#174, In Practice, July/August 2017

Healthy Land. Healthy Food. Healthy Lives.

J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 7

In Practice a publication of Holistic Management International

NUMBER 174

W W W. H O L I S T I C M A N A G E M E N T. O R G

The Science Behind Holistic Management

BY ANN ADAMS

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espite over 40 years of thousands of people practicing Holistic Management around the world on over 40 million acres and numerous scientific, peer-reviewed studies, there are still some people who want to detract from the results achieved by Holistic Management practitioners and ignore the science behind why it works. A disappointing article (http://bit. ly/2rb1spd) in the March 2017 Sierra Magazine focused mostly on making disparaging comments about Allan Savory and trotting out the same detractors and their articles about why Holistic Management is not backed by science.

Having read similar articles over the past 20 years, I was amazed that there was no attempt to report on the numerous scientific studies that have emerged in the past 5–10 years that actually do scientifically document the results of Holistic Management practitioners as well as all the studies that do show how good livestock management can lead to soil health and how soil health is tied to carbon and methane sequestration. While there are a host of scientific papers, there are a few scientists that have focused much of their research to demonstrate the science behind how Holistic Planned Grazing (or Adaptive Multi-Paddock Grazing) does improve soil health that I would like to highlight in the hopes that more people will read their work.

One person doing this type of research is soil scientist Dr. Christine Jones from Australia with much of her research available on her website (http://www.amazingcarbon.com/).

There are a number of different articles well worth reading on that site, as well as an article “Soil carbon —can it save agriculture’s bacon?” in which she discussed the research done by Dr. Mark Adams from the University of Sydney regarding the soil’s ability to sequester methane.

With improved grazing, comes the land’s greater capability of sequestering more carbon creating

the opportunity for Holistic Planned Grazing to be carbon positive.

Another scientist involved in this type of research is Dr. Richard Teague from Texas A&M Agrilife. He has been involved in a number of different studies that he has undertaken with numerous other scientists focusing on Greenhouse Gas mitigation (http://bit.ly/1iM99tt) as well as an article (http://bit.ly/2rNcZYc) on the role of ruminants in reducing agriculture’s carbon that was co-authored with Dr. Rattan Lal of Ohio State University.

He has also done specific research in Canada (https://yhoo.it/2rvgq9t) and Texas (http://bit.ly/2qe4sfR) comparing the increased carbon sequestration on land where people are practicing Holistic Planned Grazing in comparison to their neighbors who are not.

On average in the Texas study the holistically grazed land added three tons of carbon/ha/ year more than the heavy continuously grazed neighboring land for an over 30% increase in carbon sequestration.

Scientist Dr. Keith Weber from Idaho State University has also shown how Holistic Planned Grazing improves soil moisture retention on semi-arid rangelands (http://bit.ly/2qjAlrX). This water retention leads to more plant growth which

As more people practice Holistic Management, more government and non-profit agencies are eager to partner with Holistic Management practitioners focused on improving land health and biodiversity.

One of HMI’s partners is The Nature Conservancy. To learn more about how these two organizations are working together, turn to page 2.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

increases soil carbon and thus carbon sequestration.

In addition, there are other qualitative studies that show the improved profitability and sustainability of holistically managed operations and the efficacy of Holistic Management as a whole farm/ranch planning tool. In particular, Dr. Deborah Stinner, Dr. Benjamin Stinner of (Ohio State University at Wooster), and Ed Marsolf wrote an article (http://bit.ly/2qQlfYh) about Holistic Management and how biodiversity is an organizing principle in agroecosystem management. Another qualitative study (http:// bit.ly/2qbdtXN) was done by Charley Orchard as he surveyed ranchers in the Northern Rockies and analyzed the numerous benefits they had achieved.

With more people practicing Holistic Management around the world, there is more evidence of the positive effects it has on the land, the businesses, and the people. In turn, as we face growing environmental challenges, researchers are turning their attention to practices that work and trying to better understand them. That is why we are pleased to be partnering with The Nature Conservancy as they work to share their knowledge of how Holistic Management is an effective, sciencebased conservation tool.

Holistic Conservation

Photo Credit Raquel Wertsbaugh

A Natural Partnership: Holistic Management International and The Nature Conservancy—

Healthy Land. Healthy Food. Healthy Lives.

In Practice a publication of Hollistic Management International

HMI educates people in regenerative agriculture for healthy land and thriving communities.

STAFF Ann Adams. . . . . . . . . . . . Executive Director Kelly Curtis. . . . . . . . . . . . Finance and Operations Director Jennifer Klass . . . . . . . . . Development Director Kathy Harris. . . . . . . . . . . Program Director Peggy Cole. . . . . . . . . . . . Program Manager Mary Girsch-Bock. . . . . . Development Manager Carrie Stearns . . . . . . . . . Communications &

Outreach Manager Valerie Grubbs. . . . . . . . . Accounting Manager Julie Fierro. . . . . . . . . . . . Education Manager Stephanie Von Ancken . . Programs / Office

Assistant

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Daniel Nuckols, Chair Walter Lynn, Vice-Chair Kelly Sidoryk, Past Board Chair Gerardo Bezanilla Kirrily Blomfield Kevin Boyer Guy Glosson Wayne Knight Robert Potts Jim Shelton Sarah Williford

HOLISTIC MANAGEMENT In Practice (ISSN: 1098-8157) is published six times a year by: Holistic Management International 5941 Jefferson St. NE, Suite B Albuquerque, NM 87109 505/842-5252, fax: 505/843-7900; email: hmi@holisticmanagement.org.; website: www.holisticmanagement.org Copyright © 2017 Holistic Management® is a registered trademark of Holistic Management International

Grazing Lands Sustainably

BY ANN ADAMS, WILLIAM BURNIDGE AND KATHY HARRIS

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ith both common and complementary goals, it was only natural for The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and Holistic Management International (HMI) to begin collaborating. Building on the strengths of both organizations, HMI and TNC have begun using HMI’s curriculum —incorporating key elements of conservation planning from TNC—to improve ecological processes and land health on two pilot projects in Colorado. Implementing Holistic Management on these two working ranches has been highly rewarding for both organizations, and promises to be a long-lasting and productive partnership.

In the spring of 2015, TNC encouraged the Colorado State Land Board (CSLB) to obtain consulting support on their 26,000-acre Lowry Range Ranch lease project near Denver, Colorado. In 2016, The Nature Conservancy also purchased the 48,000-acre JE Canyon Ranch near Trinidad, Colorado and began to establish a grazing operation on it. Because of their positive experiences with Holistic Management on other projects, TNC also wanted support for themselves and their new lessee in applying Holistic Management practices to support a successful grazing operation launch at JE Canyon.

In the fall of 2015, HMI staff Ann Adams and Kathy Harris met with The Nature Conservancy staff to explore how both organizations might support each other’s mission through greater collaboration beyond the contract support that HMI was providing for these two properties. With TNC’s new focus on their Sustainable Grazing Lands Program, led by Colorado TNC’s William Burnidge, they perceived Holistic Management as the type of successful adaptive management

FEATURE STORIES

LAND & LIVESTOCK

A Natural Partnership: Holistic Management International and The Nature Conservancy— Grazing Lands Sustainably

Soil Building Can Happen Fast— On-farm Results Showing Rapid Organic Matter Gains

ANN ADAMS, WILLIAM BURNIDGE AND KATHY HARRIS......... 2

Measuring Progress towards Your Holistic Goal— Putting the Testing Questions into Practice

TUOMAS MATTILA ...................................................................... 6

Drought and Flood Proofing in California

ANN ADAMS................................................................................. 8

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tool that would serve as a complement to TNC science-based conservation management approach. “For years, TNC has been best in class for conservation, but we recognized a need for also addressing financial and social aspects,” said Burnidge, “and HMI has created an excellent platform to enable communication of goals and the means to reach those goals.”

Likewise, HMI was eager to learn from TNC how to better articulate our curriculum, particularly in regards to biodiversity conservation goals and to help educate not only private landowners, but also public agency staff and other natural resource managers seeking to collaborate and apply the best available science to improve decision making on grazing lands.

“Although much of HMI’s work has been directly with farmers and ranchers trying to improve their lives, their lands, and their livelihoods, we are grateful for the opportunity to work closely with The Nature Conservancy to better address the needs and concerns of conservationists and others involved in public land management,” said Harris.

Lowry Range

The Lowry Range property is held by the School Trust and managed on behalf of that Trust by the Colorado State Board of Land Commissioners (CSLB). The property is located in unincorporated Arapahoe County at the southeastern edge of the greater metropolitan Denver area. Since the Lowry Range was acquired by the CSLB in the 1960s it has been used for grazing, limited mineral development, low-impact recreational use, and for multiple rights of way— in all, approximately 20 leases exist on the 26,000 acre Lowry Ranch. The ranch is also home to many diverse species

Utilizing Compost or Manure?— The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

NEAL KINSEY.............................................................................15

ALLEN WILLIAMS......................................................................... 9

NEWS & NETWORK

Trail’s End Beef— Providing Local Grassfed Animal Welfare Approved Beef in Alberta

Grapevine................................................................ 16

Bendy Brook Farm— Making the Transition to Pastured Livestock

Marketplace............................................................. 21

HEATHER SMITH THOMAS.......................................................10

HEATHER SMITH THOMAS.......................................................13

Program Round Up.................................................. 18 Certified Educators.................................................. 20 Development Corner............................................... 24

including pronghorn antelope, well over 150 bird species including nesting bald eagles and 13 other raptor species, and one of the largest contiguous tracts in Colorado of an important type of native grasslands —remnant Piedmont Foothills prairie.

The CSLB is working with TNC to meet certain conservation goals such as improved wildlife habitat for birds and balancing prairie dog conservation with a viable agricultural operation. Overseeing this project is William Woolston, the CSLB North Central District Resource Specialist.

In April 2012, the CSLB leased the majority of the oil and gas reserves under the property and adopted the Lowry Range Integrated Resource Management Plan to guide new surface development of the property, including a holistic grazing management plan. In 2013, Nick Trainor was chosen from among 18 proposals for the grazing lease through a rigorous Request For Proposal process. Because of its size, location, and complexity, both the CSLB and TNC believe that the operation at Lowry offers a great opportunity to show that Holistic Management can be a powerful tool for advancing a successful ranching operation that meets the requirements of ownership and that supports ecosystem and rangeland health and the conservation of many species of plants and animals.

In the summer of 2015, HMI began working with Nick to help him build out his Holistic Management plan to meet his ranch business goals as well as the conservation and business goals of all parties involved for the Lowry Range. HMI Certified Educator Kirk Gadzia was selected as the primary consultant to help the Lowry team develop the Lowry Whole Ranch Plan.

One of the interesting challenges about this piece of property is the large number of leases by numerous entities, which results in a lot of traffic through the Lowry Range by a host of other groups. Thus, an important aspect of Nick’s job is to be able to interface with those different groups and incorporate their needs into his grazing plan, while still working to meet the conservation goals set out in the Integrated Management Plan and make a living. For that reason it was decided that all lessees would be noted in the management inventory for the

Lowry Range.

A good example of the complexity that Holistic Management helps address is the conservation of the remnant Piedmont Foothills prairie ecological site, and its relationship to prairie dog populations. Piedmont Foothills prairie, a highly ecologically diverse area that depends on a limited set of soil and climate conditions, is now relatively rare because of development, conversion to cultivated agriculture, and introduction of many non-native species. Prior to European occupation, prairie dogs were simply an integral part of the healthy prairie system, a keystone species that other species depend on.

Today, the presence of prairie dogs causes concern or even degradation in these area-limited prairie ecosystems and is a key consideration in conservation of the Piedmont

business objectives.

While these issues are important considerations in the management of this property, equally important are the needs of Nick as lessee, so key factors for all parties include: 1. Stocking Rate 2. Animal Performance 3. Financial Performance for Lessee and Lessor 4. Enterprises – tested for triple bottom line criteria 5. Monitoring – ecosystem and social 6. Joint successes – new partnerships 7. Infrastructure Investments One of those infrastructure investments has been water development. The existing infrastructure on the ranch included 5 large stock water tanks, miles of 1-inch stock water pipeline and one marginal stock water well.

Much of the stock water on the ranch was supplied by two seasonal creeks on the ranch. This limited water supply serviced 14 existing pastures on the ranch with an average size of 1,600 acres. It was determined very early on in the planning process that the existing infrastructure was a “weak link” in developing a grazing plan that would address a very complex set of ecological goals developed for the ranch.

Another key infrastructure investment was fencing along the Coal and Box Elder Creeks, two main riparian (Left to right): Nick Trainor with his partner, Raquel, areas on Lowry Range. The and ranch hand, Tim. purchase and utilization of Foothills prairie system. CSLB has a goal of temporary fencing with high quality polywire, about 2,700 occupied acres of prairie dogs for plastic posts, and a powerful solar energizer the Lowry Range (i.e., 10% of the property), allows close management of the most though the population at the time work began productive portions of the ranch and provides was estimated to occupy between 4,000 and much more flexibility to subdivide existing up to 6,500 acres and was rapidly expanding. large paddocks.

Plague events in 2016 significantly reduced In the past three years, approximately 25 the population of prairie dogs at Lowry, but miles of high-tensile fence, 17 miles of 2-inch the issue requires ongoing attention. Prairie stock water pipeline, three wells, eight stock dog control is often a contentious subject and tanks, and two 20,000 gallon water storage conflicting opinions exist within the CSLB and tanks were installed. This infrastructure among conservationists and ranchers. Ensuring investment was funded in large part by the that a balance is reached is a key issue for Colorado State Land Board infrastructure and both Piedmont Foothills prairie conservation development fund in addition to grant funding goals as well as for economic reasons. The through The Nature Conservancy and the area occupied by prairie dogs can greatly Natural Resource Conservation Service. influence the Animal Unit Months (AUMs) of These major infrastructure improvements forage available to livestock and, by extension, have allowed Trainor Cattle Company to the ability of the lessee and CSLB to meet their CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 Num ber 174

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A Natural Partnership

including petroglyphs (rock drawings) and ruins of dwellings from thousands of years ago to the early 1900s. In time, conservation easements consolidate cattle groups and run two large will be placed over the whole of JE Canyon, groups through 47 temporary and permanent and TNC will sell it to another private owner to paddocks on the ranch. The average number continue a legacy of conservation paired with of Animal Unit Months (AUMs) grazed on the successful agricultural production. property has been about 8000. While grazing HMI’s work began in January 2016 with periods vary, they have averaged around 45 Kirk Gadzia as lead consultant assisted by days. No pastures were grazed more than once HMI’s Program Director, Kathy Harris. Other in a growing season and projected average key collaborators for this project include Steve recovery periods are one year, with some Wooten at Beatty Canyon Ranch (BCR) and his pastures not being grazed at all for more than team who lease cattle grazing operations at both a full year. The positive results of these grazing JE Canyon Ranch and the adjacent Chancellor practices are already being observed with many Ranch; Shane Goode, hunting lessee; J.J Autry, over-rested plants showing increased vigor and TNC’s JE Canyon Ranch manager; Terri Schulz, more plant germination and soil cover resulting TNC Senior Conservation Ecologist; William from greater animal impact.

Burnidge, TNC Sustainable Grazing Lands The carrying capacity on the ranch Program Director; and Chris Pague, TNC was originally largely limited due to Lead Conservation Ecologist. the amount and distribution of stock The first meeting was an orientation water throughout the ranch. With the to the ranch, reviewing past management improvements in the infrastructure and practices, assessing current condition, and the continued improvement of the land, discussing how some of the management Trainor Cattle Company anticipates the practices that were being considered might long term carrying capacity to increase influence the ecosystem processes on JE well above the initial estimates at the Canyon. For example, there was a wildfire beginning of the lease in 2014. on the ranch several years ago, and the The ultimate goal is to run one large contrast of the vegetation between burned herd through all paddocks during the and unburned areas is still markedly growing season. The average graze different. Woody species such as juniper period length has already shrunk from and cholla cactus were greatly reduced in The J.E. Canyon Ranch includes a wide variety of terrain as high as 60 days to a planned average the burned site. Grasses and forbs seemed making it home to many wildlife species. It also provides of 11 days during the 2017 growing to have recovered well as species such unique challenges for grazing planning and determining season. Trainor Cattle Company plans as yucca. There was some discussion area and productivity for grazing. to further subdivide the permanent that no studies had been done to contrast paddocks on the ranch with temporary electric and Nick, TNC, HMI, and CSLB are all pleased the effects of this fire and that it might be a fence to lower the average graze period length with the progress that has occurred on the good study to initiate and include in the ranch and increase stock density while maintaining Lowry as well as the opportunities for continued knowledge base because the unburned side of desired recovery periods on the ranch. improvements of resource management, the road could serve as the baseline to measure The Colorado State Land Board and Trainor outreach and education. change due to the fire.

Cattle Company have installed almost 80 After this orientation the group focused permanent photo points and two line intercept JE Canyon Ranch on developing the JE Canyon management transects annually on the ranch. The Nature TNC purchased the 48,000-acre JE Canyon inventory and holistic goal / context. “It was Conservancy is also conducting long term Ranch in 2015 to protect its tremendous natural exciting to see the holistic goal emerge from monitoring activities on the ranch as part of the and historical values, advance the sustainable the common values of this relatively large group sustainable grazing lands initiative. use of grazing lands, inspire wonder and with diverse perspectives,” said Kathy Harris. JJ Of particular interest has been the appreciation of its great natural beauty and spur Autry was at first concerned that things weren’t remarkable increase in warm-season grasses broader conservation awareness and action. Of happening fast enough. “I’ve learned that you in part of the riparian zone on Box Elder particular interest in this incredible mix of native have to go slow in order to go fast,” he said, and Creek and to a lesser extent on Coal Creek grassland and canyonland is one of the largest has been impressed how the process “welds where particularly intense grazing impacts bighorn sheep herds in the state, as well as people into conservation and ag business in were applied. This upsurge in colonization is populations of deer, elk and bear. Nine miles of ways I didn’t expect.” The group then began noticeable because it is occurring in areas the Purgatoire River and part of the Chacuaco inventorying the current potential problems or where smooth brome (Bromis inermis) was Creek run through this property, supporting concerns that the management team should be almost totally dominant and because increasing more than 850 plant and animal species, aware of and which might affect their diversity in brome-dominated areas is typically including several rare species of plants (ferns), decision-making. very difficult to achieve. Additional grasses that birds (the long billed curlew), and amphibians.

An important part of JE Canyon’s whole have been identified are switchgrass (Panicum This area also has many archaeological sites ranch plan includes developing outreach and CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

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virgatum), prairie cordgrass (Spartina pectinata), big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), prairie sandreed (Calamovilfa longifolia), and two specimens of yellow indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans). It also appears that the populations of Nebraska sedge (Carex nebrascensis) and a somewhat rare plant (in Colorado) known as bur reed (Sparganium sp.) are expanding with increased moisture holding capacity of the soils. Monitoring will continue in these areas to determine if these changes in plant community composition persist, expand, or contract.

Cottonwood and willow establishment is continuing to occur as well. Plans are in now in place to apply similar grazing intensities in other brome-dominated riparian reaches at Lowry to see if the results can be replicated.

These exciting changes are very promising

educational programs for the ranch. The group met with the nearby Kim and Branson school districts, as everyone on the team is interested in collaborating on educational programs.

Some of the ideas discussed included student participation in ranch activities including youth hunts, workshops, Kids on the Land, wildlife outreach programs, monitoring, and stream studies.

Discussions also focused on establishing monitoring programs for JE Canyon. This included how the partners could coordinate application of different monitoring programs to assess where they may be complementary or redundant and develop a set of practices targeted to the area. TNC’s monitoring protocols include 100-feet transects with canopy noted at three different levels, as well as soil carbon testing. Steve uses the Colorado Rangeland Monitoring Initiative (CRMI) methodology which is done in each pasture during August and is a requirement for the NRCS Conservation Stewardship Program. In addition, the Beatty Canyon Ranch team also collects “anecdotal” information while riding the pastures or other activities on the property. These methods may also be compared and contrasted with the Bullseye method in the future to determine what efficiency and effectiveness benefits it may provide. Everyone agreed that the fixed point photographs were a critical portion of the monitoring program.

The main reasons for monitoring are to answer the following questions: • Has there been a change?

• Which direction is the change (toward or away from landscape health goals)?

• Which portion of the vegetation or other characteristics is changing?

• How do we represent what is happening at JE Canyon that is enlightening to others?

HMI then led the training and support

of grazing planning, and using the HMI Grazing Planning Software has helped the diverse management team be able to view the grazing chart remotely. JE Canyon Ranch manager, JJ Autry, has become very adept at using the software as a planning and communication tool for all parties, and as a way to document grazing and other management practices at the ranch. Grazing lessee Steve Wooten brings years of grazing experience on these lands to the Chris Pague, TNC scientist, pointing out one of the many planning process, and everyone archaeological resources, pictographs, on the is benefitting from the discussions J.E. Canyon Ranch. about the plan, and the excellent records being created by Autry. calculated given the two herds currently in Wildlife needs are also part of the plan, residence. This was approximately one animal including creating better habitat and forage for unit per 40 acres. The peak animal unit count game species as well as improving breeding for the summer grazing of June – November was sites for certain rare species. A heavy graze in 521 AU. Placement of minerals away from water one pasture was conducted to assess how such and frequent movement of the minerals was a practice may influence nesting use by the also planned to support better usage of larger long-billed curlew. This and other practices will pastures. be monitored on an ongoing basis for this and Another particular area of discussion has similar purposes. Goode, the wildlife outfitter been to determine the best treatment for lessee, estimated that the following numbers of areas that have already been burned (such as game species were present on the ranch for all animal impact and the most appropriate way or part of the year: to implement such a tool). Lastly, the team is Antelope – 30 to 40 evaluating the potential to merge the two herds Deer (mule and white tail) – 150 to 175 on the ranch into one herd. The herds consist of Elk – 40 to 50 different breeds, so the team is also assessing Bighorn Sheep – 60 to 80 steps to accomplish the task.

Turkeys – 60 to 100 TNC is also using GIS to map the extent The grazing plan has been helpful in trying to and density of pinon and juniper trees. The best meet the wildlife, plant community, livestock assessment of current conditions will be and people needs of the ranch. Some of the compared to historical data on sites with factors considered were cattle breeding, bighorn deep soils below and above the canyon rims. sheep lambing, curlew habitat and planned Subsequently, TNC and partners will assess impact, potential prescribed burning, higher where there are opportunities to address animal impact and grazing in over rested areas, the pinon-juniper expansion, what tools may and logistics of moving animals up be appropriate and effective, and which and down the canyon to different management actions actually lead to improved pastures. conditions for wildlife and/or cattle.

Due to the nature of the At the fall 2016 and winter 2017 meetings ranch, which is upland pasture there was a review of the impact of the areas split by deep canyons, heavy grazing application to see how it had the current infrastructure limits achieved curlew nesting habitat objectives. The the movement of cattle without management team was pleased to see that the re-grazing some areas. The team objectives for grazing in the Curlew pasture had worked on infrastructure plans to been met. The utilization level was estimated place additional fencing and water at 60 – 70% depending on the area. There points in a way that will enable was good animal impact and large amounts of full growing season recovery litter had been trampled onto the soil surface. between grazing events, higher There will be monitoring to see if the curlews William Burnidge, Kate Shorrock, Steve Wooten, and JJ. stock density, and shorter grazing appreciated this effort and come flocking into the Autry stand on a promontory as they discuss grazing stratperiods. The stocking rate was site for 2017 breeding! egies to meet multiple conservation and production issues.

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Measuring Progress towards Your Holistic Goal—

Putting the Testing Questions into Practice

BY TUOMAS MATTILA

I recently had the privilege to teach farmers priority setting in managing for soil health. On a typical farm and a given year, there are a lot of options for improving the health and productivity of land. In the Holistic Management ® Framework, a key testing question for these situations is the Comparing Options test. In that testing question you determine where you get the most “bang for your buck.” The “buck” is relatively easy to cost out, but the “bang” is not so easy to estimate. The simplest alternative is to evaluate the increased profit from the investment. A more holistic approach would measure progress towards your holistic goal, but that is not so easy to measure. In the following paragraphs, I’ll try to outline how I’ve applied this.

For the example, we’ll be using actual potential investments I was considering to increase land productivity on my own farm this year. For simplicity, let’s keep the investments to three options: a set of low pressure tires for the combine would cost 8,000 € and reduce soil compaction risks; 1,500 € would buy high magnesium lime to fix a common nutrient deficiency; and field drain maintenance and

A Natural Partnership CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

Lessons Learned On Our Joint Journey

Building on common values of education and wide-scale regenerative land management has forged close relationships and improved the effectiveness of all parties involved. “If we are going to meet TNC’s goal of improving management on one million acres in Colorado and 80 million acres in North America,” commented Pague, “we have to work together.”

HMI’s focus on education that creates behavior change is a great pair to TNC’s research and science resources. “We are finding that the integrated curriculum is working and we have created a platform to enable communication of goals and a means to move toward those goals,” said Burnidge.

All parties have agreed that one of the key outcomes of these collaborations has been the ability to frankly discuss or put forth hard ecology/conservation ideas and issues and discuss respectfully and critically with very

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repair would cost 2,000 €. All the investments pass the other testing questions, and simply just make sense.

The simplest case is to estimate the return on investment. For farming purposes, it’s useful to look at the area affected (ha), the fraction of the area influenced by the investment (%), the potential yield increase (t/ha) and the extra profit from the increased yield (€/t). For example, better tires for the combine harvester would reduce compaction on all arable area (50 ha), but the tires trample only 50% of that Action

area, so the influenced area would be 50 ha * 50% = 25 ha. Soil compaction typically results in yield decreases of 30% on the short term.

The potential good yield for organic grains in our region and soils is 6 t/ha, so 30% would represent 1.8 t/ha. The price of organic grains on average is 300 €/t, so 1.8 t/ha * 300 €/t = 540 €/ha. When this is multiplied with the influenced area, we get the annual benefit 25 ha * 540 €/ha = 13,500 €. This corresponds to 13,500 €/8,000 € = 169 % of annual return on investment. Not bad, but what happens when we compare it to the two alternatives? I’ve calculated the results on the following Table 1.

Based on the annual return on investment, the tire upgrade on the combine harvester is the least profitable investment and a limited budget

Low pressure tires to combine harvester

Liming with high Mg lime

Field drain maintenance

Cost

8,000 €

1,500 €

2,000 €

Area affected

50

15

15

% of area influenced

50%

100%

30%

Influenced area

25

15

4.5

% yield loss

30%

20%

50%

Benefit

13,500 €

5,400 €

4,050 €

Annual ROI

169%

360%

203%

Table 1. Return on investment for three investments on soil health.

different perspectives and needs addressed.

This has come from the growth in shared vision and the use of creativity that has emerged from the holistic goal and from understanding the decision testing process. Pague noted, “HMI has a way of caring for and nurturing people through the process, engaging us in conversation that needs to happen… listening and questioning.”

Whether exploring different tools like fire and animal impact or looking at issues of predators and how to manage to support biodiversity and wildlife habitat on these working landscapes, everyone is interested in learning how all these objectives can best be accomplished. Together, HMI and TNC are maximizing the tool of human creativity to address needs of both conservation science and livestock and wildlife management.

“Working with the teams at the Lowry Range and JE Canyon has been an enlightening and wonderful learning experience,” HMI consultant Kirk Gadzia said. “Everyone has contributed so much and we are all moving forward.” Harris agreed, “I’ve been very impressed with the knowledge, experience and

dedication of everyone involved in the project, and as we focus on common values, we find creative ways to meet challenges that address everyone’s concerns.”

“The communication and planning platform that HMI provides is enabling diverse partners to integrate planning and management for improving conservation/ecological process, business, and quality of life outcomes on large working cattle ranches in the American West, and is dispelling notions that tradeoffs are unavoidable,” said Burnidge Both the Lowry Range and JE Canyon Ranch are prime examples of triple bottom line regenerative land management that is creating thriving communities. “Whether you call it ‘continuous improvement,’ ‘adaptive management,’ or ‘Holistic Management’, this type of process is what we need for all grazing lands,” Burnidge concluded.

Stay tuned for updates on this partnership, coming soon in a future IN PRACTICE issue.

should first be spent on liming and drainage, which give a higher return on investment.

But what about all the other aspects of life? How to measure how these actions help in progressing towards the holistic goal? A decision analysis tool known as SMART can be used. SMART is an acronym for Simple Multi-Attribute Rating Technique which was developed by Ward Edwards in the 1970s. A part of the method involves using a concept known as a “swing weight.” In the process, the best alternative gets 100 points and all the other alternatives are compared to that.

The valuation is purely subjective, but all the available information can be used. In the example of the three investment options, I would say that the option which would move our farm towards our holistic goal the most would be field drain maintenance (100 points).

The second best option would be the tires (hmm, about 60 points) and the last option would be the liming (40 points). This crude valuation allows the calculation of marginal productivity in terms of “utility points,” which gives 7.5 points/1000 € for the combine, 27 points/1000 € for the liming and 50 points/1000 € for the drainage. Again the drainage and liming are much more efficient in providing benefit to the farm.

Trying to capture all the aspects of quality of life into a single score can seem daunting.

Fortunately the SMART method has a solution for that: each part of quality of life is valuated separately and the results are weighted based on the relative importance of each quality of life subcategory. For example on our farm our quality of life consists of (relative value and weight in parenthesis):

Progress towards holistic goal

Quality of life

Low pressure tires to combine harvester

Liming with high Mg lime

Field drain maintenance

Cost

8,000 €

1,500 €

2,000 €

Valuing our work and ourselves x 0.25

50

40

100

Being a good neighbor x 0.15

80

40

100

All family members participate x 0.2

90

90

100

Creativity x 0.2

100

40

40

Physical activity x 0.1

5

5

100

Wise economics x 0.1 50

100

80

Overall weighted score

68

52.5

86

Points/1000 €

8.5

35

43

Table 2. Accounting for multiple benefits stated under the quality of life statement.

0 –100 range and using the best alternative as the measure for all the rest. Finally the scores across the statements are multiplied by the corresponding weights to give an overall value point for the alternative.

For example on valuing our work and ourselves, fixing the drains would be the best option (100 points), compared to that the low pressure tires would be about 50 points and liming about 40 points. This corresponds to the value we put on improving the resource in regard to our desire to do good work that we can be proud of. Since valuing our work and ourselves has a weight of 0.25 in the overall quality of life, this yields 25 points for the drains, 12.5 points for the tires and 10 points for the

liming. Each criterion is worked through for each alternative and the total weighted scores are added up for each alternative to give an overall weighted score for that alternative.

In the example of our farm, this would be outlined in Table 2. Overall the ranking of the options didn’t change, but liming and drainage seem much closer to each other as alternatives than with the straight ranking. Using this method helps give you more information to make decisions that move you toward all of your holistic goal.

Tuomas Mattila is a Certified Educator trainee in Finland. He can be reached at: tuomas.j.mattila@gmail.com.

• Valuing our work and ourselves (100; 0.25) • Being a good neighbor (60; 0.15) • Doing things together as a family (80; 0.2) • Applying our creativity and gifts (80; 0.2) • Being physically active (40; 0.1) • Wise economics (40; 0.1) The first step would be to apply the “swing weighting” and to assign a score of 100 to the most important statement in the quality of life.

Other parts would be compared to that and being assigned a score which is relative to that.

All the scores are added together for a total of 400 and the individual scores are divided by that total to yield a percent contribution of that statement to the whole quality of life (for example: 100/400=.25).

The second step is to give scores for each alternative for each statement using the same

Here is an example of how these various “weighted scores” can be combined along with financial information to help decision makers determine the value of a particular action in the context of their holistic goal considering social, economic, and environmental concerns.

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h IN PRACTICE

7

Drought and Flood Proofing in California

BY ANN ADAMS

W

ith all the rain that California experienced during the winter of 2017, the joy of rain that stopped the devastating years of drought turned to dread of the floods and erosion that occurred from landscapes devoid of growing plant matter. Holistic Management practitioner Joy Law shared some dramatic photos of the difference between her landscape and her neighbors due to the difference between her holistic planned grazing and the neighbor’s conventional grazing.

Joy manages approximately 100 useable acres. She took over management of that land nine years ago. The management before she took over was conventional and the plants were eaten to the nub and there were no perennials. After nine years of holistic planned grazing Joy says she now has lots of perennials and wildflowers. She uses three to four horses to graze her paddocks which are sized anywhere from 3 – 35 acres. She has nine paddocks and gives those paddocks 60 – 90 days recovery during the growing season and 120 days recovery

This is a picture of Joy’s neighbor’s creek. Note the gouged out creek banks

Note the coffee colored water in the neighbor’s pond from the sediment load of erosion from the neighbor’s land.

Here is Joy’s creeks next to where the neighbor’s creek is. Note that the ditches are clear and there is grass covered banks and bottoms.

Note the clearness of the water in Joy’s pond because there is little erosion from Joy’s land that is covered with more litter in this annual-dominated Mediterranean climate.

As you can see in the photos, Joy’s ponds are clear. But, the neighbor’s land has eroded causing not only more issues with the health of ground water in years to come, but also added a great deal of sediment load in their pond. Joy noted that this is similar to the issues currently being faced in the Mississippi Delta with much erosion of croplands into the Mississippi River due to all the bare ground throughout the Midwest with conventional cropping.

With this kind of rain Joy says she is able to produce 6 –12 inches of plant growth after full recovery of grasses. As you can see in the photo, the neighbor’s grass is not as tall as the grass on Joy’s property as they both respond to the abundance of rain.

The average rainfall in that part of central California is supposed to be 12 –15 inches. In 2013/2014 Joy only received 4.8 inches of rain. In 2014/2015 the rain improved with 8.5 inches. In 2016 she received 14.3 inches. By March of 2017 she had received over 21 inches of rain.

8 IN PRACTICE

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July / August 2017

during dormant season. Besides using the horses for animal impact to incorporate stockpiled grasses into the ground and limiting their grazing to provide for adequate recovery, she also built some one-rock dams to slow the water down and increase the water cycle effectiveness.

She has found that horses will eat medusa grass (a non-desirable species) when it is young so she uses the horses as a way to encourage desirable forage species. With longer recovery she gets more grass to create a mulch so that there is more litter for the horses to step on even during the rainy winters so the horses don’t leave prints and create less soil compression. She does periodically bring in cattle (approximately 10 pairs) for grazing in the spring for about two months for additional animal impact.

Joy took these pictures on February 23, 2017 to show the power of Holistic Management and her excitement that her land made it through the drought ready to receive the blessing of rain.

LIVESTOCK Soil Building Can Happen Fast—

&

On-farm results showing rapid organic matter gains

BY ALLEN WILLIAMS, Ph.D.

H

ow long does it take to build new soil organic matter? I have heard soil scientists say that it can take anywhere from one hundred to several thousand years to realize any significant increase in soil organic matter (OM) accumulation.

At that rate it becomes quite discouraging to think about building soil OM, so we instead tend to concentrate on inputs that can add fertility to the soil. In fact, some soils labs have accepted the tenet that building soil organic matter is such a slow task that they no longer offer the OM calculation as a routine part of their standard soil fertility test.

We now know that building soil organic matter does not need to be a slow affair. We have example after example of farmers who have been able to significantly increase their soil OM within short periods of time. We will look at a number of those to document what can be accomplished with the right management practices.

Case Study 1: Southern Illinois

A row crop farmer in southern Illinois started implementing complex cover crop mixes coupled with adaptive high stock density (AHSD) grazing of cattle on approximately 1,000 acres in 2014. Prior to that he had been farming conventionally with the use of some no-till, but no covers or livestock. He was practicing corn-on-corn in the fields we will examine.

During the 2014 growing season, this farmer aerially seeded a 14-species, cool-season cocktail mix into his corn at the V5-V6 stage of development. After harvest, the cool-season mix was grazed by stocker steers using AHSD practices. Cattle were moved daily to new paddocks as winter growth allowed. Stock densities averaged 150,000 lbs./acre during each grazing event. Grazing started November 10, 2014, with a total of four grazing events up to spring planting in late-April of 2015.

A new aerial cover crop seeding was done that summer, with grazing starting November 6 and again going through the winter until spring planting in late-April 2016. Cover crop growth was uneven, so some areas within the 1,000 acres were grazed as few as three times, and others as many as five times.

Data were collected prior to the start of the 2014 planting and again after harvest of the 2015 corn crop. Results are presented in Table 1.

They show that the soil organic matter increased from 2.4% at the start of the 2014 season to 3.5% by the end of the 2015 growing season.

The same protocol was repeated for the 2015-2016 cycle, with soil OM increasing another 0.6% to reach 4.1% by the fall of 2016. Corn yields (non-irrigated) increased from 198 bushels/acre in 2014 to 214 bushels in

2015 and 232 in 2016. Control checks in 2015 and 2016 yielded 185 and 202 bu./acre, respectively.

Grazing net profits per acre for the two grazing seasons averaged $36.

So, on top of the organic matter increases and the corn yield increases, the farmer realized another $36/acre of profit annually through the addition of the cattle.

