#158, In Practice, November/December 2014

In Practice a publication of Holistic Management International

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2014

From the Board Chair

NUMBER 158

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

BY KELLY SIDORYK

s the HMI Board we are excited to announce the hiring of Bryan Weech as new Executive Director. Bryan has a long connection to agriculture and the livestock industry. Most recently he worked with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) as Director of Livestock and Global Commodity Lead. He worked on a sustainable livestock project, bringing industry participants from all over the world together to develop collaborative solutions. Bryan brings many connections to the agriculture industry. An important component of his work will be developing and implementing long term strategic plans toward HMI’s mission of education to manage land for a sustainable future. He will also be in charge of development and fundraising.

The Board would also like to acknowledge the excellent leadership of Ann Adams as Interim Executive Director. Ann’s commitment and knowledge has allowed the HMI team to continue moving forward during this time of transition. She will continue as Director of Programs.

We look forward to celebrating 30 years of Holistic Management in November in Leo, Texas. We hope that as many members of the HMI community will take this time to come together and learn and connect. To learn more about that event, go to HMI’s webpage at www.holisticmanagement.org.

Many great projects are underway and the Board hopes to create new relationships as well as reconnect with those who have been involved in the past to help direct our vision for the future. To me one of the strengths of HMI has always been the excellent group of people involved and the emphasis we place on the human resource. This will only enhance the opportunities and work we do.

~ INSIDE THIS ISSUE ~

Family Agriculture

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FEATURE STORIES

’m honored and humbled to take on the responsibility of Executive Director for HMI. I deeply understand the importance of the mission of HMI and look forward to working with interested individuals and organizations to advance that mