Program Roundup

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17 of the potential implementations of holistic management practices in farming and ranching, in family situations, in policy and government and in community development. The group reviewed last year’s holistic goal and engaged in a conversation about their values and hopes for this year. The participants learned about on-farm decision testing and practiced with a decision case example. Through these new skills, participants now have the knowledge and tools to improve their ability to not only work with nature and increase productivity but to work together in a group, team or community environment.

In September, Certified Educator Tony McQuail led the participants through the Holistic Cropping Planning Module focusing on the big picture of ecosystem processes and also dialing into the processes at play on the Gutierrez Hubbell House property. During this session the participants received the necessary curriculum to begin a successful holistic crop plan. They began with a review of their Whole Farm Resource Inventory and Holistic Goal and talked about how a holistic crop plan is directly related to and reliant on both of these foundational documents. Tony went over the crop plan and all the steps to creating it while offering personal experiences and insights into managing ecosystem processes, crop rotation and sequencing, and biological monitoring techniques. The two-day workshop resulted in each participant:

• Creating statements for their Holistic Goal that refers to soil health, ecosystem processes or land management

• Creating a Farm/Garden Resource Inventory

• Creating a field map

• Identifying management priorities in the context of their Holistic Goal and selecting management strategies and practices to address the root cause of the management priorities selected.

HMI’s Certified Educator, Ann Adams facilitated the final session in June. The first day was focused on working through the Holistic Financial Planning process and particularly focusing on numerous examples of how to develop a gross profit analysis for a variety of enterprises to determine levels of profitability. Combined with using the Holistic Management decision testing, this process has helped many producers determine the most appropriate enterprise mixes for their farms. Many of the program participants are required to develop proposals for their use of field space in this incubator farm, so this course was timely in helping them develop their proposals. They also discussed how they could set up effective record-keeping systems.

The second day focused on marketing and business planning principles and practices, building off of the financial information that participants had developed from the previous session. In particular, participants worked through developing an elevator speech for their business as well as determining SMART goals for marketing, infrastructure development, and business systems. Participants said they found the templates for business, marketing, and financial planning very helpful in getting them prepared to take their business to the next level.

Thank you to our funder, the Thornburg Foundation, for their support of this program to develop more new farmers in New Mexico.

Key Outcomes from Program % Increase

Overall satisfaction with all three courses 100%

Would you recommend this course to others? 100%

Intent to change management practices as a result of this training 100%

More confident in your ability to make complex decision on your farm/ranch 100%

Increased ability to create a whole farm goal 100% Increased ability to identify healthy soil 100%

Increased ability to increase your farm’s net worth 100%

Increased ability to write a SWOT analysis for your business/enterprises 100%

Increased ability to develop SMART goals 100%

Increased ability to define your target market 100%

Increased ability to develop a business plan for your farm/ranch 100%

Increased ability to improve key resource concerns 100% Increased ability to get the profit you need from your farm 100%

Community Engagement Program

HMI would like to thank the Charleigh Foundation for their support of our Community Engagement Program which we started in 2018. The focus of this program is to help provide outreach support to our alumni so they can better connect to their communities as well as the global regenerative agriculture community as well. We provide this support through farm/ranch tours, developing videos and articles to share through social media, supporting our learning sites, and developing the alumni listings on HMI Community Map. We are pleased to note that we have reached almost 35,000 people in our outreach efforts for our alumni to date.

To view some of the videos we’ve been highlighting as part of this program, go to the links below.

Markegard Family Farm Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/kiOD4QoJxaI

Morris Grassfed Beef Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/yFS21dL

The Conscious Farmer Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/KCC6ElRSK4c

Mesquite Field Farm Youtube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55RhhyOBZ7o

Christine Martin Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/GlcxeJvM3R4

Phillip Mayer Youtube Channel: https://youtu.be/ys-GesHw7MY

New HMI Board Members

HMI is excited to announce our two newest board members, Delane Atcitty and Brian Wehlburg.

Delane lives at the Taos Pueblo in Taos, New Mexico. He is the Executive Director for the Indian Nations Conservation Alliance. He earned a M.S. in Ranch Management and Agribusiness from the King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management at Texas A&M University-Kingsville and a B.A.Sc. in Agribusiness/Agricultural Business Operations at Oklahoma Panhandle State University. He also serves on the board of directors for Navajo Agricultural Products Industry and is the former chair of the Native American Rangeland Advisory Committee for the Society for Range Management. Delane has been drawn to Holistic Management for a number of years, but took his first formal Holistic Management training through HMI’s Whole Farm/Ranch Land Management Training course in 2016 with Kirk Gadzia. Delane is excited about being on HMI’s board and brings his expertise with tribal lands to share with the organization.

