Healthy Land. Healthy Food. Healthy Lives.
®
MARCH / APRIL 2023
Intelligent Tinkering BY ANN ADAMS
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recently read the Aldo Leopold quote: “The outstanding scientific discovery of the twentieth century is not television, or radio, but rather the complexity of the land organism. Only those who know the most about it can appreciate how little is known about it. The last word in ignorance is the man who says of an animal or plant: ‘What good is it?’ If the land mechanism as a whole is good, then every part is good, whether we understand it or not. If the biota, in the course of aeons, has built something we like but do not understand, then who but a fool would discard seemingly useless parts? To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering.” This quote got me thinking about a number of things, including how this scientific
People, Profit, and Planet INSIDE THIS ISSUE Holistic Management practitioners are working around the globe to help improve their communities, land, and businesses. Shangani Holistic (page 5) works with surrounding communities to understand the needs of small-scale pastoralists and introduces Holistic Management practices. Photo credit: Max Makuvise.
In Practice a publication of Holistic Management International
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discovery was a little behind the Indigenous knowledge of the complexity of Nature that had been in existence for millennium. And, I know that Leopold was revolutionary for his time suggesting that perhaps we might want to be cautious in how we approached land management, even from a holistic perspective. Even for holistic managers the concept of viewing each part of the whole as having a place can be challenging. To be fair, what was originally part of a functioning given whole versus what has been introduced and/or taken over that same whole is part and parcel of the confusing discussion of what is “native.” That’s why the understanding of the four ecosystem processes and the ability to discern how they are functioning on a landscape are so critical. It moves us past the slippery slope of this plant or that plant being good or bad and gets us focused on how is the landscape functioning in it’s ability to cycle water and nutrients well or use energy from the sun to grow a diversity of plants that can feed a diversity of organisms. Helping people to focus on management that helps them to understand and partner with Nature is far more likely to result in “intelligent tinkering” than trying to get rid of a problem species that may well not be so much a problem when the environment shifts because of good management practices. Or, sometimes, those problems become less of a problem species because the manager realizes their place in the system or is more focused on covering bare ground since that is public enemy #1 if you are wanting healthy ecosystem function. Leopold’s caution to not discard “seemingly useless parts” is the caution of unintended consequences. I have found this caution to be important within the social context of a whole as well as within the ecological context. So many times we see a particular person within a whole as the “problem” when in reality it is often the system or the social dynamics that have allowed or encouraged that person to be
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 problem. You might get rid of the problem person but not the root problem or logjam that may be the larger issue. Again, the Holistic Management® Framework with it’s seven testing questions helps us in our intelligent tinkering to spend time discerning what is the root cause of a problem so we can develop a solution to address that root issue as well as potential short-term solutions to address immediate need. Likewise, making sure we are looking through social, environmental, and economic lenses help us to consider the picture more fully of any ecosystem (social or ecological). Lastly, testing questions that address longterm concerns like how an action will move you toward your long-term vision as well as the gut check of how you feel right now, provide a lens into short- and long-term consequences. Like any tool, Holistic Management is only as good as the person or people using it. If we have shifted our paradigm to recognizing that if the “whole is good, then every part is good, whether we understand it or not,” then we will spend more time considering not only the value of each part, but how those parts relate in ways we can potentially learn from and grow in our understanding of the greater whole. That is a journey I continue to enjoy being on as it has inspired awe in me at the incredible design of the universe and given me tools to relate more deeply with the natural world around me, as well as my human community.
Do You Have a Story? Do you or someone you know have a great story to share with the IN PRACTICE readers about what has been learned or achieved with the practice of Holistic Management? Share your ideas at: anna@holisticmanagement.org.
The Journey to Becoming a Professional Certified Educator
Healthy Land. Healthy Food. Healthy Lives.
®
In Practice a publication of Hollistic Management International
HMI’s mission is to envision and realize healthy, resilient lands and thriving communities by serving people in the practice of Holistic Decision Making & Management.
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STAFF
Wayne Knight. . . . . . . . . . . . . Executive Director Ann Adams. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Education Director Carrie Stearns . . . . . . . . . . . . Director of Communications & Outreach Marie Von Ancken . . . . . . . . . Program Manager Dana Bonham. . . . . . . . . . . . . Program & Grants Manager Oris Salazar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Program Assistant
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Bre Owens, Chair Jim Shelton, Vice-Chair Delane Atcitty Alejandro Carrillo Jonathan Cobb Jozua Lambrechts Daniel Nuckols Kelly Sidoryk Casey Wade Brian Wehlburg Seth Wilner
HOLISTIC MANAGEMENT® IN PRACTICE (ISSN: 1098-8157) is published six times a year by: Holistic Management International 2425 San Pedro Dr. NE, Ste A Albuquerque, NM 87110 505/842-5252, fax: 505/843-7900; email: hmi@holisticmanagement.org.; website: www.holisticmanagement.org Copyright © 2023 Holistic Management® is a registered trademark of Holistic Management International
FEATURE STORIES
The Journey to Becoming a Professional Certified Educator
CHRISTINE MARTIN.................................................................... 2
Shangani Holistic Ranch— The Next Step in Zimbabwean Conservation Ranching
ANN ADAMS................................................................................. 5
Uncompahgre Farms— Community-Focused Grassfed Beef on Leased Land
ANN ADAMS................................................................................. 8
2 IN PRACTICE
BY CHRISTINE MARTIN
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inda Pechin-Long, one of HMI’s newest Professional Certified Educators, was introduced to Holistic Management while working in the hospitality industry in 2008, through her husband, Keith Long, who learned about this adaptive management process from Allan Savory. After a decision to change her career to work that would be more rewarding, Linda first started pursuing education that would give her more knowledge about livestock production and this eventually led to a desire to want to share the Holistic Management’s framework with others by becoming an educator.
Quality of Life Improvements
2012 as a way to increase the gross income per animal and provide work that would be more rewarding for Linda. Starting out, Linda was responsible for marketing Graze The Prairie’s products given her 25 years plus hospitality career and Keith was responsible for the production of Graze The Prairie’s meats using his 30 years plus experience in ranching and Holistic Management. Linda soon realized that although she enjoyed her marketing responsibilities, she much preferred being out on the ranch and working with the livestock. She was spending too much time in front of a computer and little time on the prairie, in nature, with the livestock. “Being out on the prairie, working with the livestock, out in nature—that’s my happy place!” says Linda.
Learning The Industry
Linda started getting more involved in the day-to-day production aspects of the business. “Since I was a newbie, I needed to learn everything!” says Linda. And, there was a lot to learn. Linda credits her husband for being a fabulous teacher and mentor, but she felt that
The demands of Linda’s hospitality schedule started taking its toll on her health during this time. The hours required to serve guests during the hunting season, host 100 plus guests for Thanksgiving dinner, and cater many Christmas parties caused Linda to spend Christmas in bed due to exhaustion and illness for two years in a row. Additionally, Linda’s and Keith’s work hours were not synchronized so they were seldom able to spend quality time together. Realizing that this lifestyle could not continue, the couple decided that Linda would quit her Linda is a great role model for the many women coming into the job and they created Graze agricultural industry with little production experience but a lot The Prairie, their direct-toof passion and interest in improving land health and engaging consumer grass finished meat consumers around the dialogue of healthy, local food. business, in December of
Five Homesteading Tips from a Holistic Management Expert KIRK AND TAMARA GADZIA...................................................... 11
LAND & LIVESTOCK
Phepson Farm— Finding the Sweet Spot for Profitability
ANN ADAMS...............................................................................12
The Closer You Work with Nature, The More Money Will Be Left in Your Pocket
IAN MITCHELL-INNES ..............................................................15
NEWS & NETWORK Program Round Up................................................... 16 Book Review............................................................. 18 Board Chair.............................................................. 19 Certified Educators................................................... 20 Market Place............................................................. 21 Development Corner ............................................... 24
she was slowing him down during chore time with all her questions (although Keith won’t admit this sentiment). A decision to allocate money annually for Linda’s education led her to some local Women in Farming workshops through the Kansas Rural Center (in which Linda eventually became a board member). Linda found it inspiring to be with other likeminded women, many of whom did not have an agricultural background, as it was a safe place to ask the ‘stupid’ questions. Often, in larger meetings with other farmers and ranchers, it can be intimidating to ask the ‘stupid’ question as a woman. Although USDA’s 2019 survey reports that more than half (51 percent) of all farming operations in the United States had at least one-woman operator, only 14% of farms had women as the “principal operator” in charge of day-to-day farming. Experienced principal operators are still men, averaging 57.5 years according to USDA. Going to large meetings with a majority of experienced men, as a newbie female principal operator, without experience or knowledge, or the confidence that this brings, can make a nonsafe environment to ask some basic questions.
A Defining Moment
Linda met Kirk Gadzia, HMI Certified Educator, while she was still in the hospitality industry, since he conducted annual biological monitoring on the ranch Linda and Keith leased land from. Together with biological monitoring, Kirk also offers grazing workshops. With a focus of continuing her education, Linda decided to attend a six-day workshop Kirk was offering in Albuquerque, New Mexico in February 2016. “The workshop was the turning point for me. I was all-in after that!” says Linda. Linda had always felt that if you take care of nature, nature takes care of you. In Holistic Management’s principles and practices Linda found the definition of what she intuitively understood. “I finally had a name for what I felt, and for what I am. I found my niche and my people,” says Linda. Linda found much comfort in defining her holistic goal and testing decisions toward that goal, however, there was so much information she heard during the workshop, it was overwhelming. She was both excited to have found Holistic Management but was also overwhelmed by all she heard. In particular, Linda realized that she needed to do more work on her grazing planning knowledge.
