#165, In Practice, January/February 2016

In Practice a publication of Holistic Management International JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2016

NUMBER 165

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

Gathering Momentum

BY ANN ADAMS

his last fall was the beginning of “conference season” and HMI was doing a lot of promotion and outreach to get the word out about Holistic Management and HMI programs. We started out at the Savory Institute Conference in San Francisco, California in October where we had a great time visiting with both long-time practitioners and educators as well as people new to the network. Conference attendees really enjoyed having the opportunity to learn about our organization and most of our promotional materials were taken by the end of the conference. The desire for tangible information and programming is of great interest to new practitioners and the Open Gate program was of great interest to them so they could meet more like-minded people in their area.

In November, we were at the Quivira Coalition Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where I received their 2015 Outstanding Leadership in the Radical Center Award for Conservation. Quivira recognizes individuals who have shown remarkable and

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Save the Date!

HMI 2016 Conference October 14-16, 2016 At the beautiful Paicines Ranch in Central California 20+ speakers

Details will be emailed soon.

To get on HMI’s email list, contact hmi@holisticmanagement.org

enduring leadership in the areas of conservation, ranching, science, and civil service. It was a great honor for me to receive that award as I have attended this conference for over 10 years and know the quality of people that they have invited to their conference and the great work they are doing, especially with their New Agrarian Program with Holistic Management practitioners like George Whitten and Julie Sullivan of San Juan Ranch and Dan James of James Ranch.

Receiving that award (and writing my acceptance speech) made me think about the changes I have seen over the last 20 years in the Holistic Management community and the sustainable agriculture movement. It was great to have time to reflect on the incredible changes that have occurred during that time and realize just how much more Holistic Management programming and outreach is out there now and how more and more people are coming to HMI to get answers to their questions (whether via phone, email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person).

With almost 10,000 Twitter followers and

Connecting young people to the land is critical for sustainable agriculture.

Just like any other species, the resilience of the community involved depends on having many different ages of that species. With 57 years old as the average farmer age, we need to do whatever we can to encourage young agrarians. Learn about a number of these young agrarians learning Holistic Management, including Jess Arnsteen on page 4.

8,000 Facebook friends, we deal with a lot of comments and questions to respond to. With greater and greater demand for our training programs and Open Gate days, we are also fielding a lot of programming questions. And, that’s great! We are here to serve this community and give people as much opportunity to learn about and take Holistic Management training as all the various conventional training that people learn about through government agencies, land grant colleges, and corporations.

We have a great pool of Certified Educators and collaborators. Our job is to keep them busy providing Holistic Management training and outreach so we can provide even more support, training, and information to an ever-growing pool of agricultural producers, land stewards, conservationists, food advocates, and donors who want to make a difference in the world.

We are excited about partnering with all of you to create healthy land, healthy food, profitable businesses, and thriving communities as this movement continues to gather momentum.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Young Agrarians

A Holistic Exploration—

Values, Decisions, and Actions

In Practice a publication of Holistic Management International

Holistic Management International exists to educate people to manage land for a sustainable future.

STAFF

Ann Adams . . . . . . . . . . . Executive Director Kelly Curtis . . . . . . . . . . . Finance and Operations Director Kathy Harris . . . . . . . . . . Program Director Peggy Cole . . . . . . . . . . . Program Manager, Texas Mary Girsch-Bock. . . . . . Development Manager Carrie Stearns. . . . . . . . . Communications & Outreach Manager Valerie Grubbs . . . . . . . . Accountant / Customer Service Assistant Julie Fierro . . . . . . . . . . . Education Manager Stephanie Von Ancken. . Programs / Office Assistant

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Danny Nuckols, Chair

Walter Lynn, Vice-Chair

Ben Bartlett Gerardo Bezanilla Kirrily Blomfield Kevin Boyer Laura Gill Guy Glosson Wayne Knight Danny Nuckols Danny Nuckols Jim Shelton Sarah Williford

HOLISTIC MANAGEMENT In Practice

(ISSN: 1098-8157) is published six times a year by: Holistic Management International 5941 Jefferson St. NE, Suite B Albuquerque, NM 87109

505/842-5252, fax: 505/843-7900; email: hmi@holisticmanagement.org.; website: www.holisticmanagement.org Copyright © 2016 Holistic Management® is a registered trademark of Holistic Management International

BY GRANT GOSS

y name is Grant Goss. I am 35, and I am a city boy. I live in Phoenix, Arizona and have since I was seven. I thought I would always be here, living what I thought was a fulfilling life in the fifth largest city in the nation.

Then I read a book. Books are dangerous. They introduce all kinds of ideas. The book I read was The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan. In this book I was introduced to a brand new (at least, new to me) way of thinking about agriculture: a way to work the land so as to actually steward it, actually cultivate it, rather than only extract from it. I wanted to learn more, actually be involved, and do this myself.

So I read more, researched, and looked for places that were stewarding their land. I found a ranch near Wickenburg, Arizona, about 2 ½ hours from my house, that was doing this. Date Creek Ranch is a place that raises and sells grass-fed beef in a way that is restorative to their land, and I asked if I could come and volunteer with them. For the next year or so I volunteered at Date Creek Ranch one day a week, getting introduced to the very elementary basics of ranching, and building a relationship with the owners there.

These owners introduced me to Holistic Management, and they put me in a position where I could find even more intensive learning experiences through internships. They introduced me to the Quivira Coalition, and they spoke for me when I found some internships that I wanted to pursue. They have also kept in contact with me over my intern experiences last summer, and they continue to be involved in my desire to pursue Holistic Management in my future.

I have been told by at least two people, although in slightly different words: “Holistic

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NEWS & NETWORK

FEATURE STORIES

A Holistic Exploration— Values, Decisions, and Actions

BY TROY BISHOPP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Untoward Acceleration

GRANT GOSS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

The Personal Holistic Goal— Turning Vision into Reality

JESS BROOKS ARNSTEEN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Holistic Management Provides Beginning Women Farmers with Whole Farm Planning

TANYA MOYER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Raven Lukehart Scholarships for Training the Next Generation of Farmers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

2 IN PRACTICE

Management is a decision-making process, not a prescribed way to act.” I am guilty of pigeonholing Holistic Management into a particular action, namely a grazing method, and I don’t even own any livestock!

I’ve tried to wrap my head around using Holistic Management in my own life since I don’t have any livestock, and it never quite fit. But that was because I didn’t understand. I think, based on my interactions with a few different ranchers and hearing them talk, I am not the only one to do this. I keep hearing about how many older ranchers are now turned off by any talk of grazing related to Holistic Management because they have either ruined their land, or seen others ruin land, by focusing on the action only and not using it as a decision-making process. The actual practice of Holistic Management may be vastly different from practitioner to practitioner. Value statements are what make the differences.

That became clear to me last summer in my internships. I was at the McAuliffe Ranch in Raton, New Mexico for six weeks, then I went to the Ranney Ranch near Corona, New Mexico for the next 3 months. There were some differences, but one of the main goals for both of them is to steward the land responsibly. I saw that there are multiple ways to go about this goal that that are equally legitimate depending on management’s values. One of the values stated for the McAuliffe Ranch management team is to work the cattle in a way that preserves and continues the cowboy tradition, so we rode horseback among the cattle every day, rounded them up horseback, branded with literal fire and irons in a pasture corner instead of pens. We worked the way cowboys worked.

At the Ranney Ranch, one of their values is to

From the Board Chair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

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

Development Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

LAND & LIVESTOCK

Flying B Bar Ranch— A New Adventure in Grassfed Beef

HEATHER SMITH THOMAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

The Real Ranch— Grassfed Beef and Sheep

HEATHER SMITH THOMAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

January / February 2016

Certified Educators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Book Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

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

restore the land by any means available, so we drove to the cattle in feed trucks in order to get to other projects, did multiple improvements on the ranch, and fired brush piles. We worked all over the ranch to improve it in ways that didn’t always directly involve cattle.

I know that there are other factors that played into these differences, too. McAuliffe is mostly hills and grassland, with some mountains and mesas in the near distance. On the other hand, Ranney is much rockier, with a lot of juniper trees, and instead of having hills on the ranch there are steep, rocky mesas. Maybe it is because I am new to ranching, but those differences were not as arresting to me. They didn’t make me stop and consider, the way the specific differences in practice did. So I had to reflect on why, and what that meant for me, and I came to a conclusion. Taking the time to purposefully consider and define values has implications not just in ranching, but for all of life.

Let me explain… no, let me sum up. When I was at McAuliffe, their approach to cattle was awesome. It seemed to me like the best way to go about ranching, and I decided that when I ranch, that is how I want to do it. Then when I went to Ranney, I saw that they have a totally different way of doing things; it works excellently and they get amazing results, and now I’m not so sure about my previous conclusion. In considering these real-life, tangible examples I realized that if values aren’t defined thoughtfully, everything may seem like the best idea (or worst idea), and decisions will be made according to someone else’s values. There will be no consistent process for coming to conclusions on what to do or how to live. I must simply be slow, but seeing how different values so influence the same exact action (ranching) makes me actually

Grant Goss riding the pastures.

understand the general importance of defining and understanding values, and how they will impact decisions.

I know that I make decisions according to my values all the time. In fact, when my wife and I decided that I would intern this summer, it was very much a value-driven decision. By the date I was to leave she would be 3 months pregnant, in Phoenix, Arizona, all summer long, alone in our house. That is a daunting proposition for a first-time mother with a husband that will be over eight hours away.

When we told people our decision there were plenty of raised eyebrows, lots of questions, and some attempts to discourage us from following through with it.

Although to be fair, we had a few people who were extremely encouraging.

Regardless of reactions, we had made up our mind because we realized that our value (though we didn’t put those words to it) was to get an introduction to ranching as quickly as possible. It was going to be either now or in a couple of years, whenever raising the child would allow us.

We wanted to make it possible to move out of the city and get a job that would eventually lead to our goal (land management) Grant (right) calculating available feed with Joseph Ranney

quickly if we found the opportunity, and we figured this was our first step. Even though my (and my wife’s) values weren’t fully defined or written out, we still managed to act according to them. But in order to consistently decide and act according to our values, it will be necessary to define and write them down.

This is how I am beginning to understand that Holistic Management is a decision-making process, not a prescribed way to act – values lead to decisions. Holistic Management simply uses a process to keep those values in mind while working through decisions. It isn’t a way to graze cattle; it is a way to make decisions consistent with my values. I like the idea of my family living and making decisions consistent with our own values, not randomly taking what momentarily seems best or valuable and allowing that to shape our lives. The values that we will define for ourselves are only the beginning of getting my family on track with Holistic Management decision-making. The next part will be for us to start understanding how to create a holistic goal, then we will be able to implement the tests in our decision making. Since beginning to actually comprehend the value of consistent decision making, I’ve begun my journey to real implementation of Holistic Management. It will take time and thought, and hopefully it will eventually include livestock.

Grant Goss lives in the greater Phoenix area. His email is goss.grant@gmail.com Number 165

IN PRACTICE 3

The Personal Holistic Goal—

Turning Vision into Reality

BY JESS BROOKS ARNSTEEN

n late summer of 2009, I visited my friend Laura Parker and her parents Jim and Carol at their home ranch south of Montrose, Colorado. They informed me of a new grant opportunity from HMI for the purpose of teaching young adults its foundations. Being a Colorado College (CC) senior at the time, I couldn’t walk away from a pile of funds earmarked for my education and that of my peers. Together with Laura and Juna Muller, we submitted the proposal to HMI, and we were thrilled when it was granted. Using the funds, we scheduled a three-part series in 2010 for CC students interested in agriculture and holistic planning.

