.
3
2.. BR 2 BRAIDED AIDED M MEGA EGA W WIRE IRE with with 9 s stainless tainless steel steel strands, strands, this this s superior uperior s strength trength w wire ire is is a an ne excellent ex xcellent c conductor. onductor. 3.. POWER 3 POWER T TA TAPE APE High High visibility visibility tape tape with with 6 s stainless tainless steel steel strands. strands. W White hite or or orange. orange. 4. 4. MEGA MEGA TAPE TA T APE w with ith 10 10 s stainless tainless steel steel strands stra rands creating creating an an excellent e xcellent c conductor. onductor. W White hite o orr o orange. range.
.!4)/.7)$% . !4)/.7)$% $ $)342)"54)/. ) 3 4 2 )"5 4 )/ .
s 3AN !NGELO 4EXAS s TWINMOUNTAINFENCE COM s 3AN ! NGELO 4EXAS s TWINMOUNTAINFENCE COM E En nM Mexico: exico : L Lada ad a s sin in c costo o s to 0 01-800-640-3156 1-800-640-3156
Number 130
0310
IN PRACTICE
21
T H E
M A R K E T P L A C E
CORRAL DESIGNS
PO Box 1100 Pasture Bernalillo, NM 87004 Scene 505-263-8677 Investigation
The Business of Ranching
kgadzia@msn.com
• On-Site, Custom Courses • Holistic Business Planning • Ranchers Business Forum • Creating Change thru Grazing Planning and Land Monitoring
Roland R.H. Kroos (406) 522.3862 • Cell: 581.3038 Email: kroosing@msn.com
Resource Management Services, LLC Kirk L. Gadzia, Certified Educator
By World Famous Dr. Grandin Originator of Curved Ranch Corrals The wide curved Lane makes filling the crowding tub easy. Includes detailed drawings for loading ramp, V chute, round crowd pen, dip vat, gates and hinges. Plus cell center layouts and layouts compatible with electronic sorting systems. Articles on cattle behavior. 27 corral layouts. $55. Low Stress Cattle Handling Video $59. Send checks/money order to:
GRANDIN LIVESTOCK SYSTEMS 2918 Silver Plume Dr., Unit C-3 Fort Collins, CO 80526
4926 Itana Circle • Bozeman, MT 59715
970/229-0703 www.grandin.com
How can RMS, LLC help you? On-Site Consulting: All aspects of holistic management, inFOXGLQJ À QDQFLDO HFRORJLFDO DQG KXPDQ resources. Training Events: Regularly scheduled and customized training sessions provided in a variety of locations. Ongoing Support: Follow-up training sessions and access to continued learning opportunities and developments. Land Health Monitoring: Biological Monitoring of Rangeland and Riparian Ecosystem Health. Property Assessment: Land health and productivity assessment with recommended solutions. www.resourcemanagementservices.com
See the Big Picture ~ Respond to Change ~ Be Sustainable
Get Started Today – Join Our
Holistic Management Distance Learning & Mentoring Program Realize Immediate Benefits Save money on education — and get more for your money with highly personalized training. All you need is a telephone, a computer is NOT needed. Learn at your own pace; apply what you learn to your situation and get results now!
Don’t change your life to learn. Let your education change your life! Visit: www.wholenewconcepts.com Email: hminfo@wholenewconcepts.com Call Cindy at 970/882-4222 for a free consultation! Cindy Dvergsten, is a Holistic ManagementŽ Certified Educator, offering you over 15 years experience in training, mentoring, and facilitation; 30 years in natural resource management; and a lifetime of experience in diversified farming.
Offered By Whole New Concepts, LLC P.O. Box 218 Lewis CO 81327 22
IN PRACTICE
March / April 2010
HMI GRAZING PLANNING SOFTWARE • Save Time! Low • Does all the Introductofr y grazing planning Price o calculations for you $ • Easy SAU feature • Keep track of rainfall • Easy forage assessment tool • Works on Macs or PC’s that run Excel • Comes with User’s Manual
100
TO SEE A DEMO OF THE SOFTWARE GO TO: http://holisticmanagement.org/store//page8.html
Call 505/842-5252 or order online at www.holisticmanagement.org
T H E
M A R K E T P L A C E
HMI FINANCIAL PLANNING SOFTWARE
Holistic Management Handbook
• Userfriendly Database interface (like Quicken or Quickbooks) • Independent Software (doesn’t require Excel Low and works on Macs with DOS interface) Introductory • Customizable reports that can be saved as PDF, Excel or Word Price of $149 • Write checks or invoices ($100 less than the • Track Net Worth and Assets easily current software) • Comes with User’s Manual • A planning, management, and accounting software all in one • Agricultural focus including a Livestock Production Worksheet • Track performance of stock classes or enterprises • Easy Gross Profit Analysis interface ($/acre or $/unit options) • Files can be saved and shared on multiple computers TO SEE A DEMO OF THE SOFTWARE GO TO: • Easy backup feature • Categorizes Expenses and track http://holisticmanagement.org/ (investment versus maintenance). store//page8.html • Friendly and knowledgeable Call 505/842-5252 or order online technical support
Healthy Land, Healthy Profits
New & Updated!
at www.holisticmanagement.org
By Jody Butterfield, Sam Bingham, and Allan Savory, HMI
The Holistic Management Handbook gives you step-by-step guidance for managing a ranch or farm holistically. It is essential reading for anyone involved with land management ORDER and stewardship. TODAY!