Continuing Education is Key
Linda continued her Holistic Management education by taking HMI’s Online Grazing
Planning course taught by Ralph Tate which and said, ”I think I want I want to become a has allowed her to understand the calculations Certified Educator!” Linda felt that sharing the needed in the grazing planning worksheet Holistic Management framework with others and plan their grazing to accommodate for was the logical direction for her to take at that placement of the livestock on special dates like point of her education. branding time, calving, breeding, together with Keith responded, “I think that’s a great idea! planning for droughts. I wish I had suggested that to you a long time Meanwhile, she was out in the pastures and ago.” Linda noted that she wouldn’t have been with the livestock implementing what she was ready then, but she was ready now. When Keith learning, and having several “Aha” moments asked how she would do it, Linda said she had about concepts and practices she was taught. no idea. Keith then suggested she reach out to Realizing the wealth of information she heard at Ann Adams, Education Director at HMI. Kirk’s six-day workshop, she knew she needed to take a refresher course to dig deeper into what she was learning. “I picked up so much more knowledge the second time around,” says Linda. Kirk had stated during the first workshop that there would be a lot of information to absorb, so his suggestion was not to take notes, but just to listen and let the information wash over one, and that they would remember more than they thought they would. Linda Pechin-Long using a grazing stick as a forage Linda, like many excited new assessment tool. students, took notes because Educator Training Program she wanted to have all the information she Under Ann’s mentorship, Linda’s training heard written down so she could remember to becoming a Certified Educator started it all! The second time around, she listened with fulfilling the pre-requisites through HMI’s and didn’t take notes and absorbed more Distance Learning (AKA 1-on-1 Learning) knowledge! Having had some time to practice program in which she completed five modules in what she had been learning, also assisted in about seven months as she had done much of understanding what was being taught. the work given her previous coursework. Linda participated in several other courses Once Linda’s pre-requisites were fulfilled, and conferences over the next few years, she submitted her application for the Certified learning and implementing what she learned. Educator Training Program, including an Then she heard that Kirk was having a threeautobiography reflecting on why Linda was day workshop in Colorado, and she and Keith now ready to commit herself to the Certified (who had continued to mentor her) decided to Educator training program and becoming part take the course together. of the international Holistic Management® Taking the Next Step Educator Network. In February 2019, during Kirk’s workshop As part of the Certified Educator Training at JE Canyon Ranch, Kirk was assisted by a Program Linda had to have a Learning lady who was pursuing her certification to be an Community, a group of people with whom educator with HMI, which intrigued Linda. Linda Linda would practice what she was learning had been pondering what her next steps should in the training modules and who would help be in her education and her path going forward. her to become an excellent educator through She had taken many courses and workshops both practice and experience. Linda formed and was considering whether to focus on Graze her learning community by asking people she the Prairie, or to consider other opportunities thought would be interested in learning about using her knowledge and experience. During Holistic Management and whom she knew. The breaks, Linda chatted with this lady about being learning community would meet regularly and an educator with HMI and on the drive back Linda would teach each of the required and CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 home from the workshop, Linda turned to Keith Num ber 2 08
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The Journey to Becoming a Professional Certified Educator
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elected modules, review submitted homework assignments and address any concerns or issues. Throughout the training program, Linda created a Learning Portfolio where she collected teaching presentations she had created, self-assessment of her teaching experience, students’ and Learning Community members’ completed assignments, and consulting reports on the various planning processes she had helped her Learning Community with. Additionally, Linda participated in monthly webinars with Ann Adams and other trainees going through the Training Program. These webinars were a place to practice a presentation, receive input on an issue, ask questions to improve understanding and a great opportunity to build relationships with other trainees who are from all over the world. It was a great support group, a safe place to learn, and an event Linda looked forward to Linda was also assigned an experienced HMI Certified Educator as a mentor. Her mentor, Tracy Litle from Texas, helped Linda by clarifying concepts, reviewing her work, helping Linda create a timeline and stick to it, and encouraging in her work leading to the graduation from the program. “My mentor has a great understanding of the Holistic Management framework and is an excellent teacher/ mentor,” says Linda. “She was very responsive to requests and willing to set aside time for calls as needed. She was also generous with praise when deserved, motivating when I was struggling and also not afraid to challenge me when I needed to be challenged.” Trainees are also given the opportunity to assist with the HMI Online courses offered throughout the year, as well as local workshops when available. Linda took advantage of these opportunities and learned so much from watching the lead instructors handle classroom dynamics and questions. Linda also got to think about how she might answer those questions, respond to assignments, and develop and adapt agendas to strengthen her educator skills, as well as build a relationship with experienced Certified Educators and start building connections with future Holistic Management practitioners. Once Linda had completed the five modules with her Learning Community, it was time for the Midterm Exam, which is an open-book, written essay exam to assess one’s understanding of the fundamental concepts within the Holistic 4 IN PRACTICE
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Management framework. “The exam gives you a sense of what you’ve done, how you are doing, your own understanding from the modules and how you’ve developed in your training.,” says Linda. Linda then started focusing on working with practitioners she had identified that would allow her to step them through one of the planning processes so she could complete a consulting report and be able to show her ability to coach someone through that particular planning process or provide consultation on that process. She was fortunate to have had coached examples from her Learning Community as well as from her work with the Colorado Linda has had many opportunities to assist and Regen Ag Mentoring Program teach with mentor support through HMI’s Certified Educator (‘RAMP’) group. Training Program. HMI does a wonderful job of offering trainees opportunities to gain ‘work experience’ accomplish them with less stress, resulting in facilitating and educating through their a higher quality of life. I chose HMI because various programs. HMI partners with several I strongly felt this program had much higher other organizations to educate and facilitate standards and that I would be a much better within the agricultural sector and government educator upon completion of the program.“ agencies. Linda had the opportunity to educate Becoming a Better Educator in partnership with the National Center for Linda, who has a passion for learning, is Appropriate Technology (NCAT), as well as looking forward to improving her educational facilitate the RAMP group formed in Colorado. After Linda completed her Learning Portfolio, skills, by working with HMI as a Certified Educator and helping producers learn about she began preparing for the Oral Exit Exam, the Holistic Management framework. “Now which is a two-hour oral review with HMI’s Technical Review Committee, typically including it’s the work of becoming a better educator,” says Linda. the Education Director, the mentor, and a Linda’s personal goal, based on her early person from the Technical Review Committee. experience when she first started learning about The exam consists of questions to determine if the trainee has a solid understanding of Holistic agricultural production, is to become a resource for other women and minorities in agriculture. Management and can articulate them in a way She wants to create a safe place for that is clear and concrete based on examples conversation and questions without excluding from the trainee’s experiences. This exam can anyone to assist them in gaining the confidence be extremely challenging, but Linda was able and knowledge so that they can be amongst to complete her training at the Professional those who have been in the agricultural Certified Educator level with a successful exit production sector longer and still hold their own. review in July 2022. “We need to be inclusive and not exclusive,” When evaluating the program Linda said, “It says Linda. has been a rigorous process. Lots of learning and experiences. As someone with no prior To learn more about HMI’s Educator experience as an educator trying to balance Program and the different levels of full time ranching/direct marketing/ CE training certification and requirements, go to: https:// program, eventually making time requirements holisticmanagement.org/ce-training-program/ for everything more realistic helped me
Shangani Holistic Ranch—
can focus on animal performance and growing their herd to the 19,000 animals required to graze the property effectively. Max Makuvise is the Resident Director of Shangani Ranch and joined the team about two years ago. He has a background in cattle management and was also trained in accounting. Max heard about Holistic Management when he began working with The Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef in 2017. He connected with Allan Savory at the Africa Centre for Holistic
management practices. We want to have empirical proof of how different practices affect the forage, because it is very hard to sell the principles of Holistic Management to small scale farmers and the government without that proof. We also want to make sure that we are providing adequate nutrition for our cattle. BY ANN ADAMS “We could say that our ranch has more hangani Holistic Ranch is a 65,000-ha ground cover than the ranches around us, but (162,500-acre) ranch in Zimbabwe our neighbor doesn’t have very many cattle and about 1.5 hours from Bulawayo. has had fires on his property so it’s really not a Owned by the Oppenheimer family, fair comparison.” this conservation ranch is focused on proving Max is also how commercial livestock operations can focused on the integrate with wildlife in a way that improves genetics of the wildlife habitat and ecosystem function, as well herd to create as providing opportunities for rural economic an efficient herd development. that works well in this environment, Working with Nature which is why Shangani Ranch is primarily an open they are holding savannah landscape, but there has been a back all females problem with bush encroachment over the in their herd to years. It is the largest cattle ranch in Zimbabwe diversify the with currently 7,500 head of cattle, of which Nguni cattle approximately 50% are the indigenous Nguni genetics. “The breed. They are moving away from the largemore feed framed European breeds as profitability and efficient the increased cattle numbers are improved with animals are Max Makuvise with a local community that Shangani has the smaller-framed Nguni breed, that are also the more food helped train holding their certificates of completion up. parasite and tick resistant and have a natural you can move Photo credit: Shangani Ranch tolerance for extreme temperatures. The Nguni through them cattle breed are also adapted to drought with Management near Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, and and the more hooves you can have on the genetics that allow them to handle moribund has been investigating ways to improve some of ground,” says Max. “We have found that herds grasses and reach reproductive maturity early. the holistic grazing principles at Shangani since that are too big in frame are not good for the While Shangani has been exploring how he began working there in 2020. way we manage. Though, if you have a large they can integrate herd, the herders can’t really manage them holistic planned in an efficient way. If you have six herdsmen grazing for with 1,000 animals, then the herd is too big several years, to manage. Therefore, having a balanced they have hired headcount to herder ratio will result in an HMI Professional effective and improved ranch management Certified Educator, strategy. The computer can tell you where Ian Mitchell-Innes to graze, but the man on the ground can do from South Africa a better job of keeping track of the animals, to consult with looking at their health, identifying different grass management species and assessing when the animals need and help them to be moved—from both an animal performance determine how focus and a land health focus. they might “While we talk holistically, nobody is talking best utilize the about the human manager. In the west, where Herders work with groups of approximately 250 head of cattle, keeping them productivity they there is fencing it may be easier to have larger bunched and moving as is appropriate for animal and land health. Photo currently have and herds, but we do all animal control with herding. credit: Shangani Ranch improve animal If you try to bunch the animals, it becomes performance. difficult to keep them in that area. It could be that Currently management is directing their efforts “I am very aligned to data,” says Max. “We we end up keeping them in 1–2.5 ha (2.5–6.25 towards grazing about 50% of the ranch— analyze the nutrient value of different grass acres) for a day. We’ve found that 250 head is a specifically, areas of high productivity—before species in the dry months from the paddocks sweet spot for four herders at the present stage CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 tackling bush encroached areas. In this way, they where we’ve experimented with different
The Next Step in Zimbabwean Conservation Ranching
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Shangani Holistic Ranch
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of our journey. One or two might be responsible for the grazing management, then another one or two are responsible for the herd health, with one being the supervisor for the group and in charge of relaying information back to headquarters. As our herders become more used to herding under holistic principals, the herd sizes will grow naturally and we may get back to the 1000 head herds in a few years “Right now, we have 31 herds of approximately 250 head for a total of approximately 7500 heads. We’ve been working with Ian on developing a 10-year forecast of what we need, to improve so we can graze the whole ranch. We need to triple the herd size through natural growth. We’ve had some five-year-old heifers that we are culling and are using that
(predominantly leopards and hyenas) are the night kraals they make from the thorn bushes. It takes two days to construct one kraal and cattle herds can use it for several weeks. Before using thorn bush kraals, boma kraals were constructed with sheeting but they established that leopards could easily drag a calf out of the kraal. The advantage of thorn bushes is the difficulty they pose for leopards to infiltrate the kraal and pull out a calf, thus, giving the adult time to save their young. Shangani once lost 50–60 calves in a year; they have lost only a handful in the last year
With good night kraals made from thorn bushes leopard predation is down to just a handful of calves per year. Photo credit: Shangani Ranch
Shangani has removed all interior fencing to allow for migration of wildlife including elephants. Photo credit: Shangani Ranch money to buy new females. The money from our steer sales pays for operations.” Nguni cows weigh about 500 kg (1,110 lbs) and the bulls weigh an estimate of 750 kg (1,650 lbs). Shangani uses the Maia grazing software for the calculations on forage inventory and grazing periods, but the herdsmen are also doing their own calculations on the ground. Additionally, management is analyzing soils and grasses, then entering all the data into Maia. At one point there were 80 fenced paddocks but they removed all internal fencing to allow for better grazing and wildlife migration, including 300 male elephants. The old tracks are still there from the fence lines, they use those as “virtual” paddocks for their grazing planning and implementation. The key to the success for this kind of grazing, amidst a lot of different predators 6 IN PRACTICE
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wildlife poaching and cattle rustling is rife in the area. They use dams for water or portable troughs and bowsers pulled by tractor. They hope to transition to movement of water by oxen. Recovery periods are adapted based on observations. “The paddocks that we don’t get to during the rainy season, we mow so the grass doesn’t lignify,” says Max. “In this way we get the best grass by the end of the rainy season for our stockpile. If the grass is taller than a beer can, then it is time to mow. We are trying to work out the optimal grazing pattern, but for now we are focused on cattle numbers and hectares that are most productive. “We are definitely seeing improvement in the amount of biomass, but we also need to see good nutrient content of that biomass. We have also seen fertility increase, but that is more human management, in that we have corrected things like when to put the bulls in and to cull non-productive animals. Body condition scores are up, but we have had two good rainy seasons. “Tripling the number of cattle over time would still allow us to keep the same number of
despite having 60 leopards on the ranch. They also use solar lights to deter the predators whilst one of the herdsmen sleeps in an iron tent near the kraal. Grazing periods are between one to four days in a given area depending on productivity and animal condition. They have four grazing champions who are responsible for data collection from herders and rangelands officers who analyze the data collected. There are 400 employees, with 300 employees focused on the livestock, as well as an operations manager, veterinarians, office workers, security, a research team and tractor Shangani workers tagging cattle. Shangani has the biggest cattle herd in Zimbabwe. Photo credit: Shangani Ranch drivers. Security is necessary as
wildlife on the ranch. We do have conservation hunting through the Zimbabwean Government’s Department of Parks census numbers. It is not part of the Shangani business. All the meat and revenue goes to the workers.” Those wildlife numbers are substantial with over 20 species of herbivores and predators including leopard, sable, elephant, eland, kudu, zebra, wildebeest, waterbuck, bushbock, bushpig, duiker, impala, tsessebe, reedbuck, klipspringer, steenbuck and warthog, with over 5,000 zebra and impala alone, so factoring their grazing into the grazing plan is critical for current implementation as well as strategic planning.
the commercial sector—about 20% of those are eager for more information; and 3) The cattle guys who wait for the donor community or the government to help them. People are very visual. When they see others are getting better prices
more community members to work in the various roles on the ranch. Given the economic challenges in Zimbabwe there are 20 people competing for every good paying job. Shangani is a huge employer in that area. But Shangani
Rural Economic Development
This focus on the workers and the community is also a critical part of the work at Shangani. “I have been involved in rural livestock education for a while and we received consent from the board to allow us to share this information with our larger community,” says Max. “We now go into rural areas within 100km (62 miles) of the ranch and do a lot of teaching on rangeland management and livestock health, and help communities turn their cattle into viable economic assets. In this way they become rural commercially-minded farmers instead of selling their cattle out of economic hardship when they do not get much for them.
Weekly meetings allow for good flow of communication from herders to upper management at Shangani. Photo credit: Shangani Ranch
and their cattle are healthy and improving, they want to learn how to do that as well.” Shangani is exploring other marketing opportunities to maximize the profit they make from each animal. They are preparing to build an abattoir so they can sell value added products to a high-end niche market—focusing on delivering quality meat from Zimbabwe’s indigenous animals and smallscale farmers. They hope to have local farmers participate in this market, although the abattoir will only handle 10,000 head/year. “At that number, we can be profitable, help the community and the people we are working with,” says Max. He estimates there are approximately 200,000 cattle in the area who are using the 100 dip tanks. The land that comprises Shangani Ranch was Shangani Ranch is focused on adapting and growing their traditionally the home of the entire herd with the indigenous Nguni cattle that are adapted Shona, Kalanga, Rozwe and well to this climate and are tick and parasite as well as tolerant Ndebele peoples. Shangani of extreme heat. Photo credit: Shangani Ranch looks to hire more community “There are three types of cattle farmers: members and provide more economic 1) Commercial farmers; 2) Organized communal opportunity to the community. Initially Shangani farmers who know each other but need an extra was buying $750,000 in feed. They cut that push and some education to help get them into cost to $100,000 to free up $650,000 to hire
wants people who also believe in the vision of the ranch. “That’s been the biggest challenge, getting the workers to understand they are a part of something, part of team,” says Max. “They now will shake my hand and we will have a conversation. We are closing the gap between those at the top and those at the bottom. They will say to me: ‘Boss, it is unbelievable that your wife is serving us lunch. You are so educated.’ But I tell them everyone is educated differently. If we have a fire and the bowser is at the other end of the ranch, the tractor driver is the one who can get it where we need it. He is the one who is educated, not me. We’ve won that battle, now we can deal with the rest. Once you’ve got the people on board, you’ve won. When they are just following orders, they are not giving input and that is a problem. We have an open-door policy. We will talk about and discuss issues. They know I make the decision because my head lies on the block, but they feel they can help in the process.” Whether looking at these kinds of social indicators or environmental indicators like healthy wildlife populations and increased biomass, or improved herd health and productivity, Shangani Holistic is showing the world that you can integrate commercial cattle operations with wildlife ranching successfully, as long as you remain adaptive in your management, partner with nature, and focus on the desired outcomes of healthy land, healthy people, and healthy food. Num ber 2 08
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Uncompahgre Farms—
Brittany has worked as a high school teacher and for the U.S. Forest Service. “I worked for Forest Service for 6 years,” says Brittany. “I’ve always enjoyed the outdoors and wanted to help with the environment. In the USFS, I worked on community involvement in master planning and environmental analysis and while I enjoyed the work sometimes politics at a much higher level muddied the waters and I was losing the clear purpose I’d started with.” Caleb first learned about Holistic Management through Allan Savory’s TED talk. “One of the biggest things I latched on to was desertification,” says Caleb. “In removing a grazing animal you can alter the whole system. When people tinker too much with our ecosystems things break down. The pictures he shared during that talk showed how these places changed over time because of good management.” Caleb also learned from Greg Judy that you don’t need to purchase land which got him thinking about leases.
another hat that we haven’t worn too much.” They also appreciated the focus on quality of life and mental health and how the management process is all encompassing. “The weak link test was particularly helpful on where to expand and use our capital. Everyone has a finite amount of capital to invest. BY ANN ADAMS Now we are looking at anything we purchase and asking: ‘Is this necessary for the business ncompahgre Farms is owned and run and what is the return on investment?’ When by Caleb Valdez and Brittany Duffy. we were getting started I would search on They raise grassfed cattle on leased Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist. As you land that Caleb has found throughout acquire things you start asking ‘Do I need this?” the Uncompahgre Valley in southwestern It was great to have a class to be challenged on Colorado and started ranching in 2019 when he what needed to be expended and for what.” sold his first beef to family. With a total of 2,200 Caleb notes that because they lease all acres on 10 leases they have been able to grow their land and move their cows a lot, they were their land base and their customer base through particularly focused on a portable corral system sound investments and hard work. and whether or not they should buy one. “We eventually decided not to invest in one, but it Pursuing a Passion was good to think through the pros and cons Caleb was born in rural New Mexico. “I grew besides the cost and the process helped us up around livestock as my calculate time and labor family trained horses and which helped us make that were farriers, and my brother decision,” says Caleb. worked on El Sueño Ranch Currently, Caleb and in Abiquiu, New Mexico,” Brittany have one summer says Caleb. “This is where I lease for 2,220 acres and first developed stockmanship then another 7 leases from skills. I competed in rodeo, 5–40 acres where they showed steers, and played often keep horses and basketball in high school.” bulls and winter the cows Caleb went to university and on. “All these leases take landed a job. “As the first in time to manage because my family with a degree and we are irrigating and a steady job with benefits, doing prescribed burns or my parents were proud, but working on the drainage,” the work didn’t excite me,” says Brittany. says Caleb. After working This kind of stewardship on the Redding Hotshots he has helped Caleb get more had enough saved to buy leases. “We started leasing some cattle. “I suddenly found in 2019 when I met Frieda,” myself leading four cows and says Caleb. “Then I talked a bull away from sales on to her neighbors about Caleb and Brittany run an intern program to share their experience and knowledge Craigslist, and me still with a some leases and it went with the next generation of agricultural producers. fulltime job and not an acre to from there. Once you are my name,” says Caleb. “For a landless start-up As part of their ongoing learning, Caleb and in a neighborhood you can start talking with with my savings invested in the herd, I hoped Brittany took HMI’s Holistic Management course other people about their land. I didn’t go into this to knit together a pasture rotation by leasing taught by Cindy Dvergsten in collaboration with thinking I was going to be a full-time rancher. smaller fields owned by community members. the Valley Food Partnership as part of their But then I found myself having so much work. Luckily I met Frieda, a spry 87-year-old who’d Beginning Farmer/Rancher Grant from the Then in the summer of 2021, I got the lease for worked cows, horses, and land all her life, and USDA. This program has helped them look at a the 2,200 acres and then it was too much work she took a gamble on me. Her encouragement number of areas they hadn’t been focusing on. to do full-time work and do the ranching so we kept me going, and our community-based “A lot of the course focused on the triple made the leap. pasture rotation grew to include land leased bottom line,” says Brittany. “The class helped us More land meant more animals and by from ten other community members. Just as the hone in on the financial side of things so we can February 2021 they had gotten their direct herd is growing, so is the Uncompahgre Farms stay viable. The people and land management marketing in place and were at three farmers community, and I’m incredibly grateful for the side of things were clear to us about why we markets. They also got their big lease and their continued support.” are doing it. But the financial side of things is first intern, so Caleb quit his job and started
Community-Focused Grassfed Beef on Leased Land
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ranching full-time. They then added another market in 2022 and have been working on their community relations, beef quality (e.g. marbling, dry aging to tenderize and better showcase flavor, etc.), and management of people, land, and time.
the cows four years or younger. They are a maintained. We find if we can keep the cattle mix of Hereford and Angus. I’m looking at body together we get better breed back. condition, brisket and tailhead to judge when “Now we are in our second year of leasing the animals are ready for processing. We have that property, we are learning the seasonality of built enough of a customer base that we process the plants. We are working to make sure to not about four animals a month. graze the same pastures in the same time of “We are really year. We know we are going to make mistakes, fortunate to have but we also have to try things too. We observe Kinikin Meat the results and adjust as needed. Processing as our “We also need to take into account the processor, and human factor. The owner is from another state we are booked and hasn’t grazed cattle and he wants us to out a year in graze from May–August so we have to adjust to advance with that schedule as well as consider factors such them. They’ve as weather and avoiding oak toxicity. been great to We know we need to adjust things so we work with and aren’t working ourselves to death or propping doing customer up our cows. We need to make sure they are cuts. They also supporting us and we aren’t supporting them do dog food for us too much (Caleb only provides Redmond trace and we use the minerals and some winter hay for his cattle). My bones, the tallow, goal is to do such a good job for this land, then and organ meat. other properties will become available for lease. They are USDA The more I can do fixing fence and building Demand for Uncompaghre Farms’ cattle has built to the point where they are inspected which more fence and grazing well, the more I can processing 4 head a month selling by the cut as well as various value-added enables us to be grow the business.” products including dog food and dog treats. able to sell by the For some of Caleb’s leases he may cut, per Colorado do improvement of fencing and grazing With the mountain lease came a need for food handling requirements. We also have been management in exchange for the lease fee. more adaptive management, given the rugged working on value-added products such as dog For smaller properties, he might pay irrigation country. Caleb worked on determining cattle treats and sliders. water or a flat fee per acre. “I’ve realized that moves given the minimal infrastructure and “We started grilling sliders at the worked to herd the cattle to various sections of farmer’s markets so that helps with each of the paddocks, working for more even improving the profit-margin on the utilization. “It’s constant observation,” says burger (which is 50% of the beef). Caleb. “You can estimate you have X amount of We work with a farm that makes grazing, but you have to look at cattle condition goat cheese and a local bakery for and what the grass looks like and make the buns, and we use those on the adjustments.” They now own 80 head of cattle (a sliders. It’s fun to cook for people combination of retained heifers and purchased and see their immediate reaction. A cattle) and custom graze another 40 cows. lot of farmers and ranchers we talk The 2,200-acre lease was the result of to don’t get an interaction with the Caleb calling someone he knew to ask about customer or that positive feedback. his neighbor’s land. The acquaintance then led We find that it’s really important him to the owner of the 2,220-acre lease. Caleb for us to have those interactions. It then called him and used references from the really is two different businesses— other lessors he had been working with. The the beef business and the Caleb and interns herd cattle within the large pastures they new potential lessor called those references land/cattle business.” lease to improve more even utilization. and offered Caleb the lease. “I would knock on Caleb and the interns move the so many doors,” says Caleb. “I got rejected a cattle on horseback, breaking up the property our labor is worth so much more,” says Caleb. lot knocking on doors and asking about leases. using the natural topography. As is usual in the “I am trying to help landowners understand I would drive around areas and look for places Southwest, water is the main issue. They use the value of our time and help, while they where there was forage and fencing or land that polywire to keep the cattle in a certain area of also are greatly reducing their taxes due to was neglected. I was trying to find any land. the ranch and then augment with herding. “We agricultural exemption. “We’re growing the herd as a cow/calf got a nice even graze and everything got hit “We are changing the narrative about leasing operation and it’s a pretty motley crew of pairs, one time,” says Caleb. “A lot of stuff reseeded and the lessee being of value. I might provide yearling steers, and first-time heifers. We’ve and headed out and we are working on really the hay for their horses for the lease. Land is tightened up the breeding to 90 days. Whatever utilizing the area we want them to graze. expensive, but so is labor. Land could be a CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 is open gets culled. I’m working on keeping We have 3.5 miles of fence that need to be Num ber 2 08
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will work this hard, but they do need to see something about you on social media,” adds Caleb. “You have to show what you are doing. These younger people are posting on social media as well and that is important to them. You have to let them do that.” To that end, Caleb is in charge of the social media as well as the ranch and livestock while Brittany focuses on irrigation and the farmers’ markets.
and farm stories around the valley. You keep trying things and seeing what you are capable of, what you can do for the community, and what is rewarding spiritually and financially. It’s been incredibly interesting.” Caleb and Brittany are really pleased to see what they were able to make happen this year. They acknowledge they invested a lot of capital in this venture with cashing in homes and retirement funds, but they see their investments paying off. “I can’t envision doing anything more rewarding then making your living with the land,” says Caleb. “Animals and land are important, but if you can’t market them you will go out of
burden and leasing can be a way to reduce that burden and address ag exemption. “I take photos of the property before and after we graze to share with landowner. They can see the plant heights and how much we are leaving and not overgrazing. The land we are managing is looking better than the National Connecting to the Consumer Forest on the same plateau. The owners saw With an already full plate, Caleb and Brittany the ranch at the beginning, and after doubling also put on a huge event in October—The our numbers we still left a lot of forage. The landowners told us they are seeing more wildlife Cowpoke Palooza which includes Western music, Western artists, and day of farmer’s including elk on their game cameras. They are market including arts and crafts in really happy with our grazing. Montrose. “This event showcases “We want to work with bigger acres going agriculture and helps to raise forward. My goal is to have summer mountain money to purchase our own land or ground and bigger irrigated grounds for grazing conservation easement,” says Caleb. in the winter. We want to do one cutting there “The business would own land that and then use the stockpile to graze and allow is conserved for agriculture. The that vegetation to be trampled back into valley is really experiencing growth, the ground. But, it is hard to convince the and a lot of new folks are interested landowners to do that.” in open space and local food, but Caleb and Brittany had three interns this summer. Caleb rode with Glenn Elzinga at Alderspring Ranch and knows him. They have a big internship program with 200 applications a year. Caleb asked Glenn to share their intern Uncompaghre Farms’ herd is a combination of opportunity with those who didn’t Hereford and Red and Black Angus. Caleb has make it into Alderspring. Interns built his herd from 5-80 head in 3 years and has get a stipend at the end of the been able to quit his full-time job to become a summer, housing, and food. full-time rancher. The housing does not include running water or electricity, business. Working on all these pieces never but Caleb and Brittany provide gets old and we are always learning something.” propane and jugs of water. “I have had a lot of jobs,” say Brittany. “I feel “We try to find the balance 100% certain about what we’ve chosen to do of working them, but not too and there is no confusion about being in this The 2,200-acre lease in the mountains is rough country that hard,” says Caleb. “We are business or what am I doing every day. I don’t requires a combination of horseback herding and polywire going to continue with the intern to keep cattle where they need to be for even utilization and feel conflicted about any of it. We are doing a program. It’s definitely worth the good thing. We provide a good product, do good enough recovery for the plants. added work of managing people. by the land, and bring people together.” a lot of the green space is being subdivided I had a good time and it is neat to see people “You’ve got to put yourself out there to including some of the land they are leasing which engage people,” adds Caleb. “It’s not just luck. increasing their skills.” endangers our leases. It would be awesome to Brittany’s previous work as a high school You’ve got to follow though and provide be part of a long-term sustainable food supply. teacher means she also enjoys the intern references and make things happen. I’m Winter pasture is definitely a bottle neck for us as intimately aware of how much polywire fence I program. “I think young people give so much we don’t know how many cows we can support back to mentors through their enthusiasm, have to build, and that these ecosystem if those fields are for sale. Our first priority would motivation, and their wide-eyed cheerfulness,” improvements will be measured not in days, but be to have winter pasture for the cattle.” says Brittany. “We can use that as older adults in years. This will be a challenging lifelong task, The Cowpoke Palooza is also about sharing and in turn it’s really awesome to provide but I know I’m in good company—so many our story,” adds Brittany. “How many farms put knowledge and experience. We had a welcome ranchers are working just as hard to do right. on music to bring together hundreds of people barbeque for them with our landowners and Uncompahgre Farms is just a small operation, neighbors and those landowners were excited to celebrating agriculture? But, it is a huge ordeal and I know I can’t save the world on my own, and a big experiment. Next year we’ll add a film see young people interested in farming.” but I’m just happy to be doing my part, one cow, festival as well, showcasing the epic agriculture “There are a lot of young people who one customer, one field at a time!” 10 IN PRACTICE
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Five Homesteading Tips From a Holistic Management Expert
your dream of homesteading and enjoying have. Prioritizing your time around your values growing food for themselves and others. Take and future is the essence of time management. the time to read, visit and learn from others who Most people make daily lists of tasks. Taking have made the mistakes that you probably will the time to prioritize that list ensures the most too! For example, we planted our original garden important items get done first, rather than those BY KIRK AND TAMARA GADZIA beds too close to young trees that eventually we probably most enjoy while we put off those outcompeted and shaded the crops. It was no we don’t. amara and I have always had a garden fun moving them and all the soil we had built and enjoyed raising and eating some over the years. of our own fruits and vegetables. But, 3. Keep Detailed Records when we really started expanding All successful businesses the raised garden beds, adding drip irrigation, keep detailed records. grazing our productive pastures, and raising We always hear that we chickens, the learning curve got a bit steeper! should rotate our crops, but We also started growing more than we could chances are you will not consume, so had to learn about canning, remember where or what drying, and freezing the excess produce for you planted last year when later. Having a holistic goal that provided a clear next season’s planting is vision of what we wanted and were willing to do beginning. Draw out your to achieve it has really been (and continues to beds and crop varieties each be) an anchor in that process. Here are five tips season you plant and record for anyone interested in growing some of their what happened. Keeping a own food. daily record of the amount of feed it takes to raise a chick to a harvestable The Gadzias have run a friend’s Highland cattle to improve soil broiler in eight fertility on their land. weeks is critical Photo credit: Kirk and Tamara Gadzia to profit. Detailed About the Authors records help you know where the Kirk and Tamara Gadzia own and operate business stands financially and Vista Grande Farm and Resource Management what potential challenges you Services, a training and consulting firm located could be facing. Just knowing this in Bernalillo, New Mexico. Kirk has over 30 gives you time to create strategies years of experience teaching the concepts to overcome those challenges. 4. Differentiate Between Plant of Holistic Management and has facilitated over 500 Holistic Management training and Animal Crops seminars and workshops internationally. There is a huge synergy in He is a Certified Educator with Holistic combining plant and animal crops Management International. in your homesteading and growing Kirk also works directly with producers to operations. However, remember achieve profitability in their operations. He has the goals you set at the beginning extensive international consulting experience of the process. You can automate with many large ranching and agricultural some of the tasks associated operations throughout the United States and with raising plant crops and be One of the chicken tractors the Gadzias built. overseas. Kirk is co-author of the National away from the property for a Photo credit: Kirk and Tamara Gadzia Academy of Science 1994 publication entitled weekend or longer without many 1. Don’t Start Until You Finish Rangeland Health, and is working to improve problems. However, animals require daily care Do not try to shortcut the holistic goal rangeland health monitoring techniques in a and protection from weather and predators. For setting, planning, and analysis stages when wide variety of environments. example, rather than grazing one or two cows implementing a new homesteading or smallYears of assisting people on the land help on our pasture area, we decided it was much scale growing operation. The time you spend Kirk and Tamara relate to the actual experiences better to bring in a small herd of our friend’s critically thinking about the future you want to and challenges of others in an interactive, cows for two months. We got a much higher build will pay off in better decisions and fewer hands-on style. animal impact and improvement on our pasture, mistakes in the long run. In other words, do not it took the same amount of time to rotate the Note: This article was originally begin the action part of your work until you have herd, and we were free to plan travel and be published at: https://ranchlands.com/blogs/ planned for the future you are going to build. away when we wanted. journal/5-homesteading-tips-from-a-holistic2. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask 5. Prioritize Your To Do List management-expert There are many people who have shared Time is the most precious commodity we
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Phepson Farm—
Finding the Sweet Spot for Profitability BY ANN ADAMS
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ob Havard, who manages over 1,000 acres with a half-time employee and some contract labor from his base at Phepson Farm, near Droitwich, Worcestershire, has cut fixed costs and inputs by building organic matter in the heavy clay soils. It is a forgiving landscape with 686 mm (27.44 inches) of rainfall a year. But, care must be taken with wet soils and compaction so Rob has focused on increasing forbs to increase water infiltration as well as extending plant recovery to increase root depth. With those management changes over the last three to four years, cattle can now be outwintered. As a sixth generation farmer, Rob has brought a number of farming innovations to his business to improve land resilience and farm profitability through a low input system and improved animal genetics. Rob worked as a professional ecologist for over 10 years before joining the farm partnership in 2003 when he began acquiring leases and focusing on bringing environmental benefit through Holistic Planned Grazing as well as increase profitability per acre by working with Nature and developing a low-input model.
Adapting Business Models for Challenging Times
The land is all pasture with some old traditional orchards. “We have been farming here since 1919 when my great grandfather moved from
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The 180-acre Croome Court property has allowed Rob to develop his business model of leasing properties to improve land health and work with land owners interested in regenerative practices. south Wales,” says Rob. “We have always farmed sheep and cattle and have been in environmental stewardship schemes for well over 10 years now. Our main operation is breeding grass-fed organic Aberdeen Angus beef cattle as seedstock for other producers.” Rob has developed his business model by engaging a lease model. He started with a farm tenancy with the National Trust on 180 acres at Croome Court and then took on an additional 190 acres with a local landowner who is committed to ecological agriculture and is now up to managing 1,000 acres. He has used Holistic Planned Grazing since taking a course with Kirk Gadzia in 2013. In 2016 and 2017 Rob helped teach some Holistic Management courses with HMI Certified Educator Tony McQuail. He had gained a reputation as a consultant using Holistic Planned Grazing to achieve results on the land. Those courses with Tony encouraged Rob to look at what was working well and where he was the expert which resulted in Rob honing in on profitability and the sweet spot of what Phepson Farm had to offer. Rob now runs Phepson Angus, the seedstock operation, on leased properties of diverse grasslands in Worcestershire and Gloucestershire. In 2020 he also took on a contract farming agreement of a herd of pedigree Red Poll cattle, which are grazed from the Carrant Brook up on to Bredon Hill. Rob has experimented with different stock density and has moved cattle as much as twice a day in wet weather. Typically, they move the cattle every two days. They aim for about a 90-day recovery period in the summer while working to build a stockpile of grass for winter grazing and 60-day recovery for the rest of the year although recovery periods vary from 20–100 days. They try to leave at least 4 inches post-grazing residual to improve nutrition for winter stockpile. They have worked toward a goal of overwintering but have shifted to some bale grazing during that
usually sells his bulls in February for breeding. He will also sell surplus time to improve soil fertility. heifers in November after scanning. “It was a nervous first year when we aimed for wintering outside the All cattle are bred for finishing on grass alone by 28 months. Even whole year on heavy clay and no hay, and while we got to February 15th in with outwintering, the average daily live-weight gain is 0.8 kg (1.8 lbs) per the first winter, we managed to get through the whole winter on stockpiled day. This business model has allowed Rob to expand his operation from a forage for the first time in 2020, which has had a massive financial benefit small family farm of 44 acres to over 1,000 acres today with other potential as well as improving the winter wildlife on the farm,” says Rob. leases on the horizon. Croome Court is part of the National Trust system in the UK. Over Rob has invested in portable infrastructure that he uses on his leased the years as Rob has improved the land base of this 180-acre farm with properties including rail fencing and steel gates, cattle crush and sorting Holistic Planned Grazing and the plant diversity has grown so that there pens for TB testing and sorting cattle; 80-litre drag trough plus alkathene are now over 200 species of herbs and orchids as well as grasses and pipe; and electric fencing, solar and battery energizers and reels for less legumes. One of the Croome Court managers noted that the diversity of than £9,000 (a little over $10,000) plants has led to diversity of mammals like field voles and harvest mice which in turn brings birds of prey like kestrels. The numerous plants also help with drainage. He has deep rooting species such as sorrel and yarrow as well as numerous wildflowers that attract butterflies and other beneficial insects and pollinators. The yarrow also positively impacts the fungal balance within the soil while meadow foxtail provides early and late grazing. Forbs and legumes like ribwort plantain and birdsfoot trefoil create a wider mineral profile in the forage for the grazing animals, along with good protein levels to help provide a balanced, healthy diet. Besides focusing on improving soil health and plant diversity, Rob also worked to reduce inputs to maximize profit per animal to the Rob uses bale grazing in the winter months to build organic matter and has point where he was able to create a net profit of £350 a cow on one increased soil organic matter to as much as 15% in some fields. Bales are Worcestershire organic farm while still averaging the national stocking positioned before the snow or wet arrives. rate. Being able to outwinter the animals definitely helps reduce cost. Connecting the Dots Between Conservation The gross margin per animal is £507 and fixed cost per cow is £157. The and Production low-input system he has created includes no routine use of vaccinations While Rob was on the right track with his ecology background, when he learned about Holistic Management he had the tools to use grazing animals to better support ecosystem function and to focus on the parts of the business he enjoyed and were most profitable. “In 2012 I got the Holistic Management book and I started implementing the practices,” says Rob. “We were already doing fixed rotational grazing on a 28-day rotation. I had been working as an ecologist so I was already trying to add diversity. But the book restarted me looking at how to do that. During the course, Kirk blew my mind. He is by far the best trainer I’ve ever had for Holistic Management. “Kirk reminded me to focus on simple things like going back to the most recovered paddock rather than following rotations or not regrazing While Rob has not pushed stock density that high, he has increased a regrowing plant. Regenerative grazing people can get dogmatic, so it’s animal impact when he can with 2-4 day moves and extended recovery important to adapt practices. We are only doing moves two to three times as much as 90 days. a week and we are still making progress.” When Tony McQuail came over in 2016, he encouraged Rob to really and wormers and no mineral supplementation so the seedstock he focus on his areas of expertise which had Rob focusing on the seedstock creates are “bomb proof.” The seedstock is sold around the world and operation even more. “Tony McQuail is another fabulous trainer,” says Rob is working to create genetics that do well in a variety of climates and Rob. “He came out with ‘you’re the expert on your farm’ focus. He talked management situations. about how Holistic Management is not prescriptive. That focus has shaped He’s also been able to increase organic matter to 12–15% on some everything in our business. parts of the farm. This is due to a combination of the bale grazing he “We started out focusing on pedigree, and now we’ve moved to does as well as the increased stock density and longer recoveries. He’s genetics and selling semen and embryos internationally as well as our worked at a stocking rate as high as 1.6 acres per cow. He calculates hay seedstock of females and bulls. Holistic Management has helped us purchase for the winter at the end of summer and has it stored in the field determine which enterprises we want to focus on and the comparative as needed to wean calves in March. analysis has helped with making those decisions. Rob’s standard practice is to fence-line wean calves behind an electric “It has also helped us determine our business relationships. fence in March and then cows are dry for two months before calving in Developing a holistic goal or context with someone helps you know what May. Summer recovery periods are 60–90 days with as wide a range as you want to work with. We use the process as a filter. Really it’s been 20-100 days of recovery. Cows are put to the bull in August for 60 days. Pastures are at 3,000kg DM/ha-5,500kg DM/ha (2,640-4,840 lbs DM/acre) amazing to see how much Holistic Management has influenced us in so CONTINUED ON PAGE 14 and he tries to leave them with 2,500kg DM/ha (2,200 lbs DM/acre). Rob N um ber 2 08
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stars are. “We don’t feed the bulls, they just graze. We put pressure on them to see who can hold body condition. Even the bulls are a maternal focus. Our many ways. customers can use our bulls to get their replacement females. We’ve been “When I do talk or a training day, all the people want to talk about is sourcing genetics from US, UK, and New Zealand Angus for our program. holistic grazing, but it was the decision-making framework that made a “The majority of our sales are live animal sales and then semen which difference and it’s an ongoing process for me to help them see that. is a growing area. We sell about 20 bulls and 20 females live sales per “After Kirk’s course in 2013, I started integrating Holistic Management year. Our culls are sold to grassfed finishers and organic finishers. into the business, planning for profitability and expanding the business. “Currently have about 120 cows calving in the spring and 8 working It has given us the confidence to move forward. We don’t use Holistic bulls. Consequently, we have different cow herds on different properties. Management perfectly, but I keep coming back to the core material. Using We are still buying in genetics and importing embryos as we work on the process, I can see our genetics. what we let slip. It is “The weak link for our business is the split a constant process sites with high labor costs and mileage even of having your goal though the properties are about a 20-minute and work toward drive apart. it, monitoring, and “We are working on creating stability and replanning. It’s always resilience in our business. We are looking the checking process for long-term leases that are 5–10 years. We that brings you back. usually have good terms because of the work “2011 was a we do. We are also putting in more formal constriction for our monitoring on all the sites to get more data farm on a number and hold ourselves accountable. of fronts. Holistic “We are slightly understocked at the Management was the moment because we are looking on increasing Rob Havard with an educational tour group he led on process that helped floral diversity and residual. We look to property he is managing. us really get into leave 4–6 inches of residual and come back ecological farming work and make it work financially. Our business slowly when it’s fully recovered. As we’ve increased our recovery we’ve seen built up from there. Right now we are at 1,000 acres and we may get higher successional grasses increasing. We’ve also seen our growing up to 1,800 acres potentially with a fifth property. I’m in partnership with season lengthen. In mild years it keeps growing all year. Previously, the my father and I have one half-time employee sward would have and some contract labor for haying and gone dormant in handling cattle. November and “Our business has lots of moving parts, then started back in so I am trying to keep things as simple as February or March. possible. We’ve built our business through social “The cocksfoot media. It’s still a fledgling business, but luckily (a cool season I was really early in Holistic Management and bunchgrass similar regenerative agriculture and that has given me to orchard grass) is a platform and exposure in that sector, and so coming back and I get invited to speak. I am also a professional helps with our cool ecologist so I can make the connection between season grazing agriculture and ecology and that has helped us and increasing our with the landowners. stockpile. Certainly Having wildflowers/leys/forbs in the forage mix is good for the “We started with 100 pedigree cows, keeping the weather and soil and the animals. the ones that worked, which was expensive. Of how wet the winter the ones we purchased about half of them worked with our strict criteria. is and how much snow we have will affect how much hay we give them. It is costly to go through that culling process. We would try genetics from We don’t use any protein supplements. I’m also careful where I get my other places to see if we could find the cows that were problem free with hay. Luckily, there are farmers with native pasture and very diverse swards good structure. We started in 2013 and had a clean out of 60 in 2014 and of 150 species so the hay we get has loads of diversity. We are definitely then another 60 in 2015. looking at the marginal reaction (comparing options) test. We try to find the “The key indicators we were looking for was the ability to calve at two sweet spot of how much hay to get as there is a minimum cost and if you years old. We expose them to the bull for 60 days and we have first and get too little it isn’t utilized well. We’ve seen tall fescue coming in where second cycle breeders. We keep putting more pressure on them each we’ve fed hay and that is more resilient in the snow. But, we are working year, reducing inputs, to create a ‘bombproof’ cow. We also increase the toward reducing that cost.” environmental pressure by seeing how much we can make them clean Rob is pleased with the progress they have made with this business paddocks. We had a group one year where we had 100% in calf, but model and the grassfed genetics they have created as well as with the then we put more pressure the following year on the first heifers and we increasing need and demand for their product. “Farming is fun when you had a much lower breeding. It costs us, but we find out who the real rock are moving forward,” says Rob. 14
Land & Livestock
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The Closer You Work with Nature, The More Money Will Be Left in Your Pocket BY IAN MITCHELL-INNES
Nature has already done all the experiments needed, but we need to relearn what works on our soils, our grasses under our management, with the livestock we are running, using Inclusion Zones to trial the best stock density and recovery periods for given areas at different times of years or growing conditions. An Inclusion Zone is an area fenced with electric fencing that will accommodate the herd you are working with at a density that all the plant material is trodden onto the ground. This should be done in a short period of time. No stock water is necessary and there is no loss of animal performance. All over the world, in all environments, people managing the land are only running 50% of the livestock that their ancestors ran on the same properties. This practice is not conducive to improving the soil life and sequestering carbon, which acts as a sponge, holding the rainfall on the land. All life needs energy to live; the only way we can get this through the soil surface and make it available to soil life is with livestock.
Grazing Energy
T
his picture was taken at the 15,000-acre San Felipe Ranch owned by Vannie Collins near McAllen, Texas in August 2022. Average rainfall is 18 inches. I have been consulting with this ranch for 18 months, when this photo was taken and this is the kind of response the land has made with improved grazing. Vannie gave this paddock an extended recovery, because it was completely denuded the prior grazing and it had been dry and little to no regrowth until they had rain. Vannie notes: “This picture is on the northern road of the paddock. These paddocks are in my hilly pasture that is pure brush. The cattle bunch up on the roads, so these roads see way more density than the rest of the pasture. The pasture was grazed at approximately 25,000 pounds per acre density. Probably way more in that spot.” Vannie aims for a 45-day recovery period on average but this paddock had been grazed in March and was left to recover until August. Vannie has grown his herd to 2,000 cows which is triple the previous stocking rate. The previous stock density was one animal unit for 40 acres. Now their stocking rate is one animal unit per seven acres. On the other side of the fence, they are set stocking at one animal unit to 20 acres.
The action of grazing (which is well documented) sends a shock of energy down the plant, which is distributed in the soil via the roots, and becomes available to soil life.
Symbiotic Energy
The third type of energy (which is not documented), I call Symbiotic Energy, which is the magnetic field around each animal, which is also an energy field and does not stop at the soil surface; it penetrates the soil. These three sources of energy stimulate soil life, which in turn brings the natural fertility in the soil to the plants. Energy is also the elusive part of the equation in achieving animal performance. We manipulate the stock density and time to achieve the best animal performance we can get (the money part), also taking into consideration the desired effect we are wanting on the soil and grass. We know grazing selection makes animals fat; observation will show animals entering a new paddock, immediately taking a bite off the top of the plant, which is the highest concentration of energy. If you have planned the stay in a paddock correctly, with stock density and time, most plants in the paddock should have had one bite taken off the top.
Key Principles
This is a Whitetail Deer shot off San Felipe Ranch. The fat is an indication of the energy available in the grass and the animal performance that can be gained from it. With skyrocketing prices, farmers and ranchers should relook at their “Forms of Production” and practices in order to capture as much solar energy for animals to convert to food and fiber.
Using an Inclusion Zone, determine the recovery period of the grasses you are dealing with on your specific soils. Work with what you have and plan for what you want. As far as possible, graze your plants in a vegetative stage. This requires constant monitoring of the weather conditions in order to lengthen or shorten recovery periods. Keep the following principles in mind: ● Energy is Money ● Money is Energy ● Time is Money
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Num ber 2 08
h IN PRACTICE 15
helps the user prioritize scarce resources according to their individual situation and preferences. This truly is a unique management framework that helps producers handle complexity with less stress. HMI’s In Practice School is really a practical guide to approaching your ranching business as a complex living organism and using the holistic goal as the compass and the decision testing questions for Holistic Management In effective group decision-making. In turn, these tools help to craft a Practice School— Holistic Grazing Plan and a Holistic Financial Plan to navigate the complexities that climate, markets, diseases, and life can unexpectedly throw our way. Thinking back as I traveled home after my first workshop, I had BY WAYNE KNIGHT lots of questions and concerns. I was convinced by the insights and articipating as an instructor and the practicality facilitator at HMI’s 5-day workshop of the planning with Certified Educators Kirk Gadzia procedures and Linda Long in Bernalillo, New that had been Mexico from November 7–11, 2022 was in introduced. I was some ways a trip down memory lane for me wondering how because I got to see our participants learn how receptive my to really practice Holistic Management and parents would be be prepared for getting the results we need to to these ideas see on the land and in the bank accounts of and the change farmers and ranchers around the world. This to management school, held at the Santa Ana Pueblo, helped that I would be 13 participants who influence 446,100 acres proposing to take the next steps toward economic and them. I wondered environmental resilience. about the speed The course brought back memories of of change I attending a workshop series with Dick and should attempt. Kirk Gadzia leading an experiential activity on ecosystem Judy Richardson that kicked off my deep Should we change processes function. dive into Holistic Management in 1997. I had radically and get been exposed to density grazing and how critical it was for animals through the discomfort, or would it be more realistic to make gradual to graze plants and to allow time for grass plants to recover after the changes? How would I convince my father to change what he was so grazing animals were present. I had completed over a year of working accustomed to doing? on ranches and The Power of a Holistic Goal farms in the US The concept of a holistic goal was a and England, but revelation and made me hopeful that family the Richardson’s change was possible, but could we get my workshop series parents to change how they did things. I was the deep had been back on the ranch for a few years dive I needed after my travels. Our business financial to appreciate situation was precarious. Our ecology was the elegance of not wonderful. A series of droughts leading how the different up to that time meant that we had low animal components numbers. I was hopeful that the holistic goal of Holistic would help us in our discussions Management fit At HMI’s In Practice School Kirk and Linda together. both emphasized the importance and value of HMI’s 5-day developing a holistic goal. It reminded me of training led by Kirk, Putting Holistic Management into practice can be fun! the time my family invested in drawing up our with components combined holistic goal for the family business. covered by Linda My father couldn’t understand why this airy-fairy process was needed. and me, aimed to give participants an overview of the theory and He had work to do, and this process just didn’t produce the outcomes planning tools. Kirk used his beautifully crafted case studies to give he expected from our time. His frustrated lament was the “I have a farm participants insight into how the holistic goal drives investment, land to run!”. Not being one to give up easily, I convinced both my parents planning, and expense allocations decisions in line with business to attend a Holistic Management training themselves. With us all on the priorities while building ecological resilience and wealth. The process
PROGRAM ROUND UP
Diving Deep for Results
P
16 IN PRACTICE
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same page the holistic goal came much more easily. It really did provide the impetus needed to address the tough economic crisis that was about to challenge our ranching business.
family make financial decisions effectively as a family, and we survived quite well. I remember by mother repeating that we could not cut costs more, yet we cut our expenses by more than 60% after our Holistic Management training. Under scrutiny, we and our animals Finding Firm Financial Footing were able to survive with far less input than we thought possible. We At HMI’s In Practice School, Kirk and I also introduced the participants cut staff and were able to move our cattle more by going to 2 herds to the Holistic Financial Planning process. It is a unique and compelling instead of the 8 herds we had before. Our finances looked better and process that requires a rigorous analysis of the entire business planning our carrying capacity increased dramatically. And, like most crises, that helps us effectively make decisions about investments that will the interest rates didn’t stay high forever and the rains did return. enable us to grow our biological capital HMI’s In Practice School and resilience. We frequently make also focused on Holistic Grazing assumptions about the priorities we Planning and included time out have chosen in the past, or habits on the land. Dan Ginter of the that we have inherited or created, Santa Ann Pueblo’s Department without thinking through the reasons or of Natural Resources discussed the implications. how the Pueblo used the grazing The Holistic Financial Planning planning principles and practices to process saved our family business guide grazing rules and decisions in 1998–1999 when interest rates in by the ranchers involved in the South Africa hit 28% per year. With Pueblo’s grazing management. political uncertainty, economic turmoil, We toured the ranch, observing and hence depressed spending, the rangeland health and how to demand for our beef was rock bottom. assess available forage for Holistic Financial Planning and the builtlivestock and wildlife. in monitoring process saved us from Please consider how an inselling out and moving on. depth training to all the components At HMI’s In Practice School, Kirk of Holistic Management could help led the group through case studies your farm or ranch perform better that are brilliantly constructed to help economically, environmentally, and participants step through the Holistic socially. 100% of the participants Financial Planning process so they can from this course would recommend more effectively prioritize and allocate this school to others. 100% of money to generate more profit and the participants said they see the invest in their businesses for continued value of Financial Planning after resilience and regeneration. taking this course and 100% said This process saved my business they now have the ability to create Dan Ginter of Santa Ana Pueblo Department of Natural Refrom disaster early on, and later a Grazing Plan. We would like to sources explaining how grazing allotments are managed and propelled us to make investments and thank the Thornburg Foundation the results they are seeing. spending allocations that built biological for their funding of this Holistic capital. Additionally, the planning Management school. process encouraged buy in between the decision makers. The built-in HMI will be running another Holistic Management IN PRACTICE feedback loop also meant that we could quickly catch when the plan was School with Kirk and guest presenters at the Dixon Water going off track and adapt our financial decisions to the current reality Foundation’s Leo Ranch on April 17–22, 2023. Book your spot. We before we were in deep trouble. are so sure you will get your money’s worth that we offer a money Only after using the Holistic Financial Planning process could my back, satisfaction guaranteed.
The Closer You Work with Nature, The More Money Will Be Left in Your Pocket
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15
● Water is Money ● Land is a solar panel. Your plants never stop harvesting energy. The plants that grow on your soil will dictate the efficiency of your solar panel. Fortunately, Nature knew we were going to mess up, with our management and remnants of the seeds of the good grasses are still there and will germinate with correct
management. Supplementation is a crutch, which should only be required under unusual, difficult circumstances. Instead, focus on good grazing, animal impact, and recovery to maximize your growth and harvesting of energy that will leave money in your pocket while you partner with Nature.
To contact Ian Mitchell-Innes: ian@mitchell-innes.co.za; WhatsApp +27 83 262 9030 Num ber 2 08
h IN PRACTICE 17
Book Review by ANN ADAMS Grass-Fed Beef for a Post-Pandemic World: How Regenerative Grazing Can Restore Soils and Stabilize the Climate By Ridge Shinn and Lynne Pledger; Publisher: Chelsea Green, Pp 206, ©2022
L
ong-time holistic grazier Ridge Shinn and his wife, Lynne Pledger, have recently added their book to the list of books explaining how grassfed protein can be good for human, animal, and planetary health. Their book is particularly timely given its post-pandemic publication and title: Grass-Fed Beef for a Post-Pandemic World: How Regenerative Grazing Can Restore Soils and Stabilize the Climate. It has an additional subtitle: “Building a Resilient, Secure, and Healthy Food System in a Time of Disruption and Shortages.” Ridge founded Big Picture Beef (also known as Grazier LLC) in 2017. This 100% grassfed beef company is an aggregation of Ridge’s own Devon herd in Massachusetts as well as an aggregation of other grassfed cattle from the northeastern United States. He was also the founding director of the New England Livestock Alliance, which helped farmers find markets for their meat. Ridge has consulted all over North America, in New Zealand, England, Uruguay, and Argentina, and for the Lakota of the Cheyenne River Reservation. His work has been reported on in Smithsonian, the Atlantic, the New York Times, and TIME magazine. While Grass-Fed Beef for a Post-Pandemic World follows in the footsteps of books like Defending Beef, I think this book speaks most directly to the conventional producer considering transitioning to grassfed beef production or could be used by a grassfed producer to help transition their more mainstream neighbors. However, the first section of the book titled, “Impacts of Regenerative Grazing,” nicely spells out the potential for improving land health, sequestering carbon, stabilizing the climate, providing nutrient dense food, and improving animal welfare. Any conscious consumer who would like to educate other compassionate carnivores will find lots of good information to share in this section. Likewise, those interested in policies and how to get more regenerative grazing in the U.S. will find numerous examples of the kinds of policy change necessary to level the playing field and get us on the right agricultural track. But the middle section of the book titled, “Keys to Success with Grass-Fed Beef,” is where I think this book really adds some critical new information. Here Ridge shares all his experience from consulting around the world and telling stories of the work he did with different clients to help them make that transition from conventional cattle farming to regenerative grazing for profitable grassfed beef production. He covers everything from how to reduce inputs to breeding with hybrid vigor to choosing moderately framed animals to help producers see how they could turn a profit in a low-margin business. Some numbers that stand out to make any producer want to get into the grassfed business is that store sales increased by 30% from 2019– 2022. Likewise, sales increased from $17 million to $480 million in the years from 2012–2019. While these market demands are very tempting,
18 IN PRACTICE
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the reality is that 97% of cattle in the U.S. is still cornfed. Likewise, the challenges of scaling this type of production are daunting due to: • • • • • •
Lack of capital Shortage of regenerative graziers Getting sufficient good practices in place for creating a large supply of consistently high quality 100% grassfed cattle The need for aggregation of herds to reach economies of scale The need for transparency and traceability for grassfed cattle The need for high quality, affordable processing facilities to get these animals to market.
Throughout all this data, Ridge weaves case studies of regenerative graziers and the results they’ve achieved including Holistic Management practitioners like the Wobesers in Canada, Alejandro Carrillo in Chihuahua Mexico, and Gabe Brown from North Dakota. Ridge ends his book focused on how we must address the remaining challenges of scaling grassfed beef caused by the inequity inherent with the monopoly of the large meat packers as well as the issues caused by the loss of a skilled labor pool both for processing and grazing. However, the shakeup that happened during COVID has shown the vulnerabilities of the larger food system, encouraging change. Ridge notes that now is the time to shorten the supply chain to shock proof the food system. He also calls for ending the subsidies of corn and restoring the Country of Origin labeling as ways to shift those dynamics. He acknowledges that there are many misguided policies or consumerdriven focuses like lab/fake/cellular meat that are a result of people’s misunderstanding of livestock’s potential to improve human and climate health. For example, he says there are some policies currently being explored and even funded that are more technologically risky and costly than investing in regenerative grazing: like refreezing the North and South Poles by spraying salt into the clouds above those regions for greater reflectivity; or fertilizing the oceans to encourage the growth of plant matter to absorb CO2 or injecting captured CO2 into deeper parts of the ocean. The bottom line is we need to educate more producers, consumers, and policy makers to see the potential of solving multiple problems with regenerative grazing. Grass-Fed Beef for a Post-Pandemic World demonstrates how grassfed beef could be the common ground amidst the partisan divide around climate change, to help us restore our soils and build a resilient food system in challenging times.
To purchase this book, go to: https://www.chelseagreen.com/ product/grass-fed-beef-for-a-post-pandemic-world/
From the Old and New Board Chair BY WALTER LYNN AND BRE OWENS
From Walter
The torch, gavel, or baton is being passed to an awesome lady, Bre Owens. Bre has been our vice-chair and brings a wonderful potpourri of experience. It is time to reflect on my tenure as board chair of HMI. I never thought attending a Stockman Grass Farmer Conference in the late ‘90s in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky would have resulted in me ultimately being the chair of HMI. At that specific conference, my name was pulled from a fishbowl as the winner of an introduction course to Holistic Management. My passion for agriculture and leaving a legacy for future generations led me to be selected to join HMI’s board in November 2014. Along the journey, I’ve had some tremendous mentors—Gabe Brown, David Brandt, Bill Casey (my first HMI Certified Educator), Walt Davis, Tony Winslett, Clint Josey, Elaine Ingham, Greg Judy, Ian Mitchell-Innes, Gail Fuller, and Peter Donovan to name a few. “A man is known by the books he reads,” according to Ralph Waldo Emerson. The books that were by my blue Lazy Boy chair reinforced the Emerson quote. I share with people when you quit learning you are taking your last ride to a marble orchard or cemetery. Over the last four plus years, HMI has gone through a change in our Executive Director. The interview process occurred in July 2019 where our board decided to hire long-time Holistic Management practitioner and Certified Educator Wayne Knight. In March 2020 the COVID pandemic shut down the world as we knew it. HMI course delivery, interactions with HMI staff, and Board communication all changed as Zoom meetings became daily in our lives. The November 2022 Board meeting was the first time all of our board “physically”
Development Corner
interacted since the start of the pandemic. It was over the top to be together!!!
From Bre
As we sat around the table in November—sharing meals, laughs and having deep-dive discussions on HMI’s holistic goal; challenges that communities are facing around the world; and the Bre Owens power of community and the holistic decision-making framework—it was abundantly clear that the Board and Staff bring the vision, experience, ingenuity, and fortitude to build upon HMI’s 38-year foundation of serving ranchers and farmers through a dedicated global cohort of community-based Certified Educators. This organization, along with all our Educators, practitioners, and partners that make up the Holistic Management community give me hope. And I believe others will find similar inspiration as awareness continues to grow of both the challenges facing agricultural operations and the solutions-oriented framework of Holistic Management. I’m honored to get to serve with an incredibly knowledgeable and skilled Board and to step into the role of Chair. They are big shoes to fill, directly following the lead of Walter Lynn. Thankfully, we continue to have his experience and infectious optimism as part of the team. Be good and thanks much, Walt and Bre
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 24
Stephen also noted how the data collected from monitoring could help ranchers. In one particular area in northern Arizona there was a concern with the pronghorn population and the Game and Fish Department wondered if it was due to livestock management in the area. The lessee had the data that showed that the habitat had good fawning cover and a variety of forbs for the pronghorn. The rancher was able to defuse the situation because of the data that helped with negotiations. Stephen said when he retired he knew he wasn’t going to step away from his passion for conservation. He is Chairman of his local Natural Resource Conservation District, serves on the boards of three Arizona rancher collaboratives, works with wildlife groups on habitat projects and had a term on the BLM Resource Advisory Council. “The last three years I became more conscious about soil health,” said Stephen. “I’ve been watching YouTube videos of Gabe Brown, Ray Archuleta and Greg Judy. I also went to the James Ranch in Durango and spent a couple of days with Nicole Masters at a workshop. I bought a case of her books and I’m spreading the word about soil health. I want
to help those who are newly awakened to concerns about environmental issues and how soil health can help. “I’ve been following the work in New Mexico as one of the first states to have soil health legislation funded. Arizona has yet to fund its program. I touch on soil health as often as I can when I write articles for my district newsletter. Other districts have requested permission to republish those articles.” Stephen is an HMI supporter because he believes in HMI’s mission and programs. “I’m always delighted to hear success stories, whether on small farms or large acreage ranches. I have a particular interest in larger rangeland acreages in arid environments.” While Stephen retired seven years ago, he is still passionately supporting work on a variety of activities around land management, wildlife habitat, and soil health. His support of these kinds of conservation activities, including supporting HMI, has helped to continue to grow the regenerative agriculture movement and bring new voices to the table to help everyone see they can be part of the solution.
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Certified
Cliff Montagne
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.
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) tateralph74@gmail.com
U N I T E D S TAT E S ARIZONA
Tim McGaffic
Cave Creek 808/936-5749 tim@timmcgaffic.com CALIFORNIA
Lee Altier
College of Agriculture, CSU Chico 530/636-2525 laltier@csuchico.edu
Rhoby Cook
KANSAS
Linda Pechin-Long
Winfield 316/322-0536 info@grazetheprairie.com MARYLAND
Christine C. Jost
Silver Springs 773/706-2705 christinejost42@gmail.com
Petoskey 231/881-2784 (c) dyer3913@gmail.com
Owen Hablutzel
Los Angeles 310/567-6862 go2owen@gmail.com
MISSISSIPPI
Preston Sullivan
Meadville 601/384-5310 (h) preston.sullivan@hughes.net
Richard King
Petaluma 707/217-2308 (c) rking1675@gmail.com
MONTANA
Roland Kroos (retired)
Doniga Markegard
Half Moon Bay 650/670-7984 doniga@markegardfamily.com
Bozeman 406/581-3038 (c) kroosing@msn.com
Paicines 707/431-8060 kmulville@gmail.com
Judi Earl
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
Cindy Dvergsten
Dolores 970/739-2445 cadwnc@gmail.com
Coolatai, NSW 61-409-151-969 judi_earl@bigpond.com
Graeme Hand
Mt Coolum, QLD 61-4-1853-2130 graemehand9@gmail.com
Helen Lewis
Warwick, QLD 61-4-1878-5285 hello@decisiondesignhub.com.au
IDAHO
Moyie Springs 541/890-4014 angelaboudro@gmail.com
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 541/610-7084 goebel@aboutlistening.com NEW YORK
Elizabeth Marks
Chatham 518/567-9476 (c) elizabeth_marks@hotmail.com
Mitchell 605/730-0550 • randy@heartlandtanks.com
Deborah Clark
TEXAS
Henrietta 940/328-5542 deborah@birdwellandclarkranch.com
Kathy Frisch
214/417-6583 • kathytx@pm.me
Wayne Knight
Holistic Management International Van Alstyne 940/626-9820 waynek@holisticmanagement.org
Tracy Litle
Orange Grove 361/537-3417 (c) • tjlitle@hotmail.com
Peggy Maddox
Hermleigh 325/226-3042 (c) peggy@kidsontheland.org
Christine Martin
Oakwood 936/245-9505 christine@theregenranch.com VERMONT
John Thurgood
Stowe (1/2 year in Oneonta NY) 802/760-7799 thurgood246@gmail.com WISCONSIN
Phillip Metzger
Laura Paine
Norwich 607/316-4182 pmetzger17@gmail.com
Columbus 608/338-9039 (c) lkpaine@gmail.com
Ralph Corcoran
Philipp Mayer
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
Jason Virtue
Tony McQuail
Brian Wehlburg
Dolores 808/936-5749 tim@timmcgaffic.com
NEW MEXICO
Ann Adams
Mt. Pleasant, SA 61-4-2906-9001 dick@naturesequity.com.au Cooran QLD 61-4-27 199 766 jason@spiderweb.com.au
Tim McGaffic
Newport 603/863-9200 (w) seth.wilner@unh.edu
SOUTH DAKOTA
Randal Holmquist
AUSTRALIA
Dick Richardson
Buena Vista 719/221-1547 joel@paratuinstitute.com
Seth Wilner
Hazen 701/870-1184 • joshua_dukart@yahoo.com
I N T E R N AT I O N A L
Kelly Mulville
20 IN PRACTICE
MICHIGAN
Larry Dyer
Hoopa 530/625-4222 RCook.ktrcd@gmail.com
Angela Boudro
NEW HAMPSHIRE
NORTH DAKOTA
Joshua Dukart
Mid North Coast, NSW 61-0408-704-431 brian@insideoutsidemgt.com.au CANADA
Don Campbell
Meadow Lake, SK 306/236-6088 • doncampbell@sasktel.net
h March / April 2023
Edmonton, AB 780/432-5492 • noel@mcnaughton.ca 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
Pirkanmaa 358-409306406 mayer_philipp@gmx.at NAMIBIA
Usiel Seuakouje Kandjii Windhoek 264-812840426 kandjiiu@gmail.com
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
HMI’s Regen Ag School
Integrating Holistic Management® into Your Ranch or Farm Dixon Water Foundation’s Leo Ranch, Decatur, TX
Instructed by Kirk Gadzia, Wayne Knight, Casey Wade, and Philip Boyd
April 17-22, 2023
Don’t miss this rare opportunity at the award-winning Dixon Water Foundation’s Leo Ranch to gain comprehensive knowledge in Holistic Management. Learn how to create new wealth from your resources, prepare a livestock grazing plan, and strengthen your management skills for a more resilient ranch or farm. MANAGE FOR PROFIT
MANAGE FOR LAND HEALTH
MANAGE FOR PEOPLE
Register at https://bit.ly/3kIKtb1
Program and scholarship funding by Dixon Water Foundation and and L&L Nippert Charitable Foundation
HMI’s Online Courses
Live, Interactive Learning No Matter Where You Are https://holisticmanagement.org/training-programs
Holistic Financial Planning March 7 - April 18
Holistic Management® Foundation April 5 - May 17
Holistic Grazing Planning coming soon
Holistic Cropping Planning coming soon Num ber 2 08
h IN PRACTICE 21
THE MARKETPLACE
S i n c e 1 947 We’ve stood the test of time, and so do our fences!
Electra-Lock Electric Agriculture (800) 527-0990 www.twinmountainfence.com
Resource Management Services, LLC
CORRAL DESIGNS
Kirk L. Gadzia, Certified Educator PO Box 1100 Bernalillo, NM 87004 505-263-8677 kirk@rmsgadzia.com www.rmsgadzia.com
How can Kirk help you? On-Site Consulting:
All aspects of holistic management, including financial, ecological and human resources.
Ongoing Support:
Follow-up training sessions and access to continued learning opportunities and developments.
Property Assessment:
Land health and productivity assessment with recommended solutions. Pasture Scene Investigation
22 IN PRACTICE
h March / April 2023
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:
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Are you passionate about helping more producers learn how to transition to regenerative agriculture? Do you want to take your practice of Holistic Management to a whole new level and be a resource to your community? Is becoming an HMI Certified Educator or Whole Farm/ Ranch Community Trainer your next career move or an opportunity for professional development? Visit our website for more information: https://holisticmanagement.org/ce-training-program/ Email Ann Adams at anna@holisticmanagement.org
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Rangeland can provide an abundance of plant varieties for livestock nutrition. But what about the more “developed” Advanced 1 pastures and hay meadows? Soil tests from all types Soil Fertility Course of livestock producers show 95+% of all such soilsDate: do not January have the correct levels to 10 –nutrient 12, 2023 provide theTime: best nutrition for livestock. 8am – 5pm You canPrice: change $1000 that! Choose area, split it per an person and soil test both sides separately. Test your (includes meals) hay or forage from both7sides too. Treat one side as normal. Location: On the other side, correct the fertility based on soil tests using the The Hoffman Building Kinsey/Albrecht fertility program. 172 South Lime Street Test feed quality from both sides again next Quarryville, PAand17566 year. Take soil tests again treat accordingly. Depending on nutrients requirements Contact: it may take two or three years to achieve the Ag as fertility top potential.Countryside Test each year and, (717) 806-1968 needs are met, feed value and yield tend to increase for all three years. www.countrysideag@ibyfax.com Increased yields will more than pay for the investment with increased feed quality as a bonus. Prove it for yourself!
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DEVELOPMENT CORNER A Conservationist at Heart
S
tephen Williams started out as a range resource manager for the Arizona State Land Department in 1983 which led to a 31-year career with the ASLD. He then became the Section Manager in the Range Section responsible for 9.2 million acres. The last three years of his career he was Division Director of Natural Resources. It was during the time that he was Section Manager that Holistic Management hit the U.S. “Arizona ranchers were very interested in what we called HRM (Holistic Resource Management)” says Stephen. “We knew we had to get trained to interact with our lessees who wanted to Stephen Williams implement it. We developed procedures for lessees who were interested in increasing their numbers and achieving herd effect and animal impact. We would authorize an increase in carrying capacity on a temporary basis, which could be renewed every six months. “We knew that this management process was a work in progress.
For a lessee to apply for increased carrying capacity they had to have training, a current forward grazing planning chart, and a monitoring protocol. We didn’t require a particular kind of monitoring protocol. Lessees could choose their own. We were partial to a frequency protocol developed by the University of Arizona that was popular for determining trend and cover. The range resource managers in the field would participate in the monitoring with the lessee, NRCS, Cooperative Extension, and Game and Fish. Everyone was invited to attend. After the baseline data was established, photos were taken annually and the key area plots read every second or third year. “The results varied from ranch to ranch based on the lessee’s understanding and implementation of Holistic Management practices. After about four or five years not everyone was renewing their Additional AUM (Animal Unit Month) authorizations for a variety of reasons. It could be that fencing and frequent moves were too much work, the death of a lessee, or the ranch sold and the new owner wasn’t interested in Holistic Management. “We were very impressed with the increase in ground cover on one of the northern Arizona ranches using Holistic Management. They also had tremendous improvement in riparian areas on their National Forest allotment. They had a standing joke that if you are going to get into Holistic Management you had to buy a van so you can haul people around to see what you had accomplished.” Stephen said that when he was in college his main range management text was written by Stoddart and Smith. This, and other, range texts described ecosystems. What impressed Stephen about the First Edition of Holistic Resource Management was how Allan Savory not only described each ecosystem foundation block, he described how to use the tools available to turn the non-functional ecosystems into functional ecosystems. “I really liked the design of the HRM planning process,” said Stephen. “There was a rigor to it.” The grazing planning he was previously exposed to was some derivative of rest and rotation, but the forward grazing planning Allan described helped people learn the importance of herd effect, stock density and proper rest periods in a brittle environment. “He also really focused on monitoring in order to see change on the range. That is what really impressed me.”
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