The series accommodated 25 students, and we visited Katie Belle Miller’s Heritage Belle Farm for an introduction to Holistic Management. Next, Ann Adams taught a financial planning workshop on the Colorado College campus. Finally a group of eight devout grantees journeyed to George Whitten’s Blue Range Ranch for a hands-on look at Holistic Management in action. We spent the next day as professional intensive graziers, moving 300+ newly calved pairs to fresh grass, monitoring range land for ground cover, and reviewing paddock grazing charts and animal units per acre conversions.

I graduated that year with a degree in History and Philosophy, having also successful completed an Introduction to Holistic Management. Meanwhile, my work-share relationship with Doug Wiley of Larga Vista Dairy and concurrent backyard vegetable garden business prepared me, in a practical sense, for the role of managing a 115-acre ranch for a family in Fort Collins, Colorado where I practiced herd management, rotational grazing and planning. This was also where I first took the time to carefully articulate my own holistic goal. Inspired by changing circumstances on the ranch and my recent studies of the Holistic Management tools and framework, I was able to concisely sum up what I wanted out of my life. I wrote this Personal Holistic Goal in November 2011: I want to enjoy life and live closely to the earth, the sky and the seasons. I want to eat exceptionally well, and I want to be directly involved in raising my own food right outside my door. I want to help reconnect people to the earth. I want to create, and turn good ideas into

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4 IN PRACTICE

tangible realities. I want to always be passionate and collaborate with other passionate people.

Going through old files last winter, I was awed by how accurately the statement describes my life today. My words have come true in every respect!

It was as if I had painted a picture of my future life, and then stepped into it; almost like I had written my own job description and hired myself. In reality, Tim Thornhill – owner of Parducci Winery in Mendocino County, California – hired me to run his vineyard’s biodynamic program and create a farm on the adjoining 15-acre parcel.

The organic farm’s orchard, vegetable garden, pigs, sheep, and laying hens now provide the winery’s 60 employees with produce, meat, and eggs. In its three years of operation, Parducci’s farm has hosted over 500 local students from preschool to college.

Together with a talented and passionate team, I have developed a series of events, such as the Parducci Crush Rush 5K which builds community and raises thousands of dollars annually for school gardens and nutrition education. Outside my back door is a field of Petite Sirah grapes, the county’s oldest winery, and a fully diversified ranch with yearround production nearing zero material inputs.

It’s not only remarkable that my holistic goal has come true; it’s perhaps even more notable that the goals which have not come true are the ones I didn’t write down. There is a saying that goes, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll probably end up somewhere else.” Sure enough, the areas I did not address in my initial iteration of a personal holistic goal – finances, romance, family, and travel – have been underserved.

This is an important lesson inherent to Holistic Management. First, if we can’t measure or observe it, we can’t change it. Second, any goal or plan must be consistently monitored, reassessed, revised, and supplemented if not altogether rewritten.

In my case, I don’t need to rewrite my current goal; I need to update it and enhance it. I have verbally expressed and begun acting

January / February 2016

on my goals for finance and travel. I have launched a second career as a real estate professional specializing in ranch, vineyard, and commercial properties. I have made space in my schedule to travel between my current home of Mendocino County and my family home in Colorado. I have taken steps to progress as a ranch management consultant and Holistic Management practitioner, mediator and educator.

Still, I don’t believe that these ventures will fit seamlessly into my whole until I take the time to write them into my “master plan.” As we begin to achieve the goals we set for ourselves, it is essential that we continue to dream up (and write down) new ones, while making honest assessments of past goals. It is our life’s work to progress, assess, and build on our progress. I, for one, have a lot of work to do.

I owe a big “thank you!” to Ann, Katie, and George for their valuable on- and off-farm lessons, and am ever grateful to Laura, Carol, and Jim for introducing me to the idea and people behind Holistic Management.

Finally, thank you to Allan Savory for making the difficult choice to plan, act, monitor and re-plan, and by doing so, build a sensible and practicable framework for all types of planning, decision-making, and management.

Through this framework, I have found that those willing to create a plan for achieving what they want from life, monitor the outcomes of that plan in action, and honestly assess and revise that plan, can and will achieve extraordinary results.

Jess Arnsteen can be reached at: jessarnsteen@gmail.com.

Holistic Management Provides Beginning Women Farmers with Whole Farm Planning

BY TANYA MOYER

here are many tools that a farmer needs when he or she is starting out; seeds, livestock, equipment – the list goes on and on. But those physical tools are only one side of farming. Three years ago, I left “traditional” employment and took on the task of building a small, sustainable farm on land that had not been farmed since the 1990’s.

Livestock at Mulligan Creek Acres My partner, Ancel, worked construction, so we had funds to live on while I worked on defining our values and developing quality of all of nature functions in wholes. This means developing Mulligan Creek Acres. Like every life statements. that all aspects must be taken into account other beginning farmer, we needed structures, One of the foundation tools of Holistic when making a decision, as you cannot change fencing, equipment, livestock, feed, business Management is the decision making process. one thing without impacting something else. A plan, marketing models, the list was never This process, known as “testing your second principle is that you must also ending. It is certainly easy to feel defeated decisions,” focuses on asking yourself a series when faced with a laundry list of decisions to be understand your environment. The practices of of seven questions.

The testing questions serve Holistic Management focus on defining what made, a large capital investment plus the onas a tool in informed decision making. It you manage, stating what you want, aiming for going operating funds and health of your continues to be based on the premise that all of healthy soil, considering all tools available to livestock, soil or plants. nature functions in wholes and it questions if you, and testing your decisions and monitoring While doing research for the farm, I came your action is in line with the triple bottom line – your results. upon a listing for “Holistic Management’s environmental, social and financial and is it Often in farming, I find that people focus on Beginning Women Farmer Program.” I didn’t moving you closer to your holistic goal. The what they don’t have or can’t afford. We were feel like a beginning farmer, as growing up my triple bottom line is always taken into tasked to create our resource inventory. This is family always had livestock as had Ancel’s consideration when making decisions on our family. Yet there was a draw for me to reach out a mindful compilation of all of our assets and farm. How will my decision impact the animals resources – tools, technology, land, people, and find out more about Holistic Management. animals, skills/creativity or money. I found there and the land? Is this decision in line with my After doing research online, I was even holistic goal, my vision and values? Am I to be great power in the acknowledgment of all more intrigued and decided to fill out an of the resources that you have available to you. comfortable with the source of money that I application. I was accepted to the program and am using or borrowing? Through this process A resource inventory is a valuable tool when began class one cold November day. It was a you gain the realization that you cannot make you are brainstorming potential enterprises and class filled with approximately 20 other women a decision without impacting something or of all ages and backgrounds, 4 female mentors, opportunities. In addition to the resource someone else. While learning about inventory, we set out to create our holistic goal: 2 instructors, and a program coordinator. an overarching goal of our farm, which included decision making and testing your decisions, Opening the classroom door that day was the we also learned about best move I have ever made time management. for my farm.

The topics then moved to There wasn’t a lot of time focus on increasing the spent on perfunctory overall profitability of the conversation, we got right farm, creating a whole farm down to work. We started to financial plan and enterprise work on a real life farming budgeting. We learned to scenario and began develop “enterprise budgets,” brainstorming opportunities accounting for all aspects of and enterprises. This was our the cost of production for a introduction to Holistic single enterprise. The course Management. Our class went curriculum taught how to plan from November to May, for profit. This method meeting a couple of Saturdays strategically plans upfront for on month, taking on new your profit instead of the topics at each class.

Holistic Management Holistic Management Land Planning & Infrastructure class held at CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 functions on the principle that Mulligan Creek Acres.

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IN PRACTICE 5

Holistic Management Provides Beginning Women Farmers With Whole Farm Planning continued from page five

traditional model of taking whatever funds remain as profit.

As winter went on, course delved into creating marketing plans, working on the basics of business planning, leadership and communication skills. All lessons were building blocks as each session built on the one before it, always keeping in mind, “how to test our decisions” and looking at that the “triple bottom line.”

Finally, as spring broke, we ventured out to farms and learned about land and infrastructure planning, improving land health with livestock and soil building, soil fertility basics and environmental impacts. These classes offered hands on opportunities which led to more impressionable experiences.

The ten sessions resulted in a well-rounded

whole farm planning educational experience.

Yet, this was not the only take away from Holistic Management’s Beginning Women Farmer Program. We were assigned mentors from the first session that guided us and supported us through the entire program. Our mentors and the state program coordinator, Sarah Williford, connected to us via email, phone and farm visits to offer every tool to support us on our path to becoming successful farmers. Program instructors are certified through Holistic Management and come from backgrounds in agriculture, Cornell Cooperative Extension and Resource Conservation & Development.

The program offers the opportunity for a solid foundation for all that choose to participate. Program sessions offer a way for

new farmers to build confidence, knowledge, skills and commit to their own values and goals.

Women work together in sessions and form lasting friendships as a result.

Nearly three years later, as a graduate of the program, I now serve as a program mentor to women. The opportunities afforded to me as a result of the skills and knowledge that I gained during Holistic Management has served to better myself, my family, and Mulligan Creek Acres. The farm has grown every year without incurring any debts, our soils are rich and improving every season, and we move closer to our holistic goal with every decision made.

Tanya Moyer is the principle farmer of Mulligan Creek Acres, which focuses on purebred Berkshire pigs and pastured poultry in Montgomery County, New York. She can be reached at info@mulligancreekacres.com. This article first appeared in the Small Farm Quarterly and is used by permission.

Raven Lukehart—

Scholarships for Training the Next Generation of Farmers aven Lukehart first learned about Holistic Management when she attended Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. Raven took to the concept right away, because of the style in which she was brought up in agriculture. Raven grew up just outside of Davis, California, in a very rural area where her family raised meat birds in the orchard. Holistic Management took practices they were already doing and thinking about and gave them more understanding on how to utilize both their tools and their land.

During Raven’s time in the class at Cal Poly, she approached Rob Rutherford, a Holistic Management Certified Educator, and asked him about scholarships and other possible opportunities in Holistic Management. Rob recommended Raven for the Terry Gompert Memorial Scholarship, which was created to honor long-time Holistic Management Certified Educator, Terry Gompert. Raven would be the first recipient of the scholarship.

Rob felt that Raven was a good candidate, since she and her husband, Jake, live and work on their farm, Avila Valley Barn in San Luis Obispo. Their farm has a variety of row crops, orchards, animals, and encourages community involvement. They sell their product at their own market right on the property. They also have a bakery, ice cream shop, and deli, with all

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enterprises run by family members. The property is surrounded by a creek and wooded hillside, that offers the biodiversity that many farms lack. Raven felt that with their farm came a huge responsibility in how they farmed and managed their land.

Jake came from a fairly conventional farming background, so he decided it would be best if he took the class with her. They both felt that Jake could use Holistic Management to help him take his huge amount of experience and really run a business. “I think that is the biggest importance of Holistic Management in our lives,” says Raven. “There are so many ways out there to run a farm OR run a business.

We needed to run a farm and a business.”

Raven and Jake wanted to grow a great product and make money doing it.

Without making money, they could not stay where they were at and manage the land properly. The Holistic Management framework gave Raven and Jake the ability to enhance their experience, further their education, and later adapt Holistic Management practices. “We

January / February 2016

Raven and Jake Lukehart-Smith are starting to plan for profit by assessing everything we do; getting creative and pushing harder on our enterprises,” says Raven. In the near future, Raven and Jake will be increasing the productivity of their land by grazing their crop residue and orchards. They readily agree that Holistic Management has brought their family closer together with a united future and goal. “And most importantly,” says Raven, “the future looks much brighter for our farm.”

To learn more about the Gompert Scholarship Fund call 505/842-5252 or go to: http://holisticmanagement.org/terry-gompertmemorial-scholarship-fund/

and I could also see it on my grazing chart but kept thinking (obviously not that clearly), that it

BY TROY BISHOPP would rain soon and all would be good.

In my head, I had to save the home farm’s forage for winter grazing, couldn’t destock the main herd and couldn’t really add acres to the ack in 1959, French Agronomist and successful mentor? Was he just overwhelmed system. My only “forced” option was to use a rotational grazing visionary, André from a drought and his decision-making fertility poor paddock and do some Voisin, warned farmers in his book, compromised? All questions that are still supplemental feeding to add rest to the other Grass Productivity, that “untoward relevant today if you’re in that situation. paddocks. As a contract grazier, this cost me acceleration” was the greatest danger to So what happened to me? We use a rental rational grazing practitioners. You would think farm to graze our main herd of dairy heifers and money, this cost me time, this will cost me 15 days of winter grazing since I will have to bring someone who has read one of the bibles of a 90 day grazing herd on our home farm so them back home sooner. This also taxes my grazing management wouldn’t go down that they will be shipped back to their owner in self-esteem but is valuable for learning. laneway. It seems my complacency and August. This strategy allows our place to build Then there’s Voisin’s nugget playing out in optimism that it would rain, overshadowed the stockpiled grass for 60 days before our frost your head, “The practice of grazing must be fact that I was about to hit the proverbial wall. date (October 10th), so we can extend our flexible. It is very rare if not exceptional, for Running into walls usually hurt. grazing season into winter. Rain is paramount paddocks to have the capability to be grazed in Untoward acceleration is a description of for this to all work. I’ll say it was unintended the same order and have the same rest what happens when paddocks are not rested consequences in allowing the rental farm to be periods”. Duh!! Looking back, I should have: long enough between grazings. Each over-grazed.

Maintained proper pasture residuals (>4") subsequent grazing of the paddock and not mown closely in late July; provides less forage and the regrowth monitored rainfall and intervened earlier; period gets shorter throughout the and had a better back-up strategy which grazing season until most of the plants should have included another set of eyes. are overgrazed and there is little or no Cowboy logic says, "Experience is feed left. This is bad for soil health, something you don't get until just after plants, animals, water infiltration and you need it." In my case, I need some your wallet. Voisin rightly said, “The reminding now and then. This doesn’t grazier blames the summer for his diminish the fact that this situation is real failure but should blame himself.” for many farmers making all their living off In the bowels of grazing grass-based enterprises. Nothing is more management, no one wants to admit poignant than being hit in the wallet. they are heading towards an The Ah ha moment in discussing my unsustainable future, least of all the ineptness here and opening up the wound grass whispering hypocrite. I’m good of scrutiny to the dangers of untoward with taking the blame. They say if you acceleration, came from an infrared make mistakes, you’ll learn more. I temperature gauge. Upon setting the should be a genius by now! It is beam on my over-grazed sward, it apparent from my travels there are registered an amazing 104 degrees. This many of you who have already wrecked temperature stops biological processes or are approaching the safety fence which are at the backbone of my goals and I’m truly sorry you are experiencing and that of my next generation’s resource. such a fate.

When the gauge panned over some thick From Voisin’s interactions with other vegetation, it read 55 degrees and the farmers, we are in good company. The biology was evidently working. respected president of a farmer’s These simple tests have screamed federation in France confided in Voisin Untoward acceleration overshadows the dangers of grazing loud and clear how grass management that every year he was forced to speed too short in the growing season. (our big brains) can improve or hinder up the movement of the stock, from the the regeneration of our land and water beginning of July onwards to the middle holding capacity. Who knew the danger Mr. of August, which essentially left him with no We were doing fine on the rental farm with grass. The “forced” statement is the thing that abundant rain and grass in June and even early Voisin warned us about back in the fifties and proved how to solve it, could save a planet resonates with me. What did he mean?

July, but the spigot turned off around July 20th today. I’m certainly looking forward to Was he out of options financially and with sporadic tenths of moisture. Couple this accelerating my grazing knowledge and environmentally? Was he overstocked or had with a close mowing to alleviate some of the too few paddocks to manage the forage multi-flora rose plants and you have a recipe for ability so I don’t fall prey to another untoward experience. effectively? Did he need to practice better disaster. Just like Andre was saying, I went monitoring and management of all the from 32 days of recovery, down to 23 days and resources at his disposal? Was he too proud or then to 21 days because there was less grass.

The piece was first published in Country stubborn to ask for help or work with a Folks (http://countryfolks.com/) I could see the plants faltering with each bite

Untoward Acceleration

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Flying B Bar Ranch—

A New Adventure in Grassfed Beef

BY HEATHER SMITH THOMAS

by keeping heifers. Our goal was to raise/sell grassfed beef, so we became members of the American Grassfed Association (AGA). Not long after we joined I was asked to be on the national board of the AGA. Along the way we also pursued Animal Welfare Approved certification, which we received 3 years ago.”

The herd numbers 135 today. “We are still a small operation, but growing. We serve a market in the Denver area. Our ranch is only about 40 miles east of Denver, so we have quite a few buyers from that metropolitan area. In the fall/early winter we are very busy doing beef pickups. We typically slaughter just once a year, but this year we are starting twice-a-year processing,” Brad says.

Their beef is processed at Atlas Beef (in Fort Collins) which is one of just two Animal Welfare Approved slaughtering facilities in Colorado.

“They have done a great job for us. We worked with a mobile unit in the past, our preferred method, but this custom slaughter outfit has not been able to keep enough business to stay afloat. Even though we are willing to pay extra for this service, there are not enough people using mobile units to make them viable. So, we haul the cattle to Fort Collins, and it’s not ideal because this is the only time the animals are ever in a trailer.”

The Buchanans prefer not to put that kind of stress on the animals.

rad and Margaret Buchanan bought their ranch near Strasburg, Colorado in 2006. “Neither one of us had a ranching background. I’m an architect by trade and now the planning director for the city and county of Denver. Planning, suburban design and architecture are my background,” Brad says.

“I’ve lived in Colorado for more than 30 years and have always been interested in sustainability. Margaret does acupressure, Reiki and energy work in animals. She also does equine, bovine and canine massage for high performance sports animals. It was a natural progression for us to want to farm and ranch. We bought this place so we could work with animals, and it has been a working experiment to figure out how to manage all the pressures of the double life we live,” he says.

“We are still figuring out what size operation makes sense for us, as we learn to be competent ranchers and handle the animals at calving, medical issues, building and maintaining and expanding our operation.

We had to learn how to work with equipment, operate it, repair it, etc., because before we bought the ranch I had never even driven a tractor before,” he says.

The second year they had the ranch, Brad bought 22 pregnant cows. “We knew we wanted to raise grassfed beef and manage the ecosystem of the ranch holistically. We didn’t know entirely what that meant, but we were willing to learn.

We love to learn, love learning new things, and being connected to Nature and animals. It’s been a very intense experience and an incredible adventure,” he says.

“In the last 8 years we’ve become competent farmers/ranchers. We The Flying B Bar Ranch is located just east of Denver with lots of opportunity to tap into the bought our first cows at an grassfed beef market auction and grew the herd

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Grassfed Genetics

The Buchanans’ cows are Angus, bred to Wagyu bulls. “The Wagyu is a very mellow animal, compared with Angus. We really like the cross. The calves are small and born easily, then the milk from the Angus dam kicks in and the calves grow fast. This was our first year of slaughtering the Angus/Wagyu cross and our average hanging weight for the group we processed was only one pound off of last year’s Angus calves, at the exact same time.” He thought

there might be a drop in weight with the Wagyu influence because they are smaller animals, but the hybrid vigor and milk from the cows made up for it.

“We are really pleased with this cross. We use 2 Wagyu bulls in our herd and the cows are bred by natural service. Our goal is to get up to 300 head total, which would include 100 mamas, 100 yearlings and 100 calves,” says Brad. The goal is to harvest 100 head per year.

Unfair Advantage

“A lot of our grazing program came from listening to the gentleman we bought the ranch from, Charles Robbins. He still has a house in this area. And though he is mostly retired, he comes out here quite a bit, ever since we bought this place. He has been very helpful in The cattle at the Flying B Bar Ranch are very tame, not only due to some Waygu genetics, expanding our understanding about how hard we should but also the massages they get from Margaret. or shouldn’t graze a certain pasture. He has been a great mentor for me,” Brad says.

“Our place may not look like a good spot for running cattle because fragile.” Driving over it once might be too much and you’d have a road there is a wide variety of different terrain, but those areas produce instead of a pasture. different kinds of grasses that work nicely for different times of year. We “I am hopeful that we can start to see a change after this last year of have several miles of creek bottom on the property and even though it’s moisture, hoping we are coming out of the drought. Everything has to be not a stream that runs on the surface, it runs underneath. So there is a lot handled differently when you are in a drought. Things are so much of riparian habitat with cottonwood trees and other brush. The grass in simpler when Mother Nature is helping us. Just this last year, with all the that area does very well quite early in the season; we can have cows moisture and being able to grow great crops, in just one year the weed grazing on the creek bottom before the first of June,” he explains. reduction in those fields was 10 times better than what I was able to do By midsummer when the warm season grasses flourish, they tend to during the previous 7 years.

It was a quantum leap, thanks to decent do better on the old flood plain that is higher than the creek bottom and moisture,” he says. runs east and west of it. “These pastures have crested wheat and some “When we bought the place we put in a holding pond for irrigation. We other introduced species and the cattle do well on those areas for a while. drilled a deep well for water and put in a hose-reel sprinkler system to Then in late summer, when the cool season grasses come back (but not irrigate alfalfa. But it was so dry that the water from this well couldn’t keep as thickly as in the spring), we bring the cattle back in but don’t leave up without some help from Mother Nature. We eventually got rid of the them there as long. We move them around and let them capture the best sprinkler, and recently bought some pipe so we can do some flood of the green regrowth while it lasts, moving them quickly before we irrigation,” says Brad. He just leased his first pivot-irrigated ground for overgraze it,” he says. farming next summer.

In the winter, the cattle are fed hay. “We raise all of our own hay— Allan Savory came to their place this past summer to give a day-long alfalfa, sorghum, sudangrass, and sometimes oats. We also have some grass hay that we put up on shares for some other folks. The cattle are on seminar. There were about 100 people attending, and some from the Savory Institute. “It was very interesting to spend some time with him and pasture year round but are given hay if they need it during winter.” chat, and have him walk around the place. He asked me what I wanted Three pastures have access to feed bunks, and the cattle are fed in and what I would like to change. If you are a grassfed producer and doing those bunks. “They can wander in and eat at the feed bunks or I can take it right, I think what you are really doing is raising grass, not beef.” A the bale processor out to the pasture and drop some feed out there. It all person is simply marketing their grass via the cattle. depends on the winter and weather. I do like feeding them up close, “We’d had those drought years and it was fascinating to hear what however, because we have the feed bunks and heated stock tanks here other people had to say, talking about different scenarios. Even when we and that way we can see them all every day and get a good look at them,” had dry years we got great proliferation of cheat grass early and late in he says. the season. Even though you won’t be baling it, and it’s not a high protein grass after it matures, it is what saved us for grass during those years.

Dealing with Drought Then this year when we got rain, there was less cheat grass and more of the native grass,” he says.

“In terms of Holistic Management, we are just starting some “What I have learned and my little bit of advice to other ranchers is not experiments to see if we can increase the intensity of our grazing and to hold on too strongly to any preconceived notion about what we think when, and how much. We are moving very slowly with this because the success should look like in terms of pasture management. The answer plains here in Colorado are a very fragile landscape. This past year we shows up if you are paying attention to the animals and the grass. If you had great moisture, but the previous 7 years were very dry. We had to be do the right thing to support it, this will work out. We never skipped a beat so careful in what we did, and be delicate in our pasture management regarding how we grazed the animals and for how long. We even had to be careful where we drove on the land with a vehicle, because it was so CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 Number 165

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A New Adventure in Grassfed Beef continued from page nine

through the whole drought even though I was worried at times about how we were going to do it,” Brad says.

“I think it all worked out because we didn’t overgraze any pastures.

We leased more ground, and this allowed us to increase our herd. We made some good decisions that solved the pasture situation as we needed it.” It’s often a case of learning things as you go along.

In Tune with Animals

Margaret says Brad is the “make it happen” person and she is better in dealing with the animals. “This is my contribution to the team effort. I do large and small animal acupressure, massage and energy work; I am a Reiki master. One of the things that make what we are doing a little bit unique is the fact that neither of us grew up doing this,” she says. It’s been an adventure, and they’ve enjoyed it.

“It’s been fun, as well as a steep learning curve, but we didn’t have any old ideas holding us back. We started out by thinking about what kind of beef would we want to eat. The second component is that we are both animal lovers. There was never any question about how we would treat and handle them,” says Margaret.

“Brad works in town during the week and I’m here by myself because our place is not quite big enough to have a ranch hand. I just jumped in, and do whatever I can do to help with calving, doctoring, etc. I don’t shy away from any of this and it gives me an opportunity to work with the animals. When you develop a rapport and relationship with them they learn to trust you and this makes everything easier,” she says.

“I have not seen enough of other operations to know if what we do is different, except that when the brand inspector came out before we took our latest group for processing, she was dumbfounded at how gentle our cattle are. She sees hundreds of cows each day and said ours were so calm and mellow. They are curious and come up to a person. One came up to me while we were talking and lowered his head in front of me. I started massaging his head and along his ear and the brand inspector chuckled. She said that when a cow lowers its head at her like that, she would quickly get out of the way! But part of this is reading the energy of the animal. If I see one lower its head with intent to come at me, I would know it. They have a good language of their own and you just need to be tuned in,” says Margaret.

A lot of the cows, especially when they are pregnant, like to walk up to her for a massage. “I massage the spine and various parts of their body and it makes them relax and feel good. Every year I am getting more repeat customers! They walk up to me and present the part of their body that they want massaged. Several of them will let me work on just about any part of their body, and they don’t even twitch. Often when you lightly touch them, their skin twitches a little (as they would do to shake off a fly), but some of our cows don’t even blink an eye,” she says.

“They are all interested, but some are more interested than others and will let me work with them. Over time this has helped us gain their trust.

With the exception of maybe 5 of the cows, I can handle their newborn calf with them standing right next to me without being upset or nervous. If I need to clear a teat, they don’t have to be in a headcatch; they trust me,” she explains.

“I don’t take this for granted, however. I work hard at the relationship with the cows and my horses, dogs and cats. My background is medical.

I worked as a medical technologist in a hospital and then worked for a while at Abbot Laboratories, and then for a Fortune 100 company in sales for 11 years or so. My background lends itself to part of the skill set 10

Land & Livestock

January / February 2016

The Buchanons weren’t even going to raise cattle when they bought the Flying B Bar Ranch, but they came to understand the importance of the land being grazed and wanted to raise beef they could be feel good about.

I need out here,” she says.

As Brad notes, “For us, it’s all about the treatment of the animals and being in tune with them. This tells us what we need to know about what we are doing. We keep close track of their condition and how the animals act and react. They have been our best teacher. Farming/ranching is not something we’ve been doing for a long time. We are only in our 8th year and this is something that can take a lifetime to build expertise. My wife Margaret is very tuned in with the cattle, however, and has a sixth sense about animals of all sorts. She can tell how they are doing and when there is something off. This is the key to everything we do—making sure we are in tune with the animals.”

The Family Team

Family is a big part of this family ranch. “I am usually here taking care of the cattle on my own on a daily basis, except my son Will helps out with the heavy lifting when he gets home from school,” says Margaret.

“He is 15 and a junior in high school. He can drive and handle any of the farm equipment, and also has a calm, good way with the animals.

“I don’t know what he’ll want to do in life. He may study some kind of engineering. He has thought about agricultural engineering but he’s not sure yet. He loves it here. It’s good for kids to grow up on a farm or ranch because they learn how to work, and how to be part of a team effort, and innovative. He’s always ready to work and pitch in. In the summer when he’s not in school he works hard putting up hay, taking care of animals, fixing fences, digging ditches—whatever needs to be done.”

Their daughter Grace is a senior and is going off to college next fall.

“Hopefully she will be somewhere close around here. She likes the horses but is mainly a cat person. We moved out here from the city when she was in 8th grade. She liked it for a couple years, but I think she’s more of a city girl. It’s really interesting, because she was the one who kept saying, ‘Why don’t we just sell our house in town and move out to the ranch?’ But after two years she found that she wasn’t that happy out here; she’s very social.

She helps around the ranch, but prefers to be busier. It’s a good life here, however, and very satisfying for us,” says Margaret.

“Brad runs the show, but I am the nurturer. We make a compatible team. We all work together on every project—on whatever needs to happen. I don’t know if our kids will want to continue this. Our son might, if he appreciates the way we are doing it, trying to make it sustainable.

We are thinking not just about the animals and the outcome (the money on the other end of it), but also about how the land is treated in the

want to run cows?’ We said we didn’t think so because we didn’t know anything about that.”

Within a year, however, they changed their minds. “It was almost like the land spoke to us and showed us it needed to be grazed. The next thing I knew Brad was off to the auction to buy cows. We weren’t even living here yet; we hadn’t moved from our house in Denver. He came home late afternoon that January day and it was getting dark, and had 11 pregnant cows that were due in a week, plus 5 more that had calves at side about 3 months old. I came leaping out of my seat wondering if we had water for them, or hay. It was a huge learning experience,” she says.

Within a 10 days Close to Nature those 11 cows had “Many friends of calved. “Everything ours who live in went well and I Denver shake their thought, ‘wow, this heads and wonder wasn’t so bad!’ how in the world we because we didn’t made such a huge know a thing about change. Some calving. We didn’t wonder how we can have a single calving live out here at the problem that year. end of a 7 mile road The second year with nobody around, was a little different— and with all these with twins, a breech animals. But I love it. birth, etc. so it was a Many wild animals learning experience. live here and I think Some lessons have The Flying B Bar Ranch has a variety of cool- and warm-season grasses which helps with the they feel our respect been more painful Buchanon’s have a good mix of green growing feed throughout the growing season. also. They are than others, but it’s definitely not afraid. all been really good,” We have bald eagles she says. nesting here, great horned owls flying everywhere, many deer, etc.

“It amazes me how this type of life draws you so closely to nature, the Everything seems to mix well. Even our barn cats do pretty well, even earth, and the cycle of everything. I am tired at the end of every day though we lose a few occasionally,” says Margaret. because I work hard, but it feels really good.” It’s a satisfying kind of tired “This is a very satisfying way of life. I feel like this is a peaceful, because you know you’ve accomplished something. respecting haven. We treat it as such, even though many of our friends “The more we are out here, the more I understand the people who live don’t understand. We used to live in a huge house in Denver and now out here. When you grow up in the city you don’t really understand.” After we’re in a little farmhouse built in 1906. It was a bit challenging, with only being here awhile, priorities changed. Things that were earlier important one bathroom and a teenage daughter,” she says. no longer seem very important. The animals and taking care of them take “We realized we didn’t really need that much space. It was good to be precedence over the little things that seemed so able to show our kids that change can be a good thing. There are a lot of important earlier. things to be learned through change; we grow when we experience After rescuing a nearly frozen calf one morning, kneeling in the frozen changes. It was a new adventure. To people who want to do it, I tell them manure, dragging the calf into the bathroom in the barn to warm it up, she they just need to pull the trigger and go for it. You don’t have to know realized she needed a heat lamp and went to town to buy one. “There I everything. We didn’t grow up in this way of life but we’ve learned it, with am, standing in the feed store, and looked down at myself with manure all enthusiasm, as we went along,” she says. over me, and I realized my priorities had changed. It’s not important what “We’ve had the help from some great mentors and really appreciate people wear or how they look. Hard-working people don’t worry about that help, but there’s nothing like hands-on learning. The greatest help those things. I remember thinking, ‘I have arrived!’ I hadn’t even given a came from the people we bought the ranch from. Charles and Pat thought about anything except getting a heat lamp to save that calf, doing Robbins have been fantastic. They became close friends and are always what needed to be done,” she says. willing to answer questions, jump in and help us, or suggest better ways “One of our customers was picking up her beef recently and said I to do things—and we are eager to listen,” Margaret says. looked really familiar. She is from Denver and asked if I shopped at such“They had good times here and are pleased that we are continuing on and-such high end store, and I told her, no, I don’t shop anymore. I don’t with their ranch. We didn’t originally intend to run livestock here. When we have time for that, and there’s no need. I love our different lifestyle now first came here we thought we were going to train hunting dogs. We put in and don’t think I could ever move back into the city. It’s a more natural a 3-acre pond for birds. Charles and Pat said, ‘Are you sure you don’t pace out here, and I can breathe!” process. We have to keep in mind what’s best for the land, the grazing management, etc. I think our son appreciates the things we are doing here, and he’s learning—for his generation—how to work with animals and help save the planet at the same time.”

Margaret still teaches classes; she is certified in Chinese medicine (from Rocky Mountain Schools) in animal acupressure and massage. She also teaches people how to do Reiki energy work. “The animals respond very well to this and it’s a good healing modality. I do some classes at the ranch when I can fit it in. I teach animal Reiki also, showing people how to work with the animals using energy and how to tune in and make that connection.”

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Land & Livestock

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The Real Ranch—

Grassfed Beef and Sheep

BY HEATHER SMITH THOMAS

aul and Shari Morrison have been ranching in south central Oklahoma for 11 years, after moving from California. “I grew up on a large cattle ranch in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains—on the western side, near Mariposa. My family has a ranch there and I am 4th generation cattle rancher. Most of the ranch is dry hills, though we did have some irrigated pasture at that time, and ran quite a few cattle,” says Paul.

After college, he worked on the ranch with his dad and grandfather. “Originally my family had a ranch in southern California but it got swallowed up by housing and we moved. I was basically working for my dad and had a few cows of my own, and was newly married. My dad had read some things in the At the Real Ranch, the Morrisons work to give the grasses full recovery in their grazing plan. mid-1980s about Allan Savory, when Allan came to the U.S. with Stan Parsons. His ideas were kind of “I was able to lease more of the family property from Dad and expand shocking, saying that ranchers could double their carrying capacity. Dad sent me to one of Savory’s schools in late 1985 or early 1986 in Redding, a bit. I was running cattle on 5,000 acres. I didn’t split it up the same way, but used some temporary splits; temporary electric fences were just California. This was my first exposure to what they were calling holistic starting to come into use. I think I got up to about 30 paddocks on 5,000 resource management (Holistic Management),” Paul says. acres. I ran all the cattle together; I had my own stockers and 300 mama cows, plus all their yearlings from the year before,” says Paul.

Holistic Management Pioneers With this size herd, Paul was able to create some beneficial impact.

“Allan was teaching the course and Kirk Gadzia was there as an “Even on the annual grasses, it was amazing to see how they responded understudy at that time, learning how to do it. These grazing ideas were to the additional organic matter and concentration of manure,” he says. very intriguing. I had just come out of college 2 years earlier and soaked up everything that Allan said. When I went home, I couldn’t just start A Move to the Midwest doing it on the whole ranch or my dad would freak out. He was Then the opportunity arose to sell some family property, and for Paul interested in it, however. I had some property that I owned with my sister, and Shari to move. “I wanted to be totally on my own and also wanted a and we started on that, with my own set of cows. That way I could do my change of environment. I had always been intrigued by the Midwest and own thing.”

That region of California was all native annual grasses, at that time. “It things I’d read about what people were able to do with Holistic Management and intensive grazing—and how the perennial grasses was a challenge trying to do these new things that I had just barely responded differently than the annuals,” he says. learned. I had the workbook from Allan Savory, and got everything else I “In 2004 Shari and I came to Oklahoma and bought this ranch. It’s a could find to read, including some old newsletters. I started learning as I totally different world for grazing—a total flip-flop from California. Our went. At that time, in the early 1980s, there weren’t very many people growing season is quite different. It rains here in the summer. In California, trying this. I didn’t know anyone who was doing it. The people who knew I where we were, it never rained in the summer. Our growing season was in was trying this all said it wouldn’t work on native grasslands,” Paul says. the winter and we had to live off our annuals,” Paul explains.

“I started by building a wagon-wheel grazing cell because back then I “It’s been an interesting learning curve, coming here, but it’s been fun. didn’t know any different and also needed a water point. In our part of The land and plants respond so much differently; our part of California is California we were very dry and didn’t have much water. I wouldn’t do it much more brittle. Here, we do different management techniques. We that way now, but it was a way for me to learn. I started on 500 acres and split it 16 times with permanent fencing. It was quite a job but I was young don’t have as much permanent fencing. We have about 30 paddocks on our 2,000 acres here,” he says. and ambitious. This was the start of my learning curve,” he says.

“We use a lot of temporary, flexible fence that we put down and roll up.

“Through the years I made a lot of mistakes. I was too rigid in my I really like the flexibility of this because I can easily change the size of moves, such as thinking the cows had to stay a certain place for another the paddocks if needed. We have a lot of brush here and we didn’t have day in order to get my 60 days of rest. I remember getting hit by a really any in our part of California. I wanted to see what I could to with the brush big rain storm and I should have moved them. I paid the price and you by concentrating the cattle into it, and they just break it to pieces. There is could see it. I needed to be more flexible, but I was young and just so much more we can do with the temporary fencing. I really like it, even learning how to do it. That one paddock could be seen from the highway though a person has to go out frequently to roll it up and put it down. It’s and I just knew that everyone was driving by and thinking how crazy I fairly quick, however, and gives us much more flexibility,” says Paul. was—wrecking my property!”

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January / February 2016

“We produce cattle differently than most people in our area. I was very surprised to find out how much chemical the ranchers use, even on native rangeland. This spring one of our neighbors had a plane out here doing aerial spraying, across the road from us. We haven’t sprayed anything since we’ve been here because there’s no need. The spray kills all their broadleaf plants and clovers and diminishes plant diversity. A lot of the old-timers, guys in their 80’s, never used any spray. I ask people why we need to spray now, and they think that if they don’t spray, the weeds will encroach,” he says.

“Most of our ranch is native range, consisting of big bluestem, little bluestem, Indian grass, etc. We do have some small old hayfields that are primarily Bermudagrass, but we haven’t cut them. We graze everything. If we need hay during winter we buy it. We don’t want machinery to put up hay and take our minerals off and put somewhere else. It’s better to haul it in! Grass hay here is cheap, compared to California,” he says.

What Paul does invest in is more water, piping it to various paddocks.

“Even though last year was a great year for rain, so far, we’ve had a couple droughts since we’ve been here and we try to add 2,000 to 4,000 feet of 2-inch pipe each year to expand our water system. We use big excavator tires as water troughs. My wife and I can put these in ourselves. We put the concrete in dry, in the bottom, and just turn the water on, and they work great. They are indestructible,” he says.

but it really helps us market a large group of finished cattle at one time.

We are thankful to have found the Grassfed Livestock Alliance,” he says.

“The rest of the animals, the ones that aren’t big enough to fit their specific size criteria, or are not ready in the same time frame, we sell to our local customers. We can sell anything we need to this way, even a heifer that loses a calf. We just keep her gaining weight and can sell her as a grass finished animal. I really like heifers because they finish on grass so much quicker than the steers do,” he says.

“We sell to customers through an Oklahoma food co-op. My wife makes a trip up there once a month to deliver the meat and then the coop distributes it to all the individual customers. People can order their meat on line and once a month we deliver it. Shari goes to Oklahoma City twice a month with a couple big loads of beef and lamb—once for wholesale and local customers and once for the co-op. We do sell halves and wholes to people locally, as well,” he says.

The cattle are crossbred, mainly Angus cross, with some other mixes.

“We have a little bit of ear on some of them, but not much. I’m finding that the ear cattle don’t finish as quickly. They will finish on grass, but it just takes longer. We’ve been using Angus bulls on all our cows, so whatever we produce is at least half Angus anyway. We started using Kit Pharo bulls 2 years ago just because I like his philosophy. They’ve never been fed grain, and are efficient on grass. We also want a smaller frame cow, because some of our cattle are too big,” he says.

Making the Move to Grass Finishing

The Midwestern move also meant a new opportunity for the Morrisons A few years ago Paul and Shari added sheep to their operation. “Since to develop a grassfed program. “I’ve always wanted to do a grassfed we don’t spray for weeds and brush, and we do have forbs in our program, and by moving here we were able to facilitate that easier,” says pastures, we thought we might Paul. “We could have done it as well have something to eat on the native range in that. We bought some hair California, using a very sheep and started with 20 limited window in which to ewes, and now we have 60. finish cattle. But that It’s good to have the diversity. window, when the grass is Sometimes they graze with green and growing, is very the cattle and sometimes short. We’d have to separately,” Paul says. supplement our pasture a lot “We do have a guard dog with alfalfa hay or something with the sheep. Most of the else,” he explains. fencing on the ranch is not “I know people who do it sheep proof. April is our there, but it’s just easier here. Our growing season is lambing month and we have 230 days, which is much the sheep separate while they longer than we had in lamb. I would like to eventually California. When summer hit, have them full time with the we didn’t grow any grass at cattle but we’re not there yet. all,” Paul says.

We also added some laying “We started a grassfed hens, just to get into the business here, and it fit well farmers’ market. For some The Morrisons do not deworm their cattle and have selected the cows who with what people wanted; reason our local farmer’s do well with that program. there was a need for it. The market won’t allow us to sell demand was really growing meat, but we can sell eggs. So on the West Coast and East Coast. We knew it would take a while to get we went in with our pastured poultry eggs. We don’t have very many to Oklahoma, but it has really picked up. chickens, something under 100,” he says. They do use mobile chicken We sell to people locally, and to the Oklahoma City area. We also tractors and electric chicken netting that they move around their pastures joined a group called Grassfed Livestock Alliance. They are a group of or under the trees when it gets hot in the summer so that their egg ranchers like us who grow for the Regional Whole Foods grassfed production stays up. program. It takes a lot of producers to provide enough beef for the number of stores they have. We provide a very small portion of that meat CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

Adding Diversity

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Grassfed Beef and Sheep continued from page thirteen

Keep Learning

would have worms, especially with this much rain and how washy the grass has been, and all the reasons that animals get parasites.” But with a planned grazing system there is some advantage, continually moving the animals, away from the feces.

“We also can select genetically for cattle that can handle a few worms.

When we first started we had some older cattle that couldn’t, because modern management methods are making the cattle weaker and the parasites stronger. But now I have some mama cows that are always fat and sleek, no matter what, and their heifers make it just fine in our herd.

This is the direction we want to go,” says Paul.

“We don’t want to use any chemicals that are going to damage the microbes in the soil or our dung beetles. Last year we had dung beetles all over the place, doing their job, helping the soil. Our customers appreciate this, knowing how their meat is grown. We’ve given tours to people who have asked to see where their meat is coming from. We take them out on our ranch and explain to them what we are doing, why we are giving this grass 60 to 90 days rest or whatever it is, and why the cattle are in a big group.”

All these additions are part of Paul’s effort to continue to learn and grow professionally. “We try to keep looking at ways people are doing things differently and get ideas about cutting edge practices, or even old ideas that are working well. I went to Texas to hear Gabe Brown speak.

He is very interesting and I enjoy seeing what he’s doing. He’s a rancher in North Dakota who finishes grassfed beef year round in that climate,” says Paul.

“Gabe Brown does it very holistically. He has 2,000 acres of farm ground and no-tills everything—and uses many species of plants. He’s made phenomenal transformation in his soil, adding more life and organic matter. On his place they raise everything—pigs, sheep, cattle, laying hens—and sell all their grassfed beef locally.

“I went to Stan Parsons’ school a few years after I went to Allan Savory’s school and got some good information from that, too. I am always looking for new ideas that will Training the Herd benefit what we are Grazing in one herd trying to accomplish; we is a critical planned know we never have all grazing decision for Paul the answers. There’s and it requires better always something new animal handling skills to learn. My favorite and training the herd to thing to do is go to being able to function as someone’s ranch— one herd. “Cattle are someone who is trying such a herd animal,” new practices— says Paul. “The other struggling in the real day I moved them into a world and making it Paul and Shari with their daughters and extended family on the Real Ranch. bigger paddock just work,” he says. Every because it was so wet, place is different, but you and they were all just can often tweak standing together, staying in their big group! Some times of year we have someone’s ideas to fit your own conditions and situation. all the cattle together, but we are always adjusting that with the grass “The holistic mindset really helps you think outside the box,” says finishing group. We generally graze the finishing steers separately and Paul. “I went to college at Cal Poly and it’s a really good agricultural give them the top choice of everything, and at other times we just have school, but they don’t teach you to think outside the box—at least they everybody together. We try to be as flexible as we can,” he explains. didn’t back then. A lot of things the colleges do are sponsored by “We’ve been calving our heifers in with the cow herd, with no chemical companies, feed companies, etc. I took an irrigated pasture problems.

Occasionally we have a heifer that wants to follow the cow class at Cal Poly, and the teacher said it is impossible to make money on herd and leaves her baby behind. But we always leave the gate open and irrigated pasture. I had to decide whether to walk out of that class or stay then the heifer remembers she has a baby and goes back to get it. The there and learn what not to do. People out in the real world, making a mama cows are also training their heifers how to do it. They know where living doing it, have to make it work. If it doesn’t work the gates are, where the water is, and it’s one big happy herd,” he says. the first time they have to come up with a new idea or a different way of “We are starting to wean the calves later. We did a group last year that doing it. They don’t have any research dollars funding them.” It is often we weaned at 10 months, and we’d never done that before. We are trying trial and error, and getting out there and doing it. That’s where the real to calve in sync with nature, which is quite a bit different from ranchers learning begins. here. We start May 1st and calve through June. Most Oklahoma ranchers “With the holistic mindset you look at everything, including soil and calve as early as they can, in February, and a few do it in January,” says wildlife,” says Paul. “What is this method going to do to my soil? On our Paul. It’s easier on everyone, however, to calve in good weather. ranch we don’t indiscriminately deworm the cattle, and out here people Currently the ranch has 160 cows, plus last year’s yearlings. “We keep think we are crazy. Our grass finished steers are 28 months old and have all the calves to grow and finish on grass. Starting into a grassfed never been dewormed. They are big, fat and sleek. You’d think they 14

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January / February 2016

program is tough at first because you end up having at least 2 years’ worth of calves on the place before you sell anything, and for a while we have 3 crops all here at once, with the new calves each spring. We have last year’s weaned calves, along with the really big animals that are just about ready to go to market.” Financially, it’s a challenge when you are getting started because you have nothing to sell for another year or two.

“This is difficult, to wait, especially with the high cattle prices right now.

You have a 500-pound calf and she’s worth $1,200, but if you sell her now you can’t continue with the grass finishing program. But we’ve held on, and the interest in grassfed beef is really picking up. We’ve had to turn down requests because we just don’t have enough to meet the demand. For instance we recently got a call from a restaurant chain in Colorado that wants grassfed hamburger. It would be easy for us to do that, but if we sell all our ground beef to them we wouldn’t be able to provide it to our local customers,” he says.

With direct marketing often comes educating the customers. “We explain there is a difference,” says Paul. “Our cattle can never have any grain, since we are part of the American Grassfed Association. We are also certified with Global Animal Partnership. Inspectors come out and make sure we do what we say we do. So there are some record-keeping challenges that we didn’t have to deal with when we were commercial.”

“Tagging calves was new to us,” says Paul. “In California we didn’t tag them. As long as a cow had no problems calving and brought in a baby at weaning time, everything was fine. But here we need to keep track of the birth date, castration, weaning and everything that every calf does between then and the time we sell him.” he says.

Adapting to Life Challenges

2009. My wife and daughters were very instrumental in getting the ranch up and going because I wasn’t able to do anything.

“After the heart transplant it really felt like we were starting over, and we were—financially and cattle-wise. My youngest daughter Natalie was 19 at that time, and she ended up having the same problem. At first the doctors thought my heart condition was caused by a viral infection, but when my 19-year-old daughter came down with heart failure they took another look. They did some genetic tests and found out that it was genetic,” Paul says.

“Natalie went downhill really fast and ended up having a heart transplant also, right after her 21st birthday. Those have been major challenges, to be ranching and trying to do the cattle moves, etc. When I was in the hospital the first time I assumed that they just threw the gates open because I was in there for 6 weeks and we didn’t do very much planned grazing at that time,” he says.

“Now we are finally getting our feet back under us again and feel like we are going in the direction we wanted to go when we first moved here. I am not the same as I was before I got sick, but it is amazing how much a person can do,” he says.

“We’ve come a long way, but the reason we wanted to move to Oklahoma was to pursue the dream of doing grassfed beef, on the healthier side. We have to tell people that our heart trouble had nothing to do with what we were eating! It’s genetic and there is nothing we could have done about that!”

Today the Morrisons are living their dream as they produce their grassfed beef and lamb for a growing market. As they step through the certification process, selling to the Grassfed Livestock Alliance with their American Grassfed Association approval, they also have almost 30 years of experience in holistic planned grazing in very different environments to draw from as well. With this winning combination they will tackle the challenges they face with the holistic mindset that has served them so well.

Paul and Shari do almost all the work on the ranch now, since their children are grown, but their children were raised on the ranch and have participated in day to day operations.

“We have 3 daughters, and when we lived in California Shari homeschooled them so they worked on the ranch a lot, especially in the summer,” says Paul. “When we worked on the big ranch my family owned, my wife and I and all the kids worked all the cattle. It was fun, and our daughters remember their enjoyment doing that.”

Their youngest daughter, Natalie, is 24 now and lives with Shari and Paul. The oldest two—Janice and Callie--are married and have children.

Having the next generation at the ranch has been a great help to all parties as the Morrisons had to face some unusual health challenges.

“Right after we moved here from California, I wasn’t feeling very well so I went to the doctor,” says Paul. “I was having major heart failure, but I didn’t know I had this condition. The first 5 years while we were here, trying to start our ranch, I was really sick. I There are approximately 30 paddocks on the 2,000 acres of the Real Ranch. Paul, Shari, ended up having a heart transplant in and their daughter Natalie are in charge of the day to day operations.

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of Development Director has been aptly filled by Pete Hutton. Pete has the skills, experience and character needed for this position, and will prove to be a valued s I take over the important role of board addition to the staff. chair I am led to reflect on the enormous Ann Adams asked that I spend the majority of my strength, guidance and wisdom held by first IN PRACTICE column briefly relaying some the prior chair, Kelly Sidoryk—thank you information about myself, and why I wanted to be part Kelly; and of course other recent chairs who have of the HMI team. Holding the John T. Jones Chair in given so much to HMI, Ben Bartlett and former board Economics, I have taught economics—and sundry members Sallie Calhoun and Ron Chapman. team-taught interdisciplinary courses—at Austin Relatedly, after their many years of generous service, College for 30 years, the oldest institution of higher we will miss the evident character and experience of learning in Texas operating under its original charter, prior board members Clint Josey, Gail Hammack, Zizi founded in 1849. Located in Sherman, Texas, Austin Fritz, and Jim Parker.

College is a relatively small (1300 undergraduates) However, the HMI board continues to strive.

Danny Nuckols private liberal arts college—a rarity in the Southwest.

Following in distinguished footsteps, recent board Our constant emphasis and resources are placed on quality teaching, additions include Sarah Williford (New York), Walter Lynn (Illinois), Guy core and interdisciplinary/cross-boundary studies, community service, Glosson (Texas), Kevin Boyer (California), Gerardo Bezanilla (Mexico) and study abroad. Writing and critical thinking skills are honed through and Kirrily Blomfield (Australia). student coursework that concentrates upon the belief that new knowledge In addition, exhilaration over the recent hire of our new Executive is gained at a discipline’s boundary, when disciplinary paradigms overlap Director, Ann Adams, does not fully express the board’s heart-felt to create a more holistic approach. excitement for HMI’s future, knowing she brings a wealth of experience, The need for such an approach was made even more evident as I both as a practitioner and educator. Moreover, the newly created position

From the Board Chair

A

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

New HMI Board Members

In November, HMI held its annual Board of Directors meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico to elect officers and new board members. Officers this year are: Danny Nuckols, Chair, and Walter Lynn, Vice-Chair. Both Jim Parker and Clint Josey completed their terms and stepped down from the board. HMI would like to offer our heart-felt thanks for the years of service and leadership Jim and Clint gave to the organization and we look forward to still seeing them at HMI events. HMI would also like to introduce our 3 new board members. We appreciate their willingness to step into this new leadership role and

From left to right in back: Walter Lynn, Kevin Boyer, Danny Nuckols, Jim Shelton, and Gerardo Bezanilla; from left to right in front: Guy Glosson, Kirrily Blomfield, Laura Gill, Sarah Williford, and Ben Bartlett. Missing: Kelly Sidoryk and Wayne Knight 16 IN PRACTICE

January / February 2016

help HMI to continue to improve our leadership within the sustainable agriculture and conservation communities.

Kirrily Blomfield and her husband, Derek, operate “The Conscious Farmer,” a grassfed beef operation on their farm in “Colorado” near Qurindi, New South Wales, Australia. Kirrily was introduced to Holistic Management over a decade ago when she spent time studying with longtime educators Bruce Ward and Brian Marshall.

Kirrily also writes The Conscious Kirrily Blomfield Farmer, a blog of practical regenerative agriculture for farmers and graziers. Kirrily hopes to use the opportunity of joining the board to help grow and promote HMI so that others can enjoy the benefits of Holistic Management in their lives. She especially appreciates Holistic Management for what it can teach land stewards about working to mimic nature and produce healthier, sustainable food sources. Kirrily and Derek have 2 boys; Reilly, 10 and Patrick, 12.

entered the field, some years back, to do research on sustainable land use; specifically, the overall health of Texas organic farming and ranching.

To aid in my research, I began to attend several HMI Open Gates & Workshops, plus many Texas Organic Farmers & Gardeners Association conferences, along with those held by the Farm & Ranch Freedom Alliance, ACRES USA, and the Quivira Coalition.

But, why did I want to be part of HMI? Frankly, I saw that HMI had, in an important sense, institutionalized many of my beliefs toward nature in general, and land use in particular, with quality programs that were teachable, learnable and deliverable, resulting in economic viability and family health for those engaged with the land.

My research and studies has led me to believe that traditional industrial land practices had lost the complementarity of humans and the land. Its hierarchical model of reality was destroying the soil. In truth, no part of nature’s system of interdependence is intrinsically “higher” or “lower.” Harmony on the land is instead a function of diversity in which almost every component has a vital role to perform in cementing the balance and harmony of the whole.

The entire traditional agricultural linear model that argued for the control of land through top-down engineering has proven to be ephemeral. To dominate land in a way that has shown to be destructive not only leads to nature’s imbalance via toxic side-effects, but also has

Sarah Williford

Gerardo Bezanilla

Sarah Williford runs a newly purchased vegetable farm with her partner in Walton, in the Southeast area of New York State. Sarah participated in HMI’s Beginning Women’s Farmer program in 2009 and has served as State Coordinator for the New York program during our last grant through the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. She is also training to be a Holistic Management Certified Educator. Sarah has come to value Holistic Management as a tool to teach farmers and ranchers about how working with natural processes can lead to resiliency all around.

In joining the board, Sarah hopes to both broaden her horizons in Holistic Management and participate in a deeper capacity with the organization.

Gerardo Bezanilla currently lives in Kingsville, Texas where he is attending Texas A&M University as a Ph.D. candidate.

In his hometown of Chihuahua, Mexico he has been on staff of

led to human’s having an illusionary state of “control.” As one enlightened organic farmer recently expressed to me, “mother nature bats last.”

Holistic land practices, and HMI in particular, recognize that present and future land stewards will succeed only if they acknowledge the interconnectedness of every aspect of social, biological and economic systems. This coincides with not only the philosophy behind Holistic Management, but I feel is the very essence of a liberal arts education— one that emphasizes diversity, heterogeneity, connectedness and inclusiveness.

There is a symmetry between how nature herself guides us, if we will listen, and how such lessons can be applied to educating future young farmers and ranchers, including those students who may have no intention of working the land, but yet are generally sympathetic to the ideas and philosophy behind holistic land management. Accepting this, I hope to help, among other things, HMI integrate its beliefs and formal programs into formal higher education. These young people are our “top-soil.”

I look forward to working with HMI board and staff and our community to help more people be trained with the practices and principles that can generate healthy land, finances, and communities.

! the University of Chihuahua as a Professor in the Department of Animal Sciences and Ecology as well as working on his family ranch.

Gerardo appreciates Holistic Management for the benefits it can bring to a wide audience—whether they care about land, animals, or finances. As a board member, Gerardo sees the means to make a significant contribution to the rangelands of the world, to the profitability of ranches, and to the quality of life of rural communities through education. Gerardo and his wife, Rocio, have three children: Omar, 10; Luis, 6; and Sara, 5.

New Development Director

Pete Hutton comes to HMI from Orange County, Virginia, where he has spent a long career in sales, business management and donor development. Pete has worked as Major Gifts Officer and Director of Development for Christian ministries throughout the East Coast and has spent Pete Hutton the past 10 years working as a major Gifts Officer for Wycliffe Bible Translators. Pete specializes in creating connections between programs and people and has, throughout his career, successfully united donors with causes they care about.

HMI is excited to bring Pete’s talents to the organization where he will join our efforts to bring Holistic Management to more farmers, ranchers and land stewards! Pete and his wife, Linda, will be relocating to New Mexico in January 2016. Pete received his Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communications from David Lipscomb University. Welcome, Pete!

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DEVELOPMENT CORNER Fall Open Gate Days

After an extremely busy summer Open Gate Season, HMI wrapped up the year with 3 Open Gate Days in Texas. Thanks to the Cynthia & George Mitchell Foundation for their partial funding of these programs.

Barking Cat Farm Day

A nice little cool front set the stage for a most delightful outside day at Barking Cat Farm. About 46 interested folks gathered September 12, 2015 at Barking Cat Farm in West Tawakoni, Texas to learn how the farm is evolving since beginning the practice of Holistic Management in 2012. Proprietors Kim Martin and Laurie Bostic were students in HMI’s first class of Beginning Farmers and Ranchers: Women in Texas. There they learned to discover their goal and make every decision count toward that goal. It started out simple: We want the farm to make a profit and we want to have fun.

Their journey has been about careful planning to manage their time and enterprises for a more efficient operation…and it’s working!

The day began with an introduction to HMI by Program Manager Peggy Cole. Then Holistic Management Certified Educators in Training, Lauren Bradbury and Lauri Celella, walked the group through the principles and practices of Holistic Management, spending time on each of the 4 ecosystem processes that comprise the whole of any ecosystem before breaking participants into small groups to practice monitoring the land.

Kim Martin’s talk on the experience with Holistic Management and how it changed the farm was excellent. From discovering the goal to the recent decision to close the farm for a year and transition into enterprises that are more perennial, every step has been about creating Kim Martin, co-owner of Barking healthier land while creating a Cat Farm. healthier business that allows more fun and free time for Kim & Laurie.

18

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January / February 2016

One of the treasured outcomes from the beginning women farmers course is the wonderful network of other women who share a passion for the land.

Many of those other women were present at this open gate. One mentor who changes lives consistently is Betsy Ross. Betsy talked to this group about the soil food web. Kim and Laurie set up microscopes so the participants could see the amazing life in compost tea, projected onto the screen. Betsy explained how each of the odd shapes on the screen functions in the soil food web. A former teacher, Betsy held the Betsy Ross presenting on soil food web. audience spellbound as she brought the world of microbes into their awareness.

After lunch the farm tour began with a look at the making of compost tea.

CD Pounds brought a home-made brewer to show. Kim showed their larger scale brewer and described the modifications they had made. Laurie showed the tractor sprayer and the modifications they made to that – the primary concern being that nozzles are large enough not to damage the delicate life you are spraying onto the land and leaves.

The 19 participants filling Biological monitoring exercise at Barking Cat Farm. out an evaluation represented 1405 acres with a variety of enterprises including cattle, sheep poultry, bees, vegetables and fruit. Below is some of the data collected from the evaluations.

Outcome

Feel more confident in their ability to test important decisions

Feel more confident in their ability to see indicators of soil health Feel more confident in their ability to do biological monitoring

% of Participants 93 100 86

Intend to change any management practices/apply ideas they learned as a result of this event

100

Intend to test decisions as a result of this event

100

Intend to pursue biological monitoring on your land as a result of this event Increased knowledge of critical monitoring criteria to increase land health

Increased knowledge of understanding the role of soil biology in the water cycle

Expanded their network today by meeting new people or learning about resources available to them

100 79 71

100

All We Need Farm Day

accommodations and milking does. Mostly Nubian and Nubian crosses, these sweet animals yield up to a gallon and a half daily.

Their grazing is carefully planned to enhance the soil health while keeping the goats fat and sleek with.

Back in the barn, Tracy led participants through an introduction to how monitoring land health is part of successful and sustainable land management, before getting participants into small groups to practice monitoring.

After that exercise, Agrilife horticulturist Boone Holladay talked about rainwater harvesting for home, garden and livestock production. He offered the Texas A&M University website as an excellent resource: http://Rainwaterharvesting.tamu.edu. His colleague John Goody talked about water quality and monitoring well health.

The participants from this event influence 1691 acres in a variety of production enterprises including cattle, sheep, goats, horses, chickens, hay, vegetables and fruits. 100% ranked the event excellent or good and all said they would recommend it to a friend.

Participants had a chance to view the handling facilities at All We Need Farm.

All We Need Farm’s beautiful little goat dairy was the site of the October 9th HMI Open Gate near Needmore, Texas run by Stacey Roussel. Stacey was a vegetable farmer with a local CSA when she went through HMI’s Beginning Women Farmers and Ranchers training in 2012-2013. Just this year she decided to follow her heart and concentrate on a goat dairy and pork operation.

After introductions and a brief description of HMI’s mission and programs by Peggy Cole, Holistic Management Certified Educator Tracy Litle described the basic components of HMI’s Whole Farm/Ranch Planning process.

The real fun began when Tracy led the group through a decisiontesting exercise with a big decision Stacey was considering—whether or not to buy a milk pasteurizer. This was a unique way to introduce Stacey, the dairy, the background and the enterprises that may (or may not) produce income. The group enjoyed gathering the information they would need to get the whole picture around the pasteurizer and how it fit into Stacey’s holistic goal, so that they could help her test the decision.

They appreciated learning how the testing guidelines shed light not only on the financial part of the decision, but the social and ecological aspects as well.

Tracy then presented a very informative piece on soil health and how it affects the water cycle. After a delightful lunch, each participant got one of the fast-becoming-famous goat milk gelato pops we had been studying during the decision testing.

The afternoon session began with learning a great deal about dairy goats as Stacey led a tour of her well-researched and planned operation, including the spotless milking room, the does’ overnight

Outcome

Stacey Roussel and her goat herd.

Confident in your ability to incorporate new management strategies to build resilience in soils plants & animals Confident in your ability to improve land health

Increased knowledge of how to observe and assess ecosystem processes Intend to change any management practices/apply ideas you learned as a result of this event

Intend to pursue biological monitoring on your land as a result of today's event Increased knowledge of critical monitoring criteria to build biological wealth

Increased knowledge of understanding the role of soil biology in the water cycle

Participants viewing the licensed dairy facilities.

% of Participants 84%

79% 79 83 89 79 68

Did you expand your network today by meeting new people or learning about resources available to you?

100

Would recommend this event to others

100

Overall Satisfaction of the event (rated good to excellent)

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100

IN PRACTICE 19

Certified

Jeff Goebel

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.

Lee Altier

College of Agriculture, CSU 400 West First St., Chico, CA 95929-0310 laltier@csuchico.edu • 530/636-2525

Owen Hablutzel

4235 W. 63rd St., Los Angeles, CA 90043 310/567-6862 • go2owen@gmail.com

Richard King

1675 Adobe Rd., Petaluma, CA 94954 rking1675@gmail.com • 707/217-2308 (c) 707/769-1490 (h)

Kelly Mulville

P.O. Box 23, Paicines, CA 95043 707/431-8060 • kmulville@gmail.com

*

NEBRASKA Paul Swanson

5155 West 12th St., Hastings, NE 68901 402/463-8507 • 402/705-1241 (c) swanson5155@windstream.net

Ralph Tate

1109 Timber Dr., Papillion, NE 68046 402/932-3405 • 402/250-8981 (c) Tater2d2@cox.net

NEW HAMPSHIRE Kate Kerman

350 Troy Road, Marlborough, NH 03455 603-876-4562 • 603/209-0946 (c) kkerman@phoenixfarm.org

*

Seth Wilner

D. Nelson *11728Donald Shafer Ave.

Red Bluff, CA 96080-8994 208/301-5066 • nelson-don1@hotmail.com

Rob Rutherford

24 Main Street, Newport, NH 03773 603/863-4497 (h) • 603/863-9200 (w) 603/543-7169 (c) • seth.wilner@unh.edu

4757 Bridgecreek Rd., San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 805/544-5781 (h) • 805/550-4858 (c) robtrutherford@gmail.com

Ann Adams

COLORADO Cindy Dvergsten

4865 Quay Rd. L, San Jon, NM 88434 575/268-1162 • Kellyboney_79@yahoo.com

IOWA Torray & Erin Wilson

4375 Pierce Ave., Paullina, IA 51046-7401 712/260-6398 (Torray) • 563/419-3142 (Erin) torray@gmail.com • wilsonee3@gmail.com

*

Bill Casey

KANSAS

Buckfield, ME 04220-4209 207/336-2484 • vholmes@maine.edu

Jason Virtue

MISSISSIPPI Preston Sullivan

*610 Ed Sullivan Lane NE, Meadville, MS 39653 prestons@telepak.net 601/384-5310 (h) • 601/835-6124 (c)

P.O. Box 75 Cooran QLD 4569 61-0-754851997 • jason@spiderweb.com.au

Brian Wehlburg

Pine Scrub Creek, Kindee, NSW 2446 61-2-6587-4353 (h) • 61 04087 404 431 (c) brian@insideoutsidemgt.com.au

Don Campbell

MONTANA

Montana State University 1105 S. Tracy, Bozeman, MT 59715 406/599-7755 (c) • montagne@montana.edu

20 IN PRACTICE

Judi Earl

AUSTRALIA

“Spring Valley,” 165 Ironbark Lane Frogmore, Boorowa NSW 2586 61-0-429069001 (w) • 61-0-263856224 (h) dick@dickrichardson.com.au

1113 Klondike Ave, Petoskey, MI 49770 231/347-7162 (h) • 231/881-2784 (c) ldyer3913@gmail.com

*

I N T E R N AT I O N A L

Dick Richardson

MICHIGAN

Cliff Montagne

P.O. Box 1100, Bernalillo, NM 87004 505/263-8677 (c) • kirk@rmsgadzia.com

150 Caroona Lane, Branxholme, VIC 3302 61-3-5578-6272 (h), 61-4-1853-2130 (c) graeme.hand@bigpond.com

*239 E Buckfield Rd.

4926 Itana Circle, Bozeman, MT 59715 406/522-3862 • 406/581-3038 (c) kroosing@msn.com

Kirk Gadzia

Graeme Hand

MAINE Vivianne Holmes

Roland Kroos

Kelly Boney

“Glen Orton” 3843 Warialda Rd. Coolatai, NSW 2402 +61 409 151 969 (c) • judi_earl@bigpond.com

13835 Udall Rd., Erie, KS 66733 620/423-2842 • bill.caseyag@gmail.com

Larry Dyer

NEW MEXICO

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

17702 County Rd. 23, Dolores, CO 81323 970/882-4222 • 970/739-2445 (c) wnc@gobrainstorm.net

Kathy Harris

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

Craig Leggett

U N I T E D S TAT E S CALIFORNIA

1033 N. Gabaldon Rd., Belen, NM 87002 541/610-7084 • goebel@aboutlistening.com

CANADA

Box 817 Meadow Lake, SK S0X 1Y6 306/236-6088 • 320/240-7660 (c) doncampbell@sasktel.net

Ralph Corcoran

Box 36, Langbank, SK S0G 2X0 306/532-4778 rlcorcoran@sasktel.net

January / February 2016

NEW YORK

6143 SR 9, Chestertown, NY 12817 518/494-2324 (h) • 970/946-1771 (c) craigrleggett@gmail.com

Erica Frenay *Shelterbelt Farm

200 Creamery Rd., Brooktondale, NY 14817 607/539-6512 (h) • 607/342-3771 (c) info@shelterbeltfarm.com

Elizabeth Marks

1024 State Rt. 66, Ghent, NY 12075 518/828-4385 x107 (w) • 518/567-9476 (c) Elizabeth.marks@ny.usda.gov

Phillip Metzger

120 Thompson Creek Rd., Norwich, NY 13815 607/334-2407 (h) • pmetzger17@gmail.com

NORTH DAKOTA Joshua Dukart

2539 Clover Place, Bismarck, ND 58503 701/870-1184 • Joshua_dukart@yahoo.com

SOUTH DAKOTA Randal Holmquist

*4870 Cliff Drive, Rapid City, SD 57702 605/730-0550 • randy@zhvalley.com

Bellows *NorthLisaCentral Texas College TEXAS

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

Guy Glosson

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

For more information about or application forms for the HMI’s Certified Educator Training Programs, contact Ann Adams or visit our website: www.holisticmanagement.org.

Tracy Litle

1277 S CR 305, Orange Grove, TX 78372 361/537-3417 (c) • tjlitle@hotmail.com

Peggy Maddox

9460 East FM 1606 Hermleigh, TX 79526 325/226-3042 (c) • westgift@hughes.net

Peggy Sechrist

106 Thunderbird Ranch Road Fredericksburg, TX 78624 830/456-5587 (c) • peggysechrist@gmail.com

VERMONT Calley Hastings

787 Kibbee Rd., Brookfield, VT 05036 802/279-3893 • Calley.hastings@gmail.com

WASHINGTON Sandra Matheson

*228 E. Smith Rd., Bellingham, WA 98226 360/220-5103 • 360/398-7866 (h) info@mathesonfarms.com

WISCONSIN Heather Flashinski

16294 250th Street, Cadott, WI 54727 715/289-4896 (w) 8 715/379-3742 (c) grassheather@hotmail.com

*

Larry Johnson

W886 State Rd. 92, Brooklyn, WI 53521-9102 608/455-1685 • larrystillpointfarm@gmail.com

Paine *N893Laura Kranz Rd., Columbus, WI 53925

6717 Hwy. 380, Snyder, TX 79549 806/237-2554 • glosson@caprock-spur.com

920/623-4407 (h) • 608/338-9039 (c) lkpaine@gmail.com

Guichon *BoxAllison 10, Quilchena, BC V0E 2R0

NAMIBIA Wiebke Volkmann

Box 760, Redvers, Saskatchewan SOC 2HO 306/452-3882 • bhjer@sasktel.net

Usiel Seuakouje Kandjii

250/378-9734 • allisonguichon@gmail.com

Blain Hjertaas Brian Luce

RR #4, Ponoka, AB T4J 1R4 403/783-6518 • lucends@cciwireless.ca

Noel McNaughton *5704-144 St NW, Edmonton, AB T6H 4H4 780/432-5492; noel@mcnaughton.ca

P.O. Box 9285, Windhoek 264-61-225183 or 264-81-127-0081 wiebke@afol.com.na

P.O. Box 23319, Windhoek 9000 264-812840426 (c) • 264-61-244028 (h) kandjiiu@gmail.com

NEW ZEALAND John King

Tony McQuail

*P.O. Box 12011, Beckenha, Christchurch 8242

Pigott *BoxLen 222, Dysart, SK, SOH 1HO

SOUTH AFRICA Wayne Knight

86016 Creek Line, RR#1, Lucknow, ON N0G 2H0 519/528-2493 • mcqufarm@hurontel.on.ca 306/432-4583 • JLPigott@sasktel.net

Kelly Sidoryk

Box 72, Blackroot, AB TOB OLO 780/872-9761 (h) • 780/875-4418 (w) 780/872-2585 (c) • sidorykk@yahoo.ca

Christine C. Jost

KENYA

ICRAF, Box 30677, Nairobi 00100 254-736-715-417 (c) • c.jost@cgiar.org

Iván Aurelio Aguirre Ibarra MEXICO

Pitiquito, Sonora 662-3210951 (c), 622-1231168 (h) rancholainmaculada@gmail.com

64-276-737-885 • john@succession.co.nz

Solar Addicts, P.O. Box 537, Mokopane, 0600 South Africa 27-0-15-491-5286 +27 87 5500 255 (h) • +27 82 805 3274 (c) wayne@theknights.za.net

Sheldon Barnes

P.O. Box 300, Kimberley 8300 +27 82 948 2585 (c) • barnesfarm@mweb.co.za

Ian Mitchell-Innes

P.O. Box 52, Elandslaagte, KZN 2900 blanerne@mweb.co.za • 001-83-262-9030 (c)

Philip Bubb *32 Dart Close, St. Ives, Cambridge, PE27 3JB UNITED KINGDOM

44-1480-496-2925 (h) • +44 7837 405483 (w) pjbubb99@gmail.com

• Book Review

by ANN ADAMS

50 Low-Cost, Low-Tech, Nature-Based Practices for Combatting Hunger, Drought, and Climate Change

by COURTNEY WHITE • Chelsea Green Publishing • 2015

Two Percent Solutions for the Planet

wo Percent Solutions for the Planet is the latest book by Courtney White as he chronicles the many innovative practices people are working on around the world to address the critical issues of addressing food security and climate change (including drought, floods, and numerous other meteorological events).

Of course, many of these solutions are focused on increasing carbon in the soils with all those attendant benefits. Furthermore, many of the profiles include Holistic Management practitioners like Joel Salatin, Joe Morris, Tom and Mimi Sidwell, Sam Montoya, Guy Glosson, Eric

T

Harvey, the Gill family, Mark Shepard, Terry Wheeler, and Colin Seis.

All the usual suspects are there for these proven practices to improve soil health: holistic planned grazing, multi-species grazing, low-stress livestock handling, Keyline, and no-till farming. But there are a bunch of other innovative ideas that truly gives one hope for the future. All the essays are short and to the point with more reading or videos to watch if you want more information. The idea of 2% refers to both the idea of adding more carbon to the soil as well as the low financial cost of more people practicing these techniques. After all, they are low-tech, and large investments are not necessary to get the kind of results that can really make a difference in these producers’ communities and for the planet.

While this “regenerative toolbox” may be old hat to some Holistic Management practitioners, there are also the less known techniques/practices of: edible forests, biochar, food co-ops, bioenergy, aquaponics, Farm Hack, bees, bears, wildlife corridors, rainwater harvesting, native seeds, and various other projects from across the United States, as well as in Canada, Europe, and Australia.

The enthusiasm and passion of those portrayed in this book is contagious and I would recommend sharing this book with as many people as possible to help them see that with only a little extra effort we can all help to make a difference by what we do, what we buy, who we support, and what we choose to learn more about.

You can learn more about this book at: http://www.chelseagreen.com/two-percent-solutions-for-the-planet

THE MARKETPLACE l Services, Inc. KINSEY Agricultura

?

E R U T S A P E S N NUTRIENT-DE

How many animals truly receive feed that has been grown with correct nutrients added to the soil?

95+% of all pasture and hay soils we test do not have the fertility required to provide the animals that eat it with even close to good nutrition. What about yours?

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

For consulting or educational services contact:

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

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

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

Number 165

IN PRACTICE 21

THE MARKETPLACE

2016 DATES!!!!

CORRAL DESIGNS

Holistic Management Trainings

with Richard McConnell & Tina Williams

February 8-13, 2016 Albuquerque, New Mexico with instructor Kirk Gadzia

Introduction to Holistic Management Feb. 8-10: $495 Advanced Training Session

By World Famous Dr. Grandin Originator of Curved Ranch Corrals The wide curved Lane makes filling the crowding tub easy.

(Requires prior attendance at intro session.)

Feb. 11-13: $495 Comprehensive Holistic Management Training Feb. 8-13: $895 Remember, profitable agriculture is not about working harder— it’s about making better decisions!

Pasture Scene Investigation

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:

www.rmsgadzia.com

GRANDIN LIVESTOCK SYSTEMS

Kirk L. Gadzia, Certified Educator

2918 Silver Plume Dr., Unit C-3 Fort Collins, CO 80526

Information and Registration:

Resource Management Services, LLC Bernalillo, NM ~ 505.263.8677 kirk@rmsgadzia.com

22 IN PRACTICE

“Bud Williams�

Livestock Marketing & Proper Stockmanship

January / February 2016

970/229-0703 www.grandin.com

Learn how good stockmanship can make your livestock handling experiences HQMR\DEOH HDVLHU DQG PRUH SURĂ€WDEOH DQG how livestock marketing based on today’s price (no crystal ball) can help you realize \RXU SURĂ€W JRDOV 9LVLW RXU ZHEVLWH IRU more about this and additional schools: )HE ² 6SULQJÂżHOG 02 “My son and I sorted, loaded and delivered 33 feeder calves Saturday. Brian said we should send you guys a Thank You Note each time we handle cattle. This was the smoothest and easiest it’s ever gone. The only people who don’t like this method are the folks who have never taken the time to learn and try. Thanks again.â€? — Ben www.handnhandlivestocksolutions.com info@handnhandlivestocksolutions.com 417-327-6500

THE MARKETPLACE

Western Canadian Holistic Management Conference SAVE THE DATE

February 14 – 16 2016 Russell, Manitoba, Canada

Registration • $185 per person

Speakers Include:

After January 22nd • $200 per person

Kier Barker Gabe Brown Arden Anderson & Producer Panels

LODGING

Student • $120 per person

For more information, go to:

www.canadianfga.com

The Russell Inn and George P. Buleziuk Conference Centre Phone: 204-773-2186 Toll Free: 1-800-665-0678 Web: www.russellinn.com

HMI GRAZING PLANNING SOFTWARE

• User-friendly Excel-based interface • Let the computer do the math while you plan • Easy SAU and ADA calculations • Account for multiple herds • Grazing Manual hyperlinks • Livestock and Land Performance Worksheet • And many more features

en us a “This tool has already giv our ond bey rn many fold retu have initial investment and we just begun to use it.”

— Arnold Mattson,

Branch, Agri-Environment Services Canada Agriculture and Agri-Food

$

100

$30 TO UPGRADE

TO LEARN MORE or TO ORDER: Call 505/842-5252 or visit us at www.holisticmanagement.org/store/

Insight. Advice. Priceless.

New from ACRES U.S. A .

A Holistic Ve et’s Prescription for a Healthy Herd RICHARD J. HOLLIDAY, DVM & JIM HELFTER

Learn to heal your cattle by treatin ng t h e cause and not the sym mptoms. ˞˦ˢ˥ˤ ˒ ǢŸ¯ǼOŸɚsNj ˒ ˠˣˣ Ƽ ¶sǣ ˒ ̱ˡ˟ʳ˟˟

The Art & Science of Shepherding MICHEL MEURET & FRED PROVENZA, EDS.

Discover how traditional herding methods are more fitting to many landscapes than even the most progressive rotational grazing and moveable feencing systems. ˞˦ˢ˟˧ ˒ ǢŸ¯ǼOŸɚsNj ˒ ˣˢˣ Ƽ ¶sǣ ˒ ̱ˢ˟ʳ˟˟

1-800-355-5313ÊUÊwww..acresusa.com Number 165

IN PRACTICE 23

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID ALBUQUERQUE, NM PERMIT NO 880

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

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

Will you help us train 1,700 people to manage land sustainably in 2016?

Over 1,800 producers go out of business every week because they lack the knowledge to produce healthy, sustainable land. With help from donors like you, HMI established the Terry Gompert Scholarship Fund so struggling farmers and ranchers like these get the practical knowledge they need to not only stay in business, but to begin rebuilding resiliency in the land, water, animal life – critical environmental benefits we all need. Next year, HMI will train over 1700 farmers and ranchers to restore the vitality of the land.

Our classes start in just a few weeks and we have many requests for scholarships!

Who benefits when land is managed sustainably? You do!

Holistic Management helps to create:

• The sequestering of earth’s critical carbon • Flourishing, healthy wildlife • Improved water quality

• Increased availability of nutrient

dense food • Resiliency in drought • Economic stability of rural communities

To successfully achieve any of these outcomes, land stewards must be trained how to nurture the land back to life. Holistic Management training can do this! When you donate to the Terry Gompert Scholarship Fund, you are immediately investing in rebuilding a healthy planet. Each year, HMI gives as many scholarships as the fund will allow and by donating right now, you enable even more farmers and ranchers to get life changing, land changing, Holistic Management training.

Donors are healing the land.

Can we count on you?

Using chickens to improve soil fertility has created more ground cover on the farm’s sandy soil in just 2 years.

Evelyn Dalton, a scholarship recipient and graduate of HMI’s Beginning Farmers & Ranchers: Women in Texas program, is using the skills she learned in the course to improve her soil fertility and her decision making.

Laura Negley Gill and her husband operate Circle Ranch in West Texas. “Chris and I bought the Circle Ranch with no intent to run cattle believing they hurt wildlife. Then we were introduced to Holistic Management and learned of the physiology of rangeland and especially the interdependence of animals and plants.”

Please send your financial support today!

Every dollar you donate to the Terry Gompert Scholarship Fund will go directly to training the next generation of land stewards. Please go to www.holisticmanagement.org/give to donate online or send your check to HMI, 5941 Jefferson St. NE, Ste B., Albuquerque, NM 87109.

Printed On Recycled Paper

“HMI, this little organization in Albuquerque, on a tiny budget, teaches the world’s best range science. HMI is an example of a small organization making a huge difference.”

—Chris & Laura Gill