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Healthy Land. Healthy Food. Healthy Lives.
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DEVELOPMENT CORNER Why I Support HMI BY BEN BARTLETT
H
Ben & Denise Bartlett ave you ever seen a rainbow or a sunset that was so unique and so fleeting, that you just wanted to Holler Out “COME and SEE THIS?” When we see something special or experience something that has a big impact on our lives, its human nature to want to share it. That’s how I feel about Holistic Management. Allan Savory’s idea of managing holistically was a decision-making system that brought together one’s quality of life, what you would do to pay the bills, and how you would be remembered by your family and community. Using three decision making filters is unique to Holistic Management. Using this decision-making system has allowed my family to sort the urgent from the important, the valuable from the busy, and, most importantly, has been the tool we use to define where we want to go and if we are doing things to take us in that direction. When many people think of Holistic Management they think of grazing or financial planning. When you have a holistic goal and realize you are part of the planet’s four ecosystem’s processes—biological community, water cycle, mineral cycle, and energy flow—it’s only logical
that you would “plan” your grazing program to include these factors. When you realize that your quality of life, profit making endeavors, and legacy are all tied together, you need to have a “financial plan” to get where you want to go. I really don’t know why Holistic Management isn’t taught in grade school. The world could use some good decision makers. I said that when something is fleeting, it makes you motivated to share it with as many people as possible. Holistic Management is in a book and it will last forever—right? Not really. Wisdom in books is read by few and put into practice by even fewer. The one downside of Holistic Management is that you have to “practice” it, to make it work for you. That’s why organizations like Holistic Management International are so critical. HMI teaches Holistic Management, keeps Holistic Management true to its principles, and champions Holistic Management benefits. You wouldn’t have this IN PRACTICE to read if we didn’t have HMI. The practice of Holistic Management has been of great value to our farm and family. I want to share the power of Holistic Management with everyone and to help make this happen we donate to HMI. I often hear that “things need to change”, be it prices, politics, or policies. YOU can be the beginning of that change by helping HMI to bring the power of Holistic Management to more people.
Ben Bartlett is a Holistic Management Certified Educator and practitioner and owner of Log Cabin Livestock in Traunik, Michigan where he runs cattle and sheep.
The Bartletts own and manage Log Cabin Livestock.
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