Fertilizer was applied based on Haney soil tests. Compared to 2014 applications, nitrogen was reduced by 25% in 2015 and 55% in 2016.

Phosphorus applications were reduced 23% in 2015 and 35% in 2016, while potassium was reduced 37% and 47% in those two years.

Year

Soil OM (%)

Corn Yield (bu./ac)

Corn Yield Control

2014

2.4

198

2015

3.5

214

185

2016

4.1

232

202

Table 1. Soil Organic Matter Increases and Corn Yields: 2014–2016

Case Study 2: North Georgia

A producer in northern Georgia started his transition to adaptive grazing in the spring of 2012 on a farm that had been continuously grazed for more than three decades. The 210 acres had routinely supported 35 to 40 beef cows on an annual basis. Soil organic matter tested at 1.26% in the spring of 2012.

That year, the producer implemented AHSD grazing management. The grazing started with the original cattle numbers, but with daily and multiple daily herd movements through the active grazing season each year.

Stock densities during the grazing periods varied from 50,000 lbs. to more than 400,000 lbs./acre. Stocking densities were routinely altered each year, with grazing patterns across the farm changed as well to introduce planned disruptions.

Year

Soil OM (%)

Water Infiltration (inches/hour)

Stocking Rate (acres/head)

2012

1.26

0.4

6.0

2013

1.79

2.3

3.5

2014

2.83

4.6

2.9

2015

3.45

6.9

2.5

2016

4.28

8.1

1.87

Table 2. Results from AHSD Grazing in Northern Georgia Over the five-year period, soil OM on this farm increased to 4.28% from the original 1.26%. Water infiltration rates for these soils increased CONTINUED ON PAGE 15

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Land & Livestock 9

Trail’s End Beef—

Providing Local Grassfed Animal Welfare Approved Beef in Alberta

BY HEATHER SMITH THOMAS

“H

olistic Management has made a difference in our ranching practices,” says Rachel Herbert, who ranches on 900 acres near Nanton, Alberta with her husband Tyler. Their place is about 10 minutes south of Nanton, and they also have some land west of Nanton in the Porcupine Hills in southern Alberta, about an hour south of Calgary. This location is great for their ranch because they have a huge market for their beef nearby (Calgary has over a million people). With the help of a Holistic Management mentor, Trail’s End Beef has learned how to improve their grazing and production as well gained a valuable collaborator in their grassfed beef business.

“So we started our grassfed beef program. After we had our own home-raised beef, my mom and I started eating beef. Since 2003 we’ve kept every animal to direct market ourselves. Our program has evolved and continued on from that beginning, and now we process and directmarket about 100 head each year,” she says.

Some of these animals are their own cattle and some are from the A7 Ranche. “We work in a partnership with John Cross on those animals. He was processing a handful of direct-market beef every year but that’s not his focus. He’s very busy with a large herd, and working with us worked out nicely for him to market those grassfed animals,” says Rachel.

“This allowed us to grow our customer base as we developed our own cow Finding a Holistic herd, since it takes a long time to get an Management Mentor animal finished on grass. We are now up She and her husband started ranching to about 50 head of our own, and the rest holistically from the time they started are from the A7 and it works out really ranching together. “I’ve read all of the well for both of us. John can continue holistic material online, including the free to develop his grassfed herd as well as downloads, to try to self-educate. We his other cattle, and we take care of the also have a mentor here, John Cross, marketing end of it,” she explains. who ranches near us on the A7 Ranche,” Her family has been acquainted with Rachel says.

John and his family for a long time. “It’s “His place is about 13,000 acres, on been a community connection, even a totally different scale than our small though I didn’t grow up here. Neither ranch, so he manages his a bit differently.

Tyler nor I grew up in this community but He is quite well-known up here, in terms it’s where my family roots are. My mom of Holistic Management. We’ve sat down grew up here. My great-grandfather, Fred with him to discuss a lot of things. Every Ings came west in 1881 to play cowboy, spring he takes his team through pasture and started the OH Ranch which is now records and they make their grazing owned by the Calgary Stampede. John plans, and he has worked us through Cross’s grandfather A.E. Cross came the Holistic Management grazing plan west about the same time and started and the record sheets. This has really a brewery business in Calgary. He was helped steer us in the right direction,” one of the founders of the Stampede, Rachel says. and also started a ranch. My greatThe Herbert Family (left to right): Willam, Tyler, Rachel, “My husband and I direct-market grandfather and John’s grandfather (the Avery, and Linda Loree. grassfed beef. We started ranching first generation to locate here) were in 2003 with my mom (Linda Loree) when she inherited her piece of peers. Our families have always known each other,” Rachel says. the family ranch, about the same time Tyler and I got married. Then “Our place in the hills is quite close to the A7 Ranche, about a mile we acquired some land of our own.” They purchased their Parkland away from one of their boundaries. We always went to help them at property (native grass prairie) in 2007 and then rebuilt the infrastructure brandings, etc. We have a similar perspective on a lot of things,” she says. on that ranch for handling their cattle during the winter and for calving in “Conversations sometimes involved beef and marketing. John had the spring. always been marketing a little bit of beef directly. We were just getting “My mom and I were vegetarians when we came back to the ranch, started, but right from the start we were engaging with people enough and all of a sudden I was married to a cowboy—and all I wanted to do was that our business exceeded what we could raise. That conversation just look after animals! My mom wanted to be the best steward she could be of came along and evolved into where we took over the direct marketing of her family ranch, and she felt that doing grassfed beef would work for us,” his finished beef animals. This has worked out very well for both of us,” Rachel says. she says.

“My mom had shipped the calves conventionally the first year that we were all ranching, and felt it didn’t work very well.” The calves had gone The Importance of Animal Welfare through a stressful weaning and were then shipped off to market. Tyler, Rachel and Tyler were interested in doing things holistically, from the with his practical cowboy experience thought the ethical solution might be time they decided they wanted to ranch, and very quickly decided to raise raising grassfed beef and keeping the cattle on the ranch until they were grassfed beef. “From there, we customized our cow herd to have the finished and slaughtered. genetics that would finish on grass. Our herd base is red and black Angus

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with a little Hereford influence, and we use black and red Angus bulls.

We cull selectively, to keep the genetics efficient for grassfed (since some cattle are not) and quiet temperament. We ranch on a small scale and are handling these animals all the time. We move them frequently, with portable electric tape fencing, and we want them user-friendly. That quietness also makes for better beef,” she says.

Quiet animals spend more time eating and expend less energy being nervous, so they put more weight on. Their meat is also better because they are never stressed and upset. Animals that are stressed/nervous have higher cortisol levels in their bodies and if they feel stressed when handled/moved to the slaughter facility the meat will be darker and tougher. If the cattle are quiet and relaxed, the meat is better, and much more tender.

“My mom and I started into this ranching project with animal welfare in mind, and it was also a priority for Tyler,” says Rachel. “He was a working cowboy, and a little more practical. He knew that starting with Rachel went from being vegetarian to marrying a cattle rancher and a handful of cows, we couldn’t do very much in a conventional system, learning how to raise beef ethically. so the niche element really appealed to him. This was a way to make a go of it from scratch and starting so small. From there, the animal welfare are talking about it, so we try to be progressive in what we are doing — component of our program has also evolved into an ecological component. very honest and engaging with our customers.” More and more people It seems to be that the best things we do for the animals are also the best want to know where their food comes from, how it is grown and handled. things we can do for the land.

Some are adamant about having the animals taken care of humanely.

“Because we have a small land base, and it’s scattered out, we have “Over the years we’ve come across some skepticism from some of to manage each place a little differently. On some of our pieces it just the conventional producers around us, yet we have to laugh about that doesn’t make sense to be stringing electric fence and trying to create because we are actually doing nothing different than anyone else. There more pastures, so we have to do things more strategically on those acres. are so many people with really good practices, in our area, who care about We go check the cattle on a horse, and move the mineral tubs around to their animals. We are not doing some exotic concept; we are just looking encourage the cattle to use various areas, etc. On some of our other land after our animals and our land, like everyone else is, but we have made a it’s quite easy to move electric fence and move the cattle into new parcels point to engage with the end user —our customers. We feel so responsible of grass,” Rachel says. for every piece of beef that ends up on someone’s plate,” she says.

“Working with the animals and the land is all very complementary. As “We have an open ranch policy. Customers can come out here if it turns out, when we look after the animal welfare and look after the land, they wish, and have a private tour, or play in the yard with our kids. Our we get very high quality beef from grass. This has been very satisfying, program is very transparent,” Rachel explains. and a lot of fun. Our cattle are quiet and easy to handle, and this works “We also take a small sample cut of beef off every animal that goes very well because we are also the ones who take them to the butcher,” through our butcher. Tyler and I are steak tasting all through the year. she explains.

These sample steaks are all labeled as to which animal they are from. We “The night before they go to the butcher we gather them into a small usually cook up about three at a time. We have a system for cooking them holding field in our front yard. They walk right on the trailer because they and do them exactly the same way every time, so we can compare them. think they are going to a new field of green grass; they are accustomed We discuss the flavor, tenderness and the marbling —and everything to trailer rides, and to us handling them.” There is nothing strange or about that steak. We take notes so we have a good idea about what we different, and they are with their peer group —the buddies they are familiar are producing, and which animals produced the best meat. with and comfortable with —and away they go.

“This makes us responsible for the end result and not just the animal.

“This feels good to us, too, from an animal welfare standpoint. We are We look at that calf in the field, and that yearling, and we know it will be certified with the AWA (Animal Welfare Approved certification) and we eaten, and that we will be the ones selling that product. This is a little also have the grassfed different than just saying certification. As far as I good-by to calves in the fall know, in Canada this is and hoping that they turn the only certification for into a good meal on down grassfed. Our customers the road, but never knowing are aware of this and for sure. So this aspect, appreciate this aspect of sampling each one, has our production. I don’t think been really neat. We are that the AWA label is that truly able to look at our cattle well known up here, but as edible. for us it just felt like the “We are not a big next logical step— to get operation, or fancy, but we that certification,” Rachel care about what we are The Herberts use low-stress livestock handling and move their animals frequently to says. “It’s more in the news doing, and are trying to do it new pasture as part of their Animal Welfare Approved certification. today, however, and people CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 N um ber 174

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Trail’s End Beef

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11

the best way we can. We’d like to have a little more land, and we still have a lot to learn about the financial components of Holistic Management. We feel that learning more about that aspect can help guide some of our next decisions. We’d like to be able to make a little more money from our cattle, but at this point Tyler still has an off-farm job,” she says.

Meeting Consumer Demand

for a certain event. We don’t supply any restaurants on a daily basis, just on occasion when chefs want some top end grassfed beef to work with.

This helps acquaint more people with our beef, and gives more credibility for the ranch,” she says.

“There was a really neat project in Alberta last year, called Cook It Raw. They had international chefs and Alberta chefs paired up, and took them all over Alberta, to have a back-to-the-land experiences to create what they could wild source, forage or fish. The chefs used various Alberta products. Beef was one of them, and Saskatoon berries was another, and honey, etc. A couple of chefs came out to our ranch for the beef segment to discuss where beef comes from and ask questions. They cooked some beef, as well. This segment is a video online, if people want to view it,” Rachel says.

Customers learn about the Trails End meat program mainly by word of mouth, a website and social media presence. “That’s how we connect with people,” says Rachel. “I am not a computer expert, but I managed to figure out how to build our website with a little bit of technical help. I had fun this past winter putting a new website together,” Rachel says. The website Preparing for the Fifth Generation is www.trailsendbeef.com and the ranch has an active Facebook page, Rachel’s great-grandfather Fred Ings started his OH Ranch near as well.

Longview, Alberta and then moved to the Nanton area in 1903 to establish Most of their beef is sold by the quarter, half or a whole carcass. the Midway Ranch and Trails End Ranch. Fred’s wife Edith and their two “That’s how we shaped our marketing from the start and we haven’t really daughters continued on after his death in 1936. Edith ran a guest ranch at varied from this. We don’t do farmers’ markets, but we do an occasional the Trails End Ranch from the mid-1930s until the mid-1950s and many of special event, trade show or Christmas marketing. We just want to be able the guests were young British pilots who were training in southern Alberta to move our product as the meat is processed,” she explains. during World War II, coming to the ranch for rest and relaxation.

“We only butcher seasonally when the animals are finished on grass— Rachel’s mom, Linda, was the third generation. She inherited her piece between July and October. During the winter the cattle are free-ranging of the family ranch and came back to it the same year Rachel came back out on pasture, but we supplement them with really good quality hay. Then to her roots to spend the summer. Rachel met and married Tyler Herbert, they grow nicely again on the spring grass. We butcher them between 26 a cowboy who was raised on a mixed farm in Saskatchewan. They now and 29 months of age, so they are a good year older than conventionally have two children. finished beef. They are done growing “Our daughter Avery is 6 and our their frame by that time and are just son William is 8, and they are now old putting on the pounds,” Rachel says. enough to be able to ride along with us The nice thing about having the and help a bit,” says Rachel. “They are animals a little older at harvest is that very tuned in to the cattle. A big jigglythey have more flavor than the young fat yearling will walk in front of our son’s ones that are feedlot finished more horse and he’ll say, ‘Mom! That one quickly. “We ran into a high profile chef looks like some juicy steaks!’ I just love at an event in Calgary recently and he that! The kids know where their food wants to come out here with his own comes from.” butcher. We do all our meat through the Rachel’s mom was very involved certified processing plant, but this chef with the family until she passed away in wants to break things down with his January 2014. “She is greatly missed. own butcher. He wants to experiment She and I talked on the phone every with an even older animal —like 4 morning to make our plans for the day. years of age. It will cost more (to keep We ran our herds together, so Mom the animal that long), but it’s neat to would arrive and help with the kids and see that the chefs are recognizing the help with the cows. We definitely miss eating value of the older animal. They having Granny around,” Rachel says. are willing to take some adventures It’s such a blessing to have family with their food,” she says. involved, working together on a ranch.

“Everything that we raise here is “Not all families get along well enough pre-sold before it goes to the butcher to be able to work side-by-side and it’s and we’ve sold out every year. I still really nice when they do,” she says. have some meat to sell for our midWith the support of their Holistic summer butcher dates but I am hoping Management mentor and family support to do that very soon. Our customers are for a grassfed business model that mainly just families filling their freezers. does right by the land and the animals, We also work with several chefs.

Trail’s End Beef has been able to build Avery Herbert is the fifth generation at Trails End Beef and Calgary has a strong food scene, with a grassfed ranch that serves their knows where her food comes from. some progressive chefs who use our family and the families and restaurants products to feature from time to time, or in Calgary that want that kind of beef.

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Bendy Brook Farm—

Making the Transition to Pastured Livestock

BY HEATHER SMITH THOMAS

T

he Mast family has been farming in the Oley Valley in Pennsylvania since 1941 and Nevin Mast has been raising livestock there since 1976. “My parents were dairy farmers and raised registered Holstein cattle,” say Nevin. “They had to come up with a prefix for their cattle to register them, so my mom was trying to come up with a name for the farm. She was sitting in the house one day, looking out the window at the winding stream that goes through our place, and came up with the name Bendy Brook,” he says.

Today Nevin raises and markets grassfed beef, heritage pork and pastured poultry (selling chickens, turkeys and eggs), with the poultry in portable pens. The poultry is fed organically-grown, soy-free grain, and the Berkshire-cross pigs are fed whey obtained from a neighboring cheesemaker who uses milk from cows that are 100% grass-fed. This shift to a grass-based operation had its challenges, but Nevin feels like the shift has been important on a number of different fronts.

Now he runs just beef cattle rather than dairy heifers. “When we started mob grazing we started with a few of our own cattle as well as the custom-grazed dairy heifers. I was amazed at how well the beef cattle fattened up on the taller grass. I was of the impression that you needed to keep your grass short and growing rapidly so it would be lush and high in nutrients because this what we were taught,” he says.

After getting into beef cattle, the farm then added chickens, turkeys and pigs. “Our beef customers wanted to know where they could get good chickens and turkey so we added a bit more every year. We’re at a point now where we can stop adding and slow down a little.”

The multi-species grazing works very well. “We don’t follow the cattle with the laying hens like the dairy guys do, because with mob grazing the grass is still too tall, and doesn’t work for us. The hens would be laying their eggs in the grass. If I don’t keep the grass trimmed where they are,

Making the Transition

“We went chemical-free in 1986,” says Nevin. “We were still dairy farmers at that time and decided to quit using chemicals because we were having health issues with the cattle. I went to a biological meeting and was told that if we got our soil healthy, the rest would follow,” he recalls.

He decided to try farming without chemicals, and selected one field to stop spraying. “We started with a hayfield, and noticed a drastic difference right away in how many earthworms came back. The cattle also seemed to like that grass better than the alfalfa. It was a steep learning curve for a few years, however, because then we stopped using chemicals on the whole farm, cold turkey. We probably should have taken it slower and done it more gradually.

It makes it harder when you don’t know enough Nevin Mast learned about Holistic Management from HMI Certified Educator Ian Mitchell-Innes. about what you are doing!” he says.

He has found the animals perform much better with holistic planned grazing has had integrated The farm transitioned from dairy cattle to multi-species to create more marketable products that can improve land health. beef, and started grazing beef cattle in 1991.

“We were still fighting tillage for a number of years, because without using they make nests in the grass. I move them every day, because they have chemicals we had to cultivate and try to fight the weeds. We were growing a tendency to lay their eggs where the grass is too tall. We don’t keep it corn and alfalfa, about half and half on 120 acres, for 50 milking cows and really short, but 6 to 8 inches is about maximum height for chickens,” he about 45 head of young stock,” he says. explains. It’s the same for the broilers as well as the laying hens, so the “We sold the dairy cows in 2001 to have a change of pace. Financially chickens are all moved together. it wasn’t a smart thing to do, but we did it anyway. I went back to school to be a nurse, and we were custom-grazing dairy heifers for our neighbors.

The Community as a Whole The whole farm was in pasture from 1991 until 2001, divided up into Nevin has been interested in Holistic Management for a long time. It all paddocks,” says Nevin. started when he hauled a group of Amish farmers out to hear HMI Certified “Then we started mob grazing in 2004 and that was another steep Educator Ian Mitchell-Innes a number of years ago. “This was about the learning curve. People generally don’t think about how it works and they same time we changed to mob grazing and tall grass. I had been reading often ask why our grass is so tall. I tell them that by letting the grass books on this, and already had an interest. A person has to think about the continue to grow, it is reseeding, and charging up the pasture for next fact that Holistic Management also involves the community and not just time. The mob grazing really started improving our pastures and we’ve your own farm. We have to think about our neighbors as well as ourselves. increased our herd density,” he says.

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Bendy Brook Farm

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If I get tall weeds, like thistles, I clip that pasture so the weed seeds don’t blow over to my neighbors’ places. It makes the neighbors happy because it looks like we’re taking care of our farm. They don’t really have a clue what we are doing, but they are watching us,” says Mast.

Manure from the winter pens is all partially composted. “We make sure that when we work it in or haul it, there’s no odor for the neighbors.

One of the goals of Holistic Management is working with your neighbors,” he explains.

“Going from row crops to grazing was a big jump, for us, and really helped us out. Dairying was the best way to make money—there is still more money in milk than anything else, particularly organic milk. The organic market has stayed a lot more steady than the regular market for milk,” he says. He added the chickens to increase income but they also require more work as he moves their pens twice a day.

Last year their farm was part of a tour when a group of Danish dairy farmers came to look at this area and see how farmers were managing their grazing. “They saw the condition of our animals and were impressed

Red Devon in the mix than any other breed. For the most part, the Red Devon are efficient and do very well on grass,” says Mast.

Winters are cold, with snow, so the cattle come in from pasture to be fed hay. Unless the ground is solidly frozen (so the cows can be out on the pastures without damaging them), they are kept off the pastures in winter.

“They can be out on pasture if the snow is not too deep; otherwise they would walk right over the fence wires. If there’s just 6 to 10 inches of snow we feed them out on the pastures. If it’s muddy however, we don’t ruin our pastures just to feed the cattle out there. In those situations we have them in, and feed them on straw or a bedding pack,” he explains.

Nevin does most of the work himself on the farm, though he has two brothers (who are retired) that help out sometimes. “If I need someone to drive somewhere and pick up something, they are available to help. I am 61 years old and my children are grown up and doing their own thing so they are not here anymore to help,” he says.

Direct Marketing Strategies

Marketing strategies for their products have changed over the years.

“We used to take everything to market but that didn’t work very well for us, because a person needs to sell a high volume, so now we sell our meat products and eggs to people who come to us, and they hear about our products mainly through word of mouth,” says Nevin.

The core of Bendy Brook’s business is a cow-calf operation with about 30 to 40 mama cows. “This is about as many as we can handle, because we also have the calves and yearlings and sometimes have as many as 100 head here at once. We sell most of our beef by the quarter or halves, though some people want a whole one to split up themselves. We sell the pigs the same way, though we also sell a lot of pieces.

With the chickens we sell them whole and also cut up,” he says.

Customers really like their chickens. “We don’t raise the white Cornish birds; we raise the Freedom Rangers that are slow-growing. It takes these chickens 12 to 13 weeks to grow to market size. The pigs, chickens and turkeys are fed soy-free grain, which is another big plus with our customers. This is what people seem to want, even though it takes longer to grow them and we don’t get as much egg production. We do what our Bendy Brook Farm has shifted its focus from dairy to beef using a mix of White Park, Red customers want,” he explains.

Devon, Angus and Hereford genetics.

The finished beef are custom butchered by a with how well the animals were doing. They asked about the height of our private USDA-inspected processor about an hour’s drive away. “If we sell grass, thinking that a person had to keep it shorter. I don’t think I would a whole animal we can sell it to a customer who would have it butchered change it even if I were still doing dairy, but then I’ve never done this kind himself, without having to be inspected, but to sell parts of the carcass it of mob grazing with dairy cows. I might just move them faster through the has to be USDA-inspected. Then if we butcher one and decide to keep paddocks than what I do with beef. If this kind of grass makes fat on the half and sell half, we can do that,” he says. beef, I would think it would also be beneficial for milk production in dairy “We only process something that will make steaks during June through cows. I can’t say for sure on that, however, without experience,” he says.

December, when these animals can be nicely finished on grass. Any other The type of animals in a grazing program also makes a difference. time of year it is usually just a cow that would be ground meat,” he says.

“Some animals, whether beef or dairy, don’t perform as well—no matter The grass-finished animals must come off good pasture before winter for what you put in front of them to eat. Some beef animals won’t get fat, and this system to work. some dairy cows won’t milk well on grass. They don’t have the genetics With that production and marketing strategy, Nevin can continue to to do it. Not all Angus are created equal and not all Red Devons or dairy produce the quality products that is important to him while sustaining the cattle are, either,” he says. natural ecosystem and fostering a humane lifestyle for the animals. With In his beef herd he has a mix of animals, which includes some White Holistic Management he is better able to manage his farm connection in Park, Red Devon, Angus and Hereford. A mix can be beneficial, with the connection with his community and produce healthy animals, healthy food, added plus of hybrid vigor. “Our cattle are mainly red. Today there’s more and healthy land.

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Utilizing Compost or Manure?—

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

BY NEAL KINSEY

Like all needed plant and animal products that contribute positively to soil fertility and plant growth, using compost and manures correctly can be of tremendous benefit. The effectiveness and value of applying them to accurately supply the required nutrients for the best in crop production is still greatly misunderstood by so many as to its full effects on the soil. All of the benefits compost and manures provide to encourage the biological life in the soil provides an excellent example. Release of “locked-up” nutrients that are present in soils in unavailable forms by stimulation of biological life in the soil is often completely overlooked or far underestimated in terms of both good and bad effects upon fertility.

What is true compost? How do you measure that? Is all “compost” good compost? Are some so-called composts not really compost? If so, how do you know? How about certified organic compost? Is it safe? Is the very best organic compost always good for the land? Can you apply too much compost?

How about manure? When should animal manure be considered as only manure and when should it be considered compost? Does it make any difference? When manure stops smelling like manure, is it then to be considered as compost? Can you even tell such things? Not only is it possible to do so, but as ranchers, farmers and stewards of the land, it is imperative knowledge that is often vital to real success!

To begin considering compost versus manure and their proper use, let’s go back to the first question asked above. What is true compost? How can you tell when manure has become compost? Well-made compost should have a carbon to nitrogen ratio of between 20:1 and 10:1, with 12:1 down to 10:1 generally considered as most preferable. We analyze hundreds of manures and composts for clients and find that many of those materials that are being sold as a compost are actually not a compost at all. How can you tell? Because the C/N ratio is 7:1 or 8:1. That is not a true compost —that is still manure! If the use of straight manure is of no concern, then fine. But sell manure for what it is, manure, not falsely calling it compost.

Why should this be a concern to those applying the material as to whether it is a compost or manure? Because the results of use on the soil are completely different. Once the proper C/N ratio has been achieved there is a different effect upon the soil that receives that material than the one that instead receives a manure application. Compost has been built to

Soil Building Can Happen Fast CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

from 0.4 inches per hour to more than 8 inches/hour. Cattle numbers increased roughly 300%, to 112 head maintained annually. Results are presented in Table 2 (see page 9).

This producer also realized significant decreases in input costs, winter supplement and annual cow costs. Annual cow costs decreased from $563 in 2012, to $378 in 2016.

Case Study 3: North Mississippi

A 1,000-acre cattle farm in North Mississippi was converted to AHSD grazing in the spring of 2010. Former use of the land included more than 100 years of row crop production followed by continuous grazing of cattle and use as a hunting property. Soil OM at the start of the 2010 grazing

achieve a balance between the carbon and nitrogen content. This means that when it is applied, true compost will not tend to tie up nitrogen that will be needed by the crop that will be grown there.

Actually the use of a manure won’t either. It is the so-called composted material with a carbon to nitrogen ratio higher than 20:1 that tends to cause a nitrogen tie-up in the soil. That is the result when too much organic matter is used without sufficient nitrogen to break it down. In such cases, when these materials are applied to the soil there is too little nitrogen there to supply all that the microbes need and still supply enough to the plants. The microbes in the soil confiscate or metabolize the nitrogen for their own use at the expense of then having enough nitrogen for the crop to grow properly. This causes nitrogen deficiency for the crop.

Here again, this is not a true compost, because the C/N ratio is above 20/1, which means it can cause nitrogen to be taken away at the time the plants need it for growth.

So then, why worry about the extra nitrogen contained in manures?

What is the problem with the C/N ratio of manure which is below a 10:1?

Microbes use nitrogen to build the energy they need to break down organic materials (carbon) as a food source. So long as the C/N ratio is between 10-20:1 there is a sufficient amount of both carbon and nitrogen so that both microbes and the crop can take up sufficient amounts. Within this range, the microbes break down organic matter to form humus in the soil. But when the C/N ratio is below 10:1, the nitrogen supply is so great that microbial populations proli ferate and use up all the carbonaceous material present in that soil as the most available food source.

Now the microbes still have access to plenty of nitrogen as an energy source, but have run out of the most available food source —the undecomposed organic matter which serves as their food and which in the process of being broken down forms and builds the humus content of the soil. Once all the organic matter is decomposed, suddenly these organisms now face the problem of finding another food source or dying.

With all the extra nitrogen still remaining as an energy source, they are now forced to turn to another source of food that is much harder to obtain, but with the extra N they can do so. It is the humus that has been built up in that soil. This is where the term “burning up the humus” comes from in agriculture. When materials such as raw manure with a C/N ration of less than 10:1 is applied to a soil, this is what can happen if there is not enough residues to decompose and use up the nitrogen being added to that soil.

That is an example of what over-applying raw manure to the soil can do to harm instead of help the carbon content of the land.

To learn more about Kinsey Ag consulting, turn to page 23.

Year

SoilOM(%)

StockingRate (Ac/hd)

2010

1.36

6

2011

2.21

4.8

2012

2.83

3.5

2013

3.46

2.9

2014

4.26

2.4

Table 3. Results from AHSD Grazing in North Mississippi season was 1.3% to 1.6% across the 1,000 acres. Stocking rates in 2010 were one cow/calf unit per six acres.

By the end of the 2014 grazing season, soil OM had increased to an CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

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Land & Livestock 15

Soil Building Can Happen Fast

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15

average of 4.26%, and stocking rate had risen to one cow/calf unit per 2.4 acres. Stocking density varied from a low of 80,000 lbs./acre to more than 450,000 lbs. during the five-year AHSD grazing period. Densities were altered strategically throughout the course of each year to introduce planned disruptions and stimulate continued progress. Results are presented in Table 3 (see page 15).

In 2014 this farm was compared to two neighboring farms. One had been grazing for more than 50 years, the other at least 30 years. The 50-year farm had been practicing slow rotations (HCG), moving the cattle once every two to four weeks, while the 30-year farm had been practicing continuous grazing (LCG) with the cattle able to move about the farm at will.

Soil pits were randomly dug to three feet of depth and soil samples were collected at every six-inch gradient for soil carbon and soil organic matter analysis. Results showed that after just five years of AHSD grazing, the total soil carbon (Table 4) and the soil OM (Table 5) were significantly higher on the AHSD farm compared to the slow rotation (HCG) and the continuous grazing (LCG) farms. In each of the case studies presented, soil organic matter increased from 170% to more than 330% in just three to five years. In all three cases, AHSD grazing practices, coupled with increases in plant species diversity and complexity, played a crucial role in realizing these increases.

In each of the case studies presented, soil organic matter increased from 170% to more than 330% in just three to five years. In all three cases, AHSD grazing practices, coupled with increases in plant species diversity and complexity, played a crucial role in realizing these increases.

These are just three examples of success in building soil organic matter

over short periods of time. These three farms operate within roughly similar environments in the mid-South and southern Midwest. Can their results can be accomplished in other places with greatly different conditions?

This article originally appeared in Graze, a magazine about managed grazing and family-scale livestock agriculture. For more information: www.grazeonline.com; 608-455-3311.

Soil Horizon (6 in. segments)

AHSD

HCG

LCG

1

4.67

1.64

1.36

2

4.00

1.88

1.37

3

2.95

1.03

0.40

4

2.04

1.02

0.54

5

1.71

0.38

0.40

6

1.42

0.41

0.34

Table 4. Total Soil Carbon (%) Soil Horizon (6 in segments)

AHSD

AHSD

HCG

1

4.26

3.28

2.72

2

3.22

3.76

2.74

3

3.10

2.06

0.80

4

2.98

2.04

1.08

5

2.80

0.76

0.80

6

1.98

0.82

0.68

Table 5. Total Soil Organic Matter (%)

Bison Ranching Profit Study

BY ANN ADAMS

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recent article (http://bit.ly/2qrxb0x) in The Western Producer shared information about a six-year study of 25 bison ranches that was analyzed by the University of Alberta to determine key factors in profitable ranching. The conclusion, not surprisingly, was that cost control and good investments were the critical skills for the ranches who performed the best.

Key operating costs included: trucking, property taxes, fuel, repairs, insurance, utilities, barns, corrals and feeder animals were designated as operating costs. The biggest cost within that area was buying feeders. But top performing producers spent more of their budget on investing in feeder animals, while spending $300 less/animal than the lower performing producers. In other words, they spent more time and had more knowledge to get a better deal.

HMI Certified Educator, Roland Kroos, of Crossroads Ranch Consulting in Bozeman, Montana focuses his business on helping bison producers improve their financial and production management by teaching them Holistic Management principles and practices. Having been in the business for many years, he has seen producers assume they can let cost of production rise as income for an animal rises.

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Of course, the market cycles make such decisions dangerous. Roland is quoted in the article as noting: “We need to be constantly vigilant in where we believe this market is going. We need to understand the signs and maybe we are getting to the top,” he said. “I wouldn’t bank on $6.50 a pound prices on the rail to make Roland Kroos your mortgage payment because what happens if that goes back to $4 and you can’t make your payments… The bison market will flatten out. It is an illusion to think we can keep growing at the same speed we have for the last five to 10 years.”

To make sure that you don’t fall into that trap you need to set realistic benchmarks or metrics using a profit margin that you can live with assuming a conservative gross income for your product. That kind of rigorous financial planning then allows you to weather poor markets and increase profit in good years to invest in the resilience of the business.

GRAPEVINE The

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people programs projects

N E W S F R O M H O L I S T I C M A N AG E M E N T I N T E R N AT I O N A L

International Sustainable Agriculture Exchange

Six Russian agricultural professionals and their translators visited HMI offices in April to meet with HMI Executive Director, Ann Adams, and Program Director, Kathy Harris, to learn about Holistic Management and critical sustainable agricultural practices to address the emerging needs of agriculturalists in the 21st century. They represented government agencies, NGO’s, and producer groups.

This visit was organized under the auspices of the Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program. This cohort of professionals asked questions to examine and better understand the policies and practices in place across the U.S. to promote and support sustainable agriculture. During their 18-day trip, participants met with policymakers, advocacy groups, research and academic institutions, and agribusiness representatives to learn about trends, the impact of policies and regulations on the various stakeholders, and technological developments that foster sustainability. They also met with American farmers to learn about practices concerning crops, livestock and soil protections as well as related topics such as food security, water management, and risk mitigation.

Farm Service Agency Partnership

HMI is happy to announce that The Farm Service Agency (FSA) has funded seven HMI Open Gate events in Texas, New York, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Oregon as part of their new funding initiative to collaborate with NGOs and other entities to provide education and outreach. Area FSA managers will be in attendance at all of the events, providing participants with FSA information and resources. We are very pleased to be a part of this program, and would like to thank FSA for supporting the work that we do.

2017 Texas Leopold Award

We’d like to congratulate President and CEO of The Dixon Water Foundation and HMI Board Member, Robert Potts, and Board Chair of the Dixon Water Foundation and former HMI Board Member, Clint Josey on The Dixon Water Foundation receiving the 2017 Leopold Conservation Award.

With five working ranches owned and managed by the foundation, they have worked hard to fulfill their mission to promote healthy watersheds through sustainable land management to ensure that future generations have the water resources they need.

The ranches use holistic planned grazing, which enables ranchers to manage land, animals, and wildlife so that during growing months the land can produce the maximum amount of high quality forage on an increasing or sustained basis; and in non-growing months there is adequate forage and/or cover for livestock and wildlife. Planned grazing also offers additional benefits such as better water absorption and an increase in wildlife. For more information on The Dixon Water Foundation, take a look at this short video at (http://bit.ly/2qWMHoU).

Texas A&M Study

A new web article (http://bit.ly/2rpobya) from Texas AgriLife explains

h

how a research study shows that holistic planned grazing (called adaptive multi-paddock grazing in the study) enhances water infiltration and retention while protecting water quality. In fact, Robert Potts water runoff was as much as 39% lower with holistic planned grazing than heavy continuous grazing.

The study was funded by the Dixon Water Foundation and is titled “Evaluating the ranch and watershed scale impacts of using traditional and adaptive multi-paddock grazing on runoff, sediment and nutrient losses in North Texas, USA.” The full journal article can be found at http://bit.ly/2mCiqdl. The study was conducted by Dr. Srinivasulu Ale, a geospatial hydrology associate professor; Dr. Richard Teague, rangeland ecology and management scientist; Dr. Jaehak Jeong, associate professor at Temple; and Dr. Jong-Yoon Park.

Researchers used the Agricultural Policy/Environmental Extender, or APEX, model to evaluate the influence of continuous and multi-paddock grazing practices on runoff, sediment and nutrient losses at both the ranch- and watershed-scales. They found that the holistic planned grazing increased water infiltration which lead to greater soil moisture and decreased runoff, which also led to improved water quality and more sustainable rangelands.

Also of interest was the nitrogen and phosphorus losses that occur with water runoff that can affect water quality. The simulated surface runoff results when changing from a baseline of holistic planned grazing increased by as much as 158% from 1980–2013.

Researchers noted that grazing management has a much larger impact on the amount of surface runoff and subsurface flow than any other hydrologic component.

Rise in GrassFed Beef

An article on KUOW in Seattle (http://bit.ly/2rYAXR4) talks about why more farmers and ranchers are making the switch to grass-fed meat and dairy. Though many industry leaders had viewed grass-fed products as simply trends, recent market information shows otherwise.

According to Beef Magazine (http://bit.ly/2r4FVfb), the grass-fed beef sector is currently experiencing a growth rate of 25-30% annually. In fact, livestock industry consultant Allen Williams believes that the grassfed market could potentially reach nearly 30% of all beef produced in the next few years.

What this unexpected growth means is that opportunities abound in the grass-fed beef production field. And according to former Thousand Hills Cattle Company owner Todd Churchill, one of the best things beef producers looking to make the switch can do is attend a Holistic Management course.

For example, in Massachusetts, Ridge Shinn launched Big Picture Beef, which consists of a network of small farms in the northeast U.S. that specialize in grass-fed beef. Along with providing a market for the cattle, Ridge also says he will conduct on-farm holistic management workshops for participating farmers.

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PROGRAM ROUNDUP Online Courses HMI has been busy during the spring with a host of Holistic Management online courses. This year was the first year we taught some of our programming in Spanish with generous funding from the Thornburg Foundation. Here’s the outcome of those courses.

Spanish Introduction to Holistic Management Online Course

HMI’s Spanish Introduction to Holistic Management Online course included 41 participants from the United States, Mexico, Columbia and Spain. This course focused on key Holistic Management planning concepts and principles to help participants manage their farm/ranch for the triple bottom line and more effectively manage resources.

Participants were excited to learn how to improve their ability to observe, understand, and make decisions based on what they can control.

The ability to meet other people from around the world was one benefit of the class that Nuria López-Cepero Romero, a veterinarian from Cádiz, Spain noted: “I already had some knowledge of Holistic Management and this course has Nuria López-Cepero helped me to consolidate concepts and Romero meet interesting people with the same philosophy. It is important to have people that encourage us to continue in this long distance race to seek happiness in the day to day working in harmony with the environment, family and friends. The organization and development of the course has been perfect.”

Holistic Grazing Planning Course

HMI’s Holistic Grazing Planning online course included 20 participants from the United States, Canada, Finland, Great Britain and China. This course focused on the key grazing planning principles and practices. Participants practiced the tools to hone in on such as critical grazing considerations, determining forage inventory, animal needs, and grazing and recovery periods before putting all these calculations into a written grazing plan. 100% of the participants responding to the survey said they intended to complete or modify their grazing plan.

Participant Celeste Johnson greatly appreciated the comprehensive approach of the class and the grazing planning software: “I completely enjoyed the course and the manner in which Ralph taught it —it encouraged me to think about things to which I did not give enough consideration, and how to see them from a different angle. The comprehensive nature of the software program to provoke thought and better analysis gave me reason to buy it and I am looking forward to using it to plan my future work with sheep and Cattle. I will be starting out with raw acreage, so this model will be helpful to me as I start my process. I recommend this class to all folks —experienced or just dabbling with the idea of livestock. It is rigorous and disciplined and as I heard from other folks in the course who were experienced livestock

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farmers, rigor and discipline are two aspects of farming of which you can never have too much!”

Introduction to Holistic Management

HMI’s Introduction to Holistic Management online course included 29 participants from the United States, France, New Zealand, Netherlands, Sarah Bernhard Portugal and Canada. Participants were excited to engage in creating their management inventory and holistic goal as well as learning the decision-making process. 100% of the participants completing the survey expressed strong satisfaction for the class.

One participant, Sarah Bernhard, expressed her enthusiasm for what she had learned: “I can’t remember how I first heard about HMI, it was probably when I was researching grazing practices. I do remember, though, my husband and I were in a bad place back then. Our farm was not feeling like a “real” farm, relationships with neighbor farms where getting worse and worse, and on top of it, my husband was suffering from a burn-out at his new workplace. When I discovered HMI as a global method to conduct agricultural projects in a sustainable way, I was hooked. Building a holistic goal helped me believe in my vision as something being possible. It was the perfect way to step back and think about what I really wanted to achieve. It also helped me to see that despite the fact we weren’t satisfied with how our farm was evolving, we both had learned a lot during the past 10 years, and that we were ready for the next step, whatever that would be.

When the opportunity to buy a bigger, run-down but affordable farm came up, I knew it wouldn’t be easy but I knew it was the best way to get closer to my holistic goal. Thanks to the tools I got from the program, I have also been able to help my husband to get over the issues he had at his workplace. After building his own holistic goal and working together on our common vision, he had the courage to quit his job after 21 years of unhappiness and to get trained as an equitherapist.

We now work on a common project that satisfies both our needs, with a clear common goal. We also are in the process of learning that a holistic goal is a journey, not a destination, and that helps with coping with the daily hassle and the feeling that nothing is ever going to be perfect!

New Agrarian Online Training

HMI’s New Agrarian Online Training Program started off our 2017 series with an Introduction to Holistic Management course that included 34 participants from all over the United States. Interns, apprentices, mentors, and NGO staff supporting these young agrarian programs were able to learn about and implement Holistic Management together as they explored how the goalsetting and decision-making process could be utilized on farms and ranches around the world. Thanks to the Quivira Coalition for their collaboration in this programming as part of their New Agrarian Program and to the Thornburg Foundation for their support of this program.

HMI is offering this programming as part of our Hands-On Learning where we partner with educational agrarian programs that are providing hands-on production training. We support that programming by offering educational curriculum that teaches the vital management principles and practices necessary for regenerative agriculture.

As participant Kase Wheatley noted: “The NAP Intro to Holistic

Management has been a wonderful addition to the farm work I’ve done this season. This course has taught me much of the foundational theory and framework that often goes unspoken about on farms and connected it in a meaningful way to the labor I’ve been doing. Understanding the why, not just the how, feels crucial to actually pursuing agriculture as a livelihood.”

Likewise, Jyles Airey-Filipello shared his thoughts on the power of Holistic Management: “The Introduction to Holistic Management Kase Wheatley Course was an incredible opportunity to articulate the dreams that live within me and give them a frame work to form them in goals that can be achieved. The language of planning begins to be crafted and your eyes open to seeing the world with questions that enable you to cultivate healthy decision making that is connected to your highest goals of caring for the earth, your community, Jyles Airey-Filipello and your family. I feel so fortunate to be able to take this course and know that these are seeds that will grow with me into the landscape of my life, thank you so much.”

T.O. Cattle Company Open Gate

I

t was a beautiful April day in Watsonville, California where a diverse group of 52 gathered at Circle P Ranch for HMI’s Open Gate: T.O. Cattle Co Day. A good group of students from a California Polytechnic State University brought youth and vigor to the event, along with the experience from land owners and ranch managers.

HMI Certified Educator Rob Rutherford facilitated the day, which focused on the large scale ranching practices of Joe Morris, owner of T.O. Cattle Company and Morris Grassfed Beef. After the introductory session where participants got to know each other better and stated their expectations for the day, Joe succinctly and passionately began sharing his experiences and stories from years of Holistic Management practice. He explained the value of a personal or ranch holistic goal and explained that there is no ‘recipe’ but encouraged all to just start with a goal, then plan and adapt.

Joe gave an example of using the Holistic Management framework to test a decision within the context of his goal. Participants got a chance to try the process themselves by working in small groups to test whether Joe should split his cow herds or keep them in one group.

While this process often brings up more questions than it answers, Over 50 people participated some participants reported that in the T.O. Cattle Company even though they’d studied Holistic Open Gate day near Hollister, Management in the past, this process California including a group helped them gain new understanding of students from California of the usefulness of using the Polytechnic State University. decision testing questions, and

renewed interest in reviewing and updating their own holistic goal.

Val Davis, Farm Program Manager of California Certified Organic Farmers, gave a brief but fact-filled presentation on the pros and cons of organic certification.

Diane Cooley, owner of Circle P, Joe Morris explaining his shared her perspectives before the ranching practices. delicious and nutritious lunch of grassfed beef burgers provided by Morris Grassfed.

The afternoon was spent out on the land, seeing the effects of a previous cattle graze, and “hands-on” work in small groups to estimate forage quantity and biological monitoring to determine the health of the soil and land. Joe helped the group understand the concept of a water cycle as an ecosystem process. Joe and Rob helped make the connection from the soil to our food, and that soil health and forage diversity not only improves effective use of water, but also creates nutrient dense beef.

Many thanks to our funders who made this day possible: Simply Organic, Cristiano Family Fund, and Regenerative Agriculture Foundation. Thanks also to these people and organizations which generously gave their time and resources to make this event a success: Joe and Julie Morris from T.O. Cattle Company and Morris Grassfed, Diane Cooley from Circle P Ranch, Raven Lukehart from California Polytechnic State University, Val Davis from California Certified Organic Farmers, and Karminder Brown of San Benito Working Landscapes Group.

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1-800-748-9808 • www.stockmangrassfarmer.com Num ber 174

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Certified

Educators

The following Certified Educators listed have been trained to teach and coach individuals in Holistic Management. 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 and to seek out opportunities for staying current with the latest developments in Holistic Management.

Tim McGaffic P.O. Box 1903, Cave Creek, AZ 85327 808/936-5749 • tim@timmcgaffic.com CALIFORNIA Lee Altier College of Agriculture, CSU 400 West First St., Chico, CA 95929-0310 laltier@csuchico.edu • 530/636-2525 Owen Hablutzel 4235 W. 63rd St., Los Angeles, CA 90043 310/567-6862 • go2owen@gmail.com Richard King 1675 Adobe Rd., Petaluma, CA 94954 rking1675@gmail.com • 707/217-2308 (c) 707/769-1490 (h) Kelly Mulville P.O. Box 23, Paicines, CA 95043 707/431-8060 • kmulville@gmail.com Donald D. Nelson 11728 Shafer Ave., Red Bluff, CA 96080-8994 208/301-5066 • nelson-don1@hotmail.com Rob Rutherford 4757 Bridgecreek Rd., San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 805/544-5781 (h) • 805/550-4858 (c) robtrutherford@gmail.com

*

* *

COLORADO Cindy Dvergsten 17702 County Rd. 23, Dolores, CO 81323 970/882-4222 • 970/739-2445 (c) wnc@gobrainstorm.net Katie Miller 22755 E Garrett Rd, Calhan, CO 80808 970/310-0852 • heritagebellefarms@gmail.com

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KANSAS Bill Casey 13835 Udall Road, Erie, KS 66733 620/423-2842 • bill.caseyag@gmail.com MICHIGAN

Larry Dyer 1113 Klondike Ave, Petoskey, MI 49770 231/347-7162 (h) • 231/881-2784 (c) ldyer3913@gmail.com MISSISSIPPI Preston Sullivan 610 Ed Sullivan Lane NE, Meadville, MS 39653 prestons@telepak.net 601/384-5310 (h) • 601/835-6124 (c)

*

MONTANA

Driggs *1551AmyBurma Road

Eureka, MT 59917 208/310-6664 adriggs@ldagmachinery.com Roland Kroos 4926 Itana Circle, Bozeman, MT 59715 406/522-3862 406/581-3038 (c) kroosing@msn.com Cliff Montagne Montana State University 1105 S. Tracy, Bozeman, MT 59715 406/599-7755 (c) • montagne@montana.edu

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NEW YORK Craig Leggett 6143 SR 9, Chestertown, NY 12817 518/494-2324 (h) • 970/946-1771 (c) craigrleggett@gmail.com Erica Frenay Shelterbelt Farm 200 Creamery Rd., Brooktondale, NY 14817 607/539-6512 (h) • 607/342-3771 (c) info@shelterbeltfarm.com Elizabeth Marks 1024 State Rt. 66, Ghent, NY 12075 518/828-4385 x107 (w) • 518/567-9476 (c) Elizabeth.marks@ny.usda.gov Phillip Metzger 120 Thompson Creek Rd., Norwich, NY 13815 607/334-2407 (h) • pmetzger17@gmail.com

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U N I T E D S TAT E S ARIZONA

Kathy Harris Holistic Management International 5941 Jefferson St. NE, Suite B Albuquerque, NM 87109 505/842-5252 •.kathyh@holisticmanagement.org

NEBRASKA Paul Swanson 5155 West 12th St., Hastings, NE 68901 402/463-8507 • 402/705-1241 (c) swanson5155@windstream.net Ralph Tate 1109 Timber Dr., Papillion, NE 68046 402/932-3405 • 402/250-8981 (c) Tater2d2@cox.net NEW HAMPSHIRE Seth Wilner 24 Main Street, Newport, NH 03773 603/863-4497 (h) • 603/863-9200 (w) 603/543-7169 (c) • seth.wilner@unh.edu NEW MEXICO

Ann Adams Holistic Management International 5941 Jefferson St. NE, Suite B Albuquerque, NM 87109 505/842-5252 anna@holisticmanagement.org Kirk Gadzia P.O. Box 1100, Bernalillo, NM 87004 505/263-8677 (c) • kirk@rmsgadzia.com Jeff Goebel 1033 N. Gabaldon Rd., Belen, NM 87002 541/610-7084 • goebel@aboutlistening.com

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NORTH DAKOTA Joshua Dukart 2539 Clover Place, Bismarck, ND 58503 701/870-1184 • Joshua_dukart@yahoo.com OREGON Angela Boudro PO Box 3444, Central Point, OR 97502 541/ 890-4014 • angelaboudro@gmail.com SOUTH DAKOTA Randal Holmquist 4870 Cliff Drive, Rapid City, SD 57702 605/730-0550, randy@zhvalley.com

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TEXAS

Bellows *NorthLisaCentral Texas College

1525 W. California St., Gainesville, TX 76240-4636 940/736-3996 (c) • 940/668-7731 ext. 4346 (o) lbellows@nctc.edu

Guy Glosson 6717 Hwy. 380, Snyder, TX 79549 806/237-2554 • glosson@caprock-spur.com Tracy Litle 1277 S CR 305, Orange Grove, TX 78372 361/537-3417 (c) • tjlitle@hotmail.com Peggy Maddox 9460 East FM 1606, Hermleigh, TX 79526 325/226-3042 (c) • westgift@hughes.net Katherine Napper Ottmers 313 Lytle Street, Kerrville, TX 78028 830/896-1474 • katherineottmers@icloud.com CD Pounds 753 VZ CR 1114, Fruitvale, TX 75127 214/568-3377 • cdpounds@live.com Peggy Sechrist 106 Thunderbird Ranch Road Fredericksburg, TX 78624 830/456-5587 (c) • peggysechrist@gmail.com

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WISCONSIN Heather Flashinski 16294 250th Street, Cadott, WI 54727 715/289-4896 (w) • 715/379-3742 (c) grassheather@hotmail.com Larry Johnson 453 Woodside Terrace, Madison, WI 53711 608/957-2935 larrystillpointfarm@gmail.com Laura Paine N893 Kranz Rd., Columbus, WI 53925 920/623-4407 (h) • 608/338-9039 (c) lkpaine@gmail.com

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For more information about or application forms for the HMI’s Certified Educator Training Programs, contact Ann Adams or visit our website: www.holisticmanagement.org. associate educators provide * These educational services to their communities and peer groups.

I N T E R N AT I O N A L AUSTRALIA Judi Earl “Glen Orton” 3843 Warialda Rd. Coolatai, NSW 2402 61-409-151-969 (c) • judi_earl@bigpond.com Paul Griffiths PO Box 186, Mudgee, NSW 2850 612-6373-3078 paul@holisticmudgee.com Graeme Hand 150 Caroona Lane, Branxholme, VIC 3302 61-3-5578-6272 (h) • 61-4-1853-2130 (c) graeme.hand@bigpond.com Dick Richardson “Spring Valley,” 165 Ironbark Lane Frogmore, Boorowa NSW 2586 61-0-429069001 (w) • 61-0-263856224 (h) dick@dickrichardson.com.au Jason Virtue P.O. Box 75 Cooran QLD 4569 61-0-754851997 • jason@spiderweb.com.au Brian Wehlburg Pine Scrub Creek, Kindee, NSW 2446 61-2-6587-4353 (h) • 61 04087 404 431 (c) brian@insideoutsidemgt.com.au CANADA Don Campbell Box 817 Meadow Lake, SK S0X 1Y6 306/236-6088 • 320/240-7660 (c) doncampbell@sasktel.net Ralph Corcoran Box 36, Langbank, SK S0G 2X0 306/532-4778 rlcorcoran@sasktel.net

July / August 2017

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@cciwireless.ca Noel McNaughton 5704-144 St NW, Edmonton, AB T6H 4H4 780/432-5492; noel@mcnaughton.ca 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 Box 72, Blackroot, A B TOB OLO 780/872-9761 (h) • 780/875-4418 (w) 780/872-2585 (c) • sidorykk@yahoo.ca

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KENYA Christine C. Jost ICRAF, Box 30677, Nairobi 00100 254-736-715-417 (c) • c.jost@cgiar.org NAMIBIA Usiel Seuakouje Kandjii P. O . Box 23319, Windhoek 9000 264-812840426 (c) • 264-61-244028 (h) kandjiiu@gmail.com Colin Nott PO Box 11977, Windhoek 9000 264-81-2418778 (c) • 264-61-225085 (h) canott@iafrica.com.na

Wiebke Volkmann P. O . Box 9285, Windhoek 264-61-225183 or 264-81-127-0081 wiebke@afol.com.na NEW ZEALAND John King P. O. Box 12011, Beckenha Christchurch 8242 64-276-737-885 john@succession.co.nz

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SOUTH AFRICA Wayne Knight Solar Addicts, P.O. Box 537, Mokopane, 0600 South Africa 27-0-15-491-5286 +27-87-550-0255 (h) +27-82-805-3274 (c) wayne@theknights.za.net Jozua Lambrechts PO Box 5070, Helderberg, Somerset West, 7135 +27-0-21 -851 5669 +27-0-08-310-1940 Ian Mitchell-Innes 14 Chevril Road, Ladysmith, 3370 +27-83-262-9030 ian@mitchell-innes.co.za UNITED KINGDOM Philip Bubb 32 Dart Close, St. Ives, Cambridge, PE27 3JB 44-1480-496-2925 (h) +44 7837 405483 (w) pjbubb99@gmail.com

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THE MARKETPLACE

Produce more milk, and more beef.

MOBILE SHADE

Keeping your cattle cool also helps keep them productive all summer long. Invest in a shade structure today for more milk in the tank, better gains, improved pasture management, and a happier herd.

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VISIT WWW.SHADEHAVEN.NET (855) 247 - 4233 Num ber 174

h IN PRACTICE 21

THE MARKETPLACE

The Porta Reel System for Temporary Fencing Geared Reel 3:1, TA280 • Save time by 3-way transmission • Special eye for well-directed wire routing • Impact-proof plastic guarantees durable use • Heavy-duty steel crank arm • Up to 600 m plastic polywire or about 200 m tape

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wit ut! w n o k n c ive lo t A perfect, professional reel system for a x fi temporary fencing systems that have to be assembled/disassembled quickly and for many years of use. The indispensable aid for modern fencing.

TwinMountainFence.com • San Angelo, TX • (800) 527-0990 • En Mexico: 01-800-640-3156

2018 DATES!!!!

Holistic Management Trainings

CORRAL DESIGNS

“Bud Williams” Livestock Marketing & Proper Stockmanship

February 5-10, 2018

with Richard McConnell & Tina Williams

Albuquerque, New Mexico with instructor Kirk Gadzia

Come to one of our schools and learn how good stockmanship can make your livestock handling experiences enjoyable, easier, and more profitable and how livestock marketing based on today’s price (no crystal ball) can help you realize your profit goals.

Introduction to Holistic Management February 5-7: $495 Advanced Training Session (Requires prior attendance at intro session.)

February 8-10: $495 Comprehensive Holistic Management Training February 5-10: $895 Remember, profitable agriculture is not about working harder— it’s about making better decisions!

Pasture Scene Investigation

Information and Registration:

www.rmsgadzia.com

Kirk L. Gadzia, Certified Educator Resource Management Services, LLC Bernalillo, NM ~ 505.263.8677 kirk@rmsgadzia.com

22 IN PRACTICE

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July / August 2017

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

970/229-0703 • www.grandin.com

Twin Butte, AB — Oct 10-13 Melfort, SK — Oct 18-21 Watch our website for additional schools! www.handnhandlivestocksolutions.com info@handnhandlivestocksolutions.com 417-327-6500

THE MARKETPLACE

KIDS ON THE LAND Kids On the Land is a unique STEM environmental program designed to teach children about the region where they live, connecting them to the land and a more sustainable future.

Kids On the Land is ready for an appearance in your school district. Peggy Maddox can come help your host landowner and school get started.

EXPLORE THE TRAIL OF HOLISM With guided facilitation, identify your holistic goal and the unfolding trail of actions that lead you to it. The aim is skillfully executing a series of aligned actions. The skill is understanding the relationship between them.

With 25 years of experience, Certified Educator Peggy Sechrist offers facilitation through the Holistic Management framework of planning and management decisions. With modern technology, facilitation can be provided via internet programs such as GoToMeeting resulting in saved travel expense.

Dick Richardson Richardson shares shares his his grazing Dick grazing experience through through training experience trainingand and consulting and and uses uses the consulting the MaiaGrazing MaiaGrazing program to program to provide providesupport. support.Assisting Assiting grazierstotomake make better better management management graziers decisions with with instant, decisions instant, real-time real-timeupdates upates of of current and and projected projected feed current feed and and stock stock numbers. numbers.

Digital planning and forecasting Planning for Open and Closed seasons - no more paper Stockflows & reconciliation Paddock, Stock & rainfall analytics Production & margin analysis

Receive your free trial Register online - Quote ‘Dick Richardson’ when registering online

Executive Director Peggy Maddox 325/226-3042 peggy@kidsontheland.org http://kidsontheland.org

To explore possibilities, email peggysechrist@gmail.com; or call 830-456-5587

www.maiatechnology.com.au/free-trial Tel +(61) 429069001 Email Dick - dick@dickrichardson.com.au

ral Services, Inc.

E? R U T S A P E S N E D NUTRIENT

KINSEY Agricultu

How many animals truly receive feed that has been grown with correct nutrients added to the soil? 95+% of all pasture and hay soils we test do not have the fertility required to provide the animals that eat it with even close to good nutrition. What about yours?

You can only manage what you correctly measure. Soil test as soon as conditions permit to add lime or other needed nutrients for pasture and hay crops.

For consulting or educational services contact:

Soil test as soon as conditions permit to add lime or other needed nutrients for pasture and hay crops.

Kinsey Agricultural Services, Inc. 297 County Highway 357 Charleston, Missouri 63834

Ph: 573/683-3880, Fax: 573/683-6227 www.kinseyag.com • info@kinseyag.com

Num ber 174

h IN PRACTICE 23

Nonprofit U.S POSTAGE

PAID Jefferson City, MO PERMIT 210

Healthy Land. Healthy Food. Healthy Lives.

a publication of Holistic Management International 5941 Jefferson St. NE, Suite B Albuquerque, NM 87109 USA

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

please send address corrections before moving so that we do not incur unnecessary postal fees

DEVELOPMENT CORNER A Holistic Heritage

BY JENNIFER KLASS

S

ometimes in life we must ask ourselves hard questions such as: “Who will my legacy thank?”

“What will my legacy be?”

Did you know you can leave a lasting mark on an organization, such as HMI, through a gift that can leave the world a better place with a simple bequest, also known as a planned gift?

Planned Giving is a type of charitable giving that allows you to express your personal values by integrating your charitable, family and financial goals. By making bequests and other planned gifts, you can continue to help organizations that are making an important difference in your community. Can you think of a better way to thank the people or organizations that have had an impact on your life than to make a contribution from your estate through a bequest? The easiest planned gift is part of something you should have anyway: your Will.

But why would you give a planned gift to an organization such as HMI? Sure you believe in our mission to educate people in regenerative agriculture for healthy land and thriving communities—and we all know giving feels good—but did you know a legacy gift also allows you to honor or memorialize a loved one and provides valuable tax benefits and/or lifetime income for you and your spouse or other loved ones?

No other form of giving does that better than a planned gift.

Ron Chapman, former HMI Board Chair, is the founder and principal of Magnetic North LLC and an inspirational and motivational speaker and consultant specializing in organization development and Ron Chapman personal and professional growth.

Ron recently shared with us why he has included HMI as part of his Legacy.

“While I am not a rancher, or a farmer, or even a landowner, I was captivated when I first heard and understood the relationship between healthy land and grazing animals, and especially the effect it has on families, communities and the larger world. Since all my professional work revolves around addressing root causes, it’s no surprise Holistic Management would make sense to me. What has been surprising though is seeing how people who are not land-based appreciate these ideas, especially young people who care about the earth and nature and food. It was these themes that brought me into a decade of service to HMI as a member of the Board of Directors.

“Interestingly enough though, it was the people of Holistic Management that kept me engaged, and not just staff, or directors, or volunteers. Each time I found myself on the land with the people caring for the land, I found common cause. I saw the work of HMI as a meaningful and enduring investment. It is just not often enough that we have a chance to use our time, support and resources in a regenerative way. Holistic Management, in practice, intends to get the most out of our resource base, and HMI provides a conduit for those of us who are not on the land to participate in that regenerative act with our resources. Frankly, I find it to be a beautiful connection.

“In the end it seems my support of HMI with annual giving as well as with a part of my estate is an expression of both pragmatism and love. I care about results, and I care about people. I care about using what is available to me in a meaningful way.

Many years ago a very wise man told me that I would someday know that making a contribution to the lives of others is actually not easily accomplished, but that I should never lose faith in trying. “ We are so thankful to Ron, and others like him, for his continued support of our mission and his dedication to its longevity.

Now, as you ask yourself the hard questions of “Who will my legacy thank?” and “What will my legacy be?” perhaps you will consider HMI in your answers. Whatever the motivation for your gift, a planned gift can give you the assurance that you are being a good steward of your assets while possibly creating a never ending funding source for the organization receiving the gift. As always, we are incredibly thankful for all of our supporters and friends. Without you, we would not be able to help to heal the environment and strengthen local economies.

Printed On Recycled Paper