From the Board Chair

BY WALTER LYNN

In this month’s musing, I will be sharing about two awesome HMI practitioners from the great state of Kansas—Gail Fuller and Lynnette Miller. What is so special about their joint work?

Gail and Lynnette operate a diverse 160 + acre grass-based farm near Severy, Kansas. The current farm is approximately 70 miles east of Wichita, Kansas.

How is their farm making a difference in rural America? First, some about their production system. Gail and Lynnette understand so much of the Kansas agriculture is a food desert, where most of the rural Kansas crop production is for corn, beans, and milo. They have stepped into the space of producing a meat protein for their customers. The customer has a choice of different cuts of beef, pork, chicken, or lamb.

But we need to think about the transformation they are fostering and nurturing. I first met Gail on December 13, 2013, at a dinner on a snowy Friday evening. Gail was attending an ACRES USA conference here in Springfield, Illinois. 28 people attended the dinner I helped organize for some of the speakers and attendees. After the conference, I stayed in contact with Gail and found out about his Fuller Field School. (FYI—Ann Adams was at the HMI booth at the trade show. It was my first-time meeting, Ann!!).

The first Field Day School was in 2012 and this was the 10th School Anniversary. The speakers at the school are the Who’s Who of Regenerative

Adams directed the conversation to clarify the key tools that Shawn was using as well as highlight key grazing principles like grazing and recovery periods, carrying capacity, forage inventory strategies, and stock density.

Shawn was then joined by northern NM ranchers Robert Martinez and Pat Pacheco who shared their experiences of ranching. Pat is currently running his cattle on the Lazy M Ranch and talked about how much he had learned about regenerative ranching from working with Shawn on this project. They have now been able to run 65 cow/ calf pairs on the 150 acres of the ranch they are grazing and they think with continued forage production increases they may be able to run 100 cow/calf pairs next year during the five-month growing season.

After the panel, Tyler Eschelman spoke about the NM Coalition to Enhance Working Lands and the grant-funded opportunities of soil health in New Mexico. Then, Amy Erikson spoke about Audubon’s Bird-Friendly Beef program. Then right before lunch, Micah Roseberry and Robert Martinez

Agriculture in the world. The 2012 speakers were Jill Clapperton (plus 2 times more), Jonathan Lundgren (plus 2 times more), Doug Peterson, and David Brandt. Gail notes this was the first time he heard a presentation on food. Subsequent speakers over the next 8 years include Kim Barker, Paul Brown, Abe Collins, Peter Donovan, Kelly Griffeth, Christine Jones, Gabe Brown, Kris Nichols, Didi Pershouse, Colin Seis, Ray Archuleta, Walt Davis, Don Huber, Walter Jehne, Judith Schwartz, Zach Bush, Fred Provenza, and Doniga Markegard. The 10th anniversary speakers were Sara Keough, Econutrtionist, and Nicole Masters, New Zealand Agro-ecologist. Many of our world current concerns are tied to our soils in so many ways.

I have personally attended 7 of the 10 events. The current year’s demographics are interesting.

• 54 women, 54 men, 5 kids

• 15 states

• 38 working as large farmers or in consulting

• 3 Grass-based dairies

• 43 worked in urban ag or small rural farms

2020 and 2021 were at their new Severy farm and held outside. Who would have thought 10 years ago that the gender’ splits would be equal in 2021? Many attending were repeating, which enhances the social connection between attendees. Interaction between attendees is huge and demonstrations are used as a part of the Field School. The school has been a safe place to share. This Kansas event has been the birthing of new entities, the prediction of an upcoming virus, and a respite for speakers’ well-being.

Program Roundup

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19 spoke about the Ranching to School program in which they have been able to get funding to purchase local beef to sell into the Taos School System’s lunch program.

After a delicious beef enchilada lunch featuring local beef cooked by the Farm House Café, the participants caravaned over to the Lazy M Ranch for a field tour led by Shawn and Pat. Participants were able to see almost completely covered soil on the areas where cattle had been grazing as well as the infrastructure that was being used to control the cattle and regenerate the land.