Growing More Grass in North Dakota

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13 efficient and finish well on grass.”

For the beef that Jed and his family market, the ranch slogan is “They are born on grass, fed on grass and finished on grass.” The finished cattle are taken to Miles City, Montana for processing. “They are USDA inspected, and we have a retail meat license,” says Jed. “We sell beef at a couple farmers’ markets and also direct market out of our own freezer at home. We are developing a loyal customer base, and the COVID-19 situation actually helped out with that, because people didn’t want to go to the grocery store. This probably helped everyone’s direct market sales.

“Regarding the grass fed beef, we also want people to know why we raise grass fed animals. The meat is simply a byproduct of what we are doing here, growing grass and improving the soil. We want people to understand the whole picture, beyond just the fact that these cattle are grass fed. We want them to know why they should be buying into the regenerative concept versus just the grass fed concept. The healthier we can make our soil, the more nutrient dense the forage and the beef produced. There is some science and research being done on that right now.”

Family-Friendly Ranching

The whole Rider family is involved with the ranch. “Our kids are age 16, 14, and 12. They all have the ability to do the same jobs that I do, but my jobs (and our ranch practices) are simple enough that anybody can do them,” says Jed. “The bigger farms and corporate operations are a lot more difficult for kids to become involved. They don’t want the kids working with chemicals or big, expensive equipment.

Brian lives on Kindee Valley Farm in New South Wales, Australia and is a full-time Holistic Management Educator through Inside Outside Management www. insideoutsidemgt.com.au. He works with his partner Kerry and has three children. Brian was born in Zimbabwe and attended a week-long workshop run by Allan while trying to find answers for their wildlife, cattle and cropping business. Brian then attended HMI’s educator training at the Africa Center for Holistic Management in late 1990s. He then immigrated to Australia in 2000 and started his training business with fellow educator Helen Lewis. He has delivered Holistic Management training across Australia and in New Zealand, including the nationally accredited Diploma in Holistic Management and now the Regenerative Ag degree run through Southern Cross University. Brian is excited to be on the HMI board and to be part of a like-minded team as HMI works on the cutting edge of new programs.

Welcome, Delane and Brian!

“If something happened to me, my kids could do my jobs and I think this is a more positive model for the next generation versus 20,000 acres of land and $5 million worth of equipment. Even if it were given to a kid, what’s he going to do with it, or even want to? The kid is also inheriting a degraded resource.

“Even though I did most of the planning for our new grazing system, my kids have pretty much built it. It’s been a team effort and we are still working toward our goals. Sustainable is the buzz word but I don’t want to be sustainable yet; I don’t want to just sustain what I’ve got. It’s still very much a work in progress. I want our ranch to get to the point where it is sustainable, but I don’t know what that point is. It may be several generations from now, but I want at some point for our place to get to where it can actually be sustainable.

“If I need to take something from the soil, I want enough there in the ‘bank’ to be able to do it. If there’s only two percent organic matter, there’s not much to offer. If I have 10% and I need to temporarily take from my biological bank to transfer to my financial bank, I can do it. I know I can definitely put it back. In that situation, if times are tough, you’ve given yourself that much resilience.” life from running the ranch was more difficult as we were getting older,” says Randy. “We tested that decision toward our holistic goal. We set up the lease arrangement so we could go back to the ranch. There is also a stipulation in the rental agreement that we talk about the plans for the coming year. I really enjoy that experience, but I also stay out of their way. They always know they can call me. They use me as a sounding board during that meeting.”

One of the ways that Randy decided to give back was to become a Certified Educator. “The Certified Educator Training Program was awesome and it was hard work,” says Randy. “I hadn’t been a student for years, but I put a lot of hours into completing my learning plan and visiting other farms. Terry Gompert was the main instructor and I had Roland Kroos as my mentor—he was excellent with his ranching consulting background. I went on monitoring trips with him to learn how to do that work. It was a real hands on experience. I also got to assist with classes in Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, Montana and Florida. Whenever we did classes, we had people who really wanted to learn. That’s what’s exciting about this work—the students and what they bring to the class.”