29
$
Learn how to create healthy land and healthy profits.
Call 505/842-5252 or order online at www.holisticmanagement.org!
WANTED: More Grass
REWARD: Heavier Livestock and Greater Profit Kelly Boney, Certified Educator 4 8 6 5 Q U AY R O A D L SAN JON, NM 88434 575/760-7636 K B O N E Y @ P L AT E A U T E L . N E T
Number 130
IN PRACTICE
23
healthy land. sustainable future.
NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID ALBUQUERQUE, NM PERMIT NO 880
a publication of Holistic Management International 1010 Tijeras NW Albuquerque, NM 87102 USA return service requested
please send address corrections before moving so that we do not incur unnecessary postal fees
HOLISTIC MANAGEMENT MAIL ORDER EMPORIUM Subscribe to IN PRACTICE
Software
_ A bimonthly journal for Holistic Management practitioners
Holistic Management® Financial Planning (single-user license) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $149 Grazing Planning software (single-user license) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $100
Subscribe for 1 year for only $35/U.S. ($40/International) 2 years ($65/U.S.; $70/International) 3 years ($95/U.S.; $105/International)
_ Gift Subscriptions (same prices as above). _ Special Edition: An Introduction to Holistic Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5 _ Compact Disk Version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$14 _ Bulk subscriptions available.
Pocket Cards Holistic Management® Framework & testing questions, March 2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$4
Planning and Monitoring Guides _ Policy/Project Analysis & Design
One year for $17 each/U.S., or $22 each/International ______ Please indicate number of one-year subscriptions
August 2008, 61 pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$17
_ Back Issues: $5 each; bulk orders (5 or more issues) $3 each. List
_ Introduction to Holistic Management August 2007, 128 pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$25
Please indicate issue numbers desired: ___,___,___,___,___,___,___,___,___,___ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$25
_ CD of Back Issues: #71 - 89
_ Financial Planning August 2007, 58 pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$17
_ Aide Memoire for Grazing Planning
Books & Multimedia
August 2007, 63 pages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$17
_ Early Warning Biological Monitoring— Croplands
Holistic Management: A New Framework for Decision-Making,
_ Second Edition, by Allan Savory with Jody Butterfield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $39 _ Hardcover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $55 _ 15-set CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $99 _ One month rental of CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $35 _ Spanish Version (soft). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $25 _ Holistic Management Handbook, by Butterfield, Bingham, Savory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $29 _ At Home With Holistic Management, by Ann Adams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $20 _ Holistic Management: A New Environmental Intelligence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $10 _ Improving Whole Farm Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $13 _ Video: Creating a Sustainable Civilization—
April 2000, 26 pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$15
_ Early Warning Biological Monitoring—Rangelands and Grasslands August 2007, 59 pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$17
_ Land Planning—For The Rancher or Farmer Running Livestock August 2007, 31 pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$15
Planning Forms (All forms are padded – 25 sheets per pad) _ Annual Income & Expense Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$17 _ Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$ 7 _ Livestock Production Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$17 _ Control Sheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$ 5 _ Grazing Plan & Control Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$17
An Introduction to Holistic Decision-Making, based on a lecture given by Allan Savory. (VHS/DVD/PAL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $30 Stockmanship, by Steve Cote . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $35
_ _ The Grassfed Gourmet Cookbook, by Shannon Hayes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $25 _ The Oglin, by Dick Richardson & Rio de la Vista . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $25 _ Gardeners of Eden, by Dan Dagget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $25 _ Video: Healing the Land Through Multi-Species Grazing (VHS/DVD) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $30 TO ORDER
MAKE A TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATION Amount $_____________ Please designate program you would like us to apply contribution toward _________________________________________
Shipping & Handling
Questions? 505/842-5252 or hmi@holisticmanagement.org
Indicate quantity on line next to item, make sure your shipping address is correct, mail this page (or a copy) and your check or money order payable in U.S. funds from a U.S. bank or your credit card number and expiration date to: Holistic Management International, 1010 Tijeras Ave. NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102. You can also call in or fax credit card orders. Phone calls to: 505/842-5252; Fax: 505/843-7900. For online ordering, visit our secure website at: www.holisticmanagement.org. Printed on recycled paper
Shipping and handling costs to the right are for U.S. media mail only. Call 505/842-5252 for all other shipping rates.
up to $15: $16 to $35: $36 to $50: $51 to $70: $71 to $90: over $91:
add $ 5 add $ 6 add $ 8 add $ 9 add $10 add $12