Participants greatly appreciated the opportunity to see the results of Shawn’s increased stock density as we toured the ranch as well as

Book Review

Redefining Rich: Achieving True Wealth with Small Business, Side Hustles, & Smart Living

Written by Shannon Hayes

BY ANN ADAMS

If you are looking for a feel-good book, I highly recommend Redefining Rich: Achieving True Wealth with Small Business, Side Hustles, & Smart Living by Shannon Hayes of Sap Bush Hollow Farm in upstate New York. Shannon is also the author of The Grassfed Gourmet and Radical Homemakers and is the daughter of long-time Holistic Management practitioners, Adele and Jim Hayes. Shannon and her husband, Bob, with help from daughters, Saoirse and Ula, are now the managers of the farm and their café. Redefining Rich is the saga of their lives in quest of true wealth as they spurn the constant push to participate in an extractive economy.

Even if you are past the age of starting up a business, I recommend Redefining Rich as a reminder that there are many people out there who are using their creativity and passion for the environment, social justice, and their community, living lives of meaning and contentment. But, of course, where Redefining Rich really shines is as the “Entrepreneur’s Guide to the Galaxy of Small Business Challenges & Opportunities.”

Shannon takes us on a quick journey of her efforts to go down the normal route of leaving the farm, going to college (getting a PhD) and getting an off-farm job. But when she does the math and calculates what they would have to give up to go work somewhere else, it doesn’t add up, and she and her family decide to stay, redefining what rich means to them and getting to experience the true wealth of family, community, fulfilling work, financial security, and the opportunity to help heal the planet instead of destroying it through the extractive economy.

Shannon is quick to point out that in order to make the finances work, they had to right size the farm with a succession transfer to her and Bob from Adele and Jim as well as get the café running to create an opportunity for value adding and working with inventory on the farm. To make sure they still had a good quality of life, the café is only open on Saturday and the whole family pitches in to make it work. They also run an AirBnB as to see his fencing and water system. They also got to see what great shape Pat’s cattle were and how tightly bunched they were for the day. 100% of participants said they were satisfied with the program and would recommend this type of program to others. 88% of the participants said they had expanded their network and 65% said they would change their management practices. 85% of participants said they had increased knowledge in ability to measure forage quantity, determine animals’ forage needs, carrying capacity, and adequate recovery, as well as increase their ability to assess ecosystem health and adapt grazing practices. additional income.

Thanks to the Thornburg Foundation for their support of this event and to Shawn Howard for opening up his ranch to us. Also thanks to our sponsors the Farm House Café, NM Coalition to Enhance Working Lands, Ranching to School Program, and Audubon SW.

The key to creating a “Life-Serving Economy” and true wealth, according to Shannon, is to shift from a perception of scarcity to one of abundance and then use that paradigm to cultivate and reinvest in your vision of what true wealth means to you beyond financial security. Ultimately, that shift is a shift from fear to love. Shannon also makes the distinction between ownership and possession. While Shannon may “own” the land, it is really her daughters, and decisions need to be made in a way that honors future generations and what they can inherit.

Sap Bush Hollow Café is an hour from Albany in the small hamlet of West Fulton, which had started to decline, making an investment in a building purchase and developing a café risky. But, as Shannon, points out, this reinvestment in the community meant other small businesses emerged that have helped the café and the community as a form of rural economic development.

Shannon mentions that she and Bob wrote their Quality of Life Statement (QOLS) and put it on their fridge where it has been a touchstone for their decisions and helped them address the challenges that inevitably arise in life. Those challenges can also bring meaning to life as you wrestle with how to keep moving your life in the direction you want to go. It also helps you learn to say “No.” If you start getting off track it brings you back. Of course, you still need to do the other planning that goes along with any business, but it all gets done in the context of your QOLS. She has a worksheet with questions to help you develop your QOLS.

If you have an aspiring entrepreneur in your life, giving them this book may fire them up to take the next step and start their own business. She makes owning a business look like the great option it is for those who have a passion to do so and demonstrates the potential for a higher net income than if you are an employee.

Ultimately, as Shannon notes, love keeps farmers and ranchers on the land. She encourages people to develop their business to engage in the life serving economy that can feed your community and you. The passion for your work is what will give you the motivation to do the planning and hard work necessary to create a business that can be successful through challenges and lean years as well as the rewards that you don’t even know are there.

To order Redefining Rich go to: https://benbellabooks.com/shop/ redefining-rich/

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

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

Kirk Gadzia

Bernalillo

505/263-8677 (c) • kirk@rmsgadzia.com

Jeff Goebel

Belen

Deborah Clark

Henrietta

940/328-5542

TEXAS deborah@birdwellandclarkranch.com

Kathryn Frisch

Dallas 214/417-6583 kathytx@pm.me

Wayne Knight

Holistic Management International

Van Alstyne 940/626-9820 waynek@holisticmanagement.org

Tracy Litle

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 cadwnc@gmail.com

Tim McGaffic Dolores 808/936-5749 tim@timmcgaffic.com

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

IDAHO

Angela Boudro Moyie Springs 541/ 890-4014 angelaboudro@gmail.com

KANSAS

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

MARYLAND

Christine C. Jost

Silver Springs

773/706-2705 • christinejost42@gmail.com

MICHIGAN

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

MISSISSIPPI

* Preston Sullivan Meadville 601/384-5310 (h) preston.sullivan@hughes.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

International

AUSTRALIA

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

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

Helen Lewis

Warwick, QLD 61-4-1878-5285 hello@decisiondesignhub.com.au

Dick Richardson Mt. Pleasant, SA 61-4-2906-9001 dick@grazingnaturally.com.au

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

Brian Wehlburg Wauchope NSW 61-0408-704-431 brian@insideoutsidemgt.com.au

CANADA

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

541/610-7084 • goebel@aboutlistening.com

NEW YORK

* Erica Frenay

Brooktondale

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

* 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 CAROLINA

Christina Allday-Bondy

Hendersonville

512/658-2051 • christina.alldaybondy@gmail.com

NORTH DAKOTA

* Joshua Dukart

Hazen

701/870-1184 • joshua_dukart@yahoo.com

SOUTH DAKOTA

* Randal Holmquist

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

Ralph Corcoran Langbank, SK 306/434-9772 • rlcorcoran@sasktel.net

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

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

Noel McNaughton Edmonton, AB 780/432-5492 noel@mcnaughton.ca

Tony McQuail Lucknow, ON 519/440-2511 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

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

Peggy Maddox

Hermleigh

325/226-3042 (c) • peggy@kidsontheland.org

Peggy Sechrist

Fredericksburg 830/456-5587 (c) • peggysechrist@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.

*

These associate educators provide educational services to their communities and peer groups.

NAMIBIA

Usiel Seuakouje Kandjii

Windhoek 264-812840426 kandjiiu@gmail.com

* 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

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

Resource Management Services, LLC

Simple,

How

Ongoing Support: Follow-up training sessions and access to continued learning opportunities and developments.

Revolutionize Your Production Holistic Management Immersion Workshop

January-February 2022

Instructor: HMI Certified Educator

Ralph Tate

Central Community College

Hastings, NE

This Holistic Management workshop includes: mini lectures, examples, demonstrations and supervised practice in using the Holistic Management® Model in decision making, producing more profit, and increasing your quality of life. Covers Introduction to Holistic Management, Holistic Financial Planning, and Holistic Grazing Planning. $850.00 Includes Workbook and Software

To Register: Bob Shields (308) 379-1361 or bob.shields01@gmail.com please send address corrections before moving so that we do not incur unnecessary postal fees

Rangeland can provide an abundance of plant varieties for livestock nutrition. But what about the more “developed” pastures and hay meadows? Soil tests from all types of livestock producers show 95+% of all such soils do not have the correct nutrient levels to provide the best nutrition for livestock. You can change that! Choose an area, split it and soil test both sides separately. Test your hay or forage from both sides too. Treat one side as normal. On the other side, correct the fertility based on soil tests using the Kinsey/Albrecht fertility program.

Test feed quality from both sides again next year. Take soil tests again and treat accordingly. Depending on nutrients requirements it may take two or three years to achieve the top potential. Test each year and, as fertility needs are met, feed value and yield tend to increase for all three years.

Increased yields will more than pay for the investment with increased feed quality as a bonus. Prove it for yourself!

CORNER Supporting Urban Agriculture