When asked why Randy donates to HMI, he talks about the need for change in how farming is being done and how HMI helps provide training for those who want to learn a different way. “I really think that conventional farming is going the wrong way,” says Randy. “It’s just a mess what we are doing with our soils. But I see people trying to do new things and it works. They have better finances and better land. There’s also a lot of positive things going on all over the world. We know how to fix the problems, but we just need to get the word out. We all want the same thing—clean water and air, happy families and a little extra cash in our pocket. I see that when people write their holistic goal—we have common values. Holistic Management is the best way I know to help improve management. I use the weak link test in our business every day.

“When you start building a few fences and see the land responding that’s when you want to do more. Then you need to start looking at the different enterprises and getting clear about the different production decisions and which ones make the most sense financially. For example, I really liked putting up hay, but I realized it wasn’t the right thing to do for me. I had to learn how to hay differently. I decided to use corn stalks or I bought in hay. I also worked with a neighbor and we would summer graze on my place with his animals and then we’d graze the animals on his place in the winter. In that way we developed a partnership. In the end it comes down to creativity. The time you spend in thinking is so important.

“I think the social part is the hardest part for most families. We can fix the land and finances, but fixing our families and changing the way we think is the hardest part. The farm tours and looking at what other people are doing is one way to help people change. But, you have to be careful because it’s not a cookie cutter process. As a consultant, we can teach these principles, but we can’t tell them step by step how to do it. A lot of people want me to make the grazing plan and tell them when to move the animals. They have to understand that they have to change and adapt. You can’t teach that. You have to hold them responsible. I understand because I wanted a recipe too.”

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 16 eat meat myself, for a variety of reasons, all personal—I’ve actually been vegan for almost five years, and I don’t expect everyone to choose that way of eating. But I do hope more people engage in their local food systems and take the time to learn where their food comes from, who their purchases support, how the animals they eat are raised and how the farmers/ranchers they buy from are working to increase the organic matter in the soil and steward the land they are managing. In the Holistic Management framework all decisions are tested against your values using your holistic goal as a guide. For me, my holistic goal includes a lot about land health and human health. And even though I won’t be eating it myself, to be able to help provide sustainable and intentionally raised poultry meat as a healthy and nutrient rich food to feed my community is something I can get behind.

Andrea showed up at my door a few days later with my CSA veggies, a chicken as a gift for helping with the processing and a few more chickens I purchased to gift to some friends. Food has a special way of bringing people together and I want to encourage more dialog about regenerative food systems.

Social change starts at the dinner table and I am thankful to be breaking bread with people who are learning and questioning and exploring how their food decisions impact their own health, the health of our planet, and of our communities.

This was the first of what I hope to be many experiences connecting young farmers with land owners in the central New Mexico region and beyond through the Urban Edge Program.

Stephanie Von Ancken is HMI’s Program Manager. She is passionate about environmental justice and regenerative farming as a solution to transforming our food system and addressing climate change.

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.

United States

Kirk Gadzia

Bernalillo 505/263-8677 (c) • kirk@rmsgadzia.com

Jeff Goebel Belen

541/610-7084 • goebel@aboutlistening.com

* Katherine Napper-Ottmers

Las Vegas 505/225-6481 • katherineottmers@icloud.com NEW YORK

* Erica Frenay

Brooktondale 607/342-3771 (c) info@shelterbeltfarm.com

Guy Glosson Snyder 806/237-2554 glosson@caprock-spur.com

Kathy Harris

Holistic Management International Dallas/Fort Worth 214/417-6583 kathyh@holisticmanagement.org

Tracy Litle Orange Grove 361/537-3417 (c) tjlitle@hotmail.com

Peggy Maddox

California

* Lee Altier College of Agriculture, CSU Chico 530/636-2525 • laltier@csuchico.edu

Owen Hablutzel Los Angeles 310/567-6862 go2owen@gmail.com

Richard King Petaluma 707/217-2308 (c) rking1675@gmail.com

Doniga Markegard

Half Moon Bay 650/670-7984 Doniga@markegardfamily.com

* Kelly Mulville Paicines 707/431-8060 • kmulville@gmail.com

Don Nelson Red Bluff 208/301-5066 • nelson-don1@hotmail.com

Rob Rutherford San Luis Obispo 805/550-4858 (c) robtrutherford@gmail.com

Colorado

* Joel Benson Buena Vista 719/221-1547 joel@paratuinstitute.com

Cindy Dvergsten

Dolores 970/882-4222 • wnc@gobrainstorm.net

Tim McGaffic

Dolores 808/936-5749 • tim@timmcgaffic.com

* Katie Belle Miller Calhan 970/310-0852 heritagebellefarms@gmail.com

KANSAS

William Casey

Erie 620/ 423-2842 bill.caseyag@gmail.com

MICHIGAN

Larry Dyer Petoskey 231/881-2784 (c) ldyer3913@gmail.com

MISSISSIPPI

* Preston Sullivan Meadville 601/384-5310 (h) 601/835-6124 (c) prestons@telepak.net

MONTANA

Roland Kroos Bozeman 406/581-3038 (c) • kroosing@msn.com

* Cliff Montagne Montana State University Bozeman 406/599-7755 (c) • montagne@montana.edu

NEBRASKA

* Paul Swanson Hastings 402/463-8507 • 402/705-1241 (c) pswanson3@unl.edu

Ralph Tate Papillion 402/250-8981 (c) • tater2d2@cox.net

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Seth Wilner Newport 603/863-9200 (w) seth.wilner@unh.edu

NEW MEXICO

Ann Adams Holistic Management International Albuquerque 505/842-5252 ext 5 anna@holisticmanagement.org

Christina Allday-Bondy Edgewood 512/658-2051 christina.alldaybondy@gmail.com

Australia

Judi Earl Coolatai, NSW 61-409-151-969 judi_earl@bigpond.com

Graeme Hand Franklin, Tasmania 61-4-1853-2130 • graemehand9@gmail.com

Dick Richardson Balhannah, SA 61-4-2906-9001 dick@dickrichardson.com.au

* Jason Virtue Cooran QLD 61-4-27 199 766 Jason@landlifeeducation.com.au

Brian Wehlburg

Kindee NSW 61-0408-704-431 brian@insideoutsidemgt.com.au

CANADA

Don Campbell Meadow Lake, SK 306-236-6088 doncampbell@sasktel.net

* Craig Leggett Chestertown 518/491-1979 • craigrleggett@gmail.com

Elizabeth Marks

Chatham 518/567-9476 (c) elizabeth_marks@hotmail.com

Phillip Metzger Norwich 607/316-4182 • pmetzger17@gmail.com

NORTH DAKOTA

* Joshua Dukart

Hazen 701/870-1184 • joshua_dukart@yahoo.com

OREGON

Angela Boudro

Central Point 541/ 890-4014 • angelaboudro@gmail.com

SOUTH DAKOTA

* Randal Holmquist

Mitchell 605/730-0550 • randy@heartlandtanks.com

TEXAS

* Lisa Bellows

North Central Texas College

Gainesville 940/736-3996 (c) • lbellows@nctc.edu

Deborah Clark

Henrietta 940/328-5542 deborah@birdwellandclarkranch.com

Blain Hjertaas Redvers, SK 306/452-7723 • bhjer@sasktel.net

Brian Luce Ponoka, AB 403/783-6518 lucends@cciwireless.ca

Tony McQuail Lucknow, ON 519/528-2493 tonymcquail@gmail.com

Kelly Sidoryk Blackroot, AB 780/872-2585 (c) kelly.sidoryk@gmail.com

FINLAND

Tuomas Mattila Pusula 358-407432412 tuomas.j.mattila@gmail.com

NAMIBIA

Usiel Seuakouje Kandjii Windhoek 264-812840426 kandjiiu@gmail.com

Hermleigh 325/226-3042 (c) westgift@hughes.net

* CD Pounds Fruitvale 214/568-3377 • cdpounds@live.com

Peggy Sechrist Fredericksburg 830/456-5587 (c) peggysechrist@gmail.com

WASHINGTON DC Christine C. Jost Washington DC 773/706-2705 • christinejost42@gmail.com

WISCONSIN

* Larry Johnson Madison 608/665-3835 • larrystillpointfarm@gmail.com

* Laura Paine Columbus 608/338-9039 (c) • lkpaine@gmail.com

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.

* Colin Nott

Windhoek

264-81-2418778 (c) canott@iafrica.com.na

Wiebke Volkmann

Windhoek 264-81-127-0081 wiebke@afol.com.na

NEW ZEALAND

* John King Christchurch 64-276-737-885 john@succession.co.nz

SOUTH AFRICA

Wayne Knight

Mokopane +27-82-805-3274 (c) wayne@theknights.za.net

Jozua Lambrechts

Somerset West, Western Cape +27-83-310-1940 • jozua@websurf.co.za

* Ian Mitchell-Innes

Ladysmith, Kwa-Zulu Natal +27-83-262-9030 ian@mitchell-innes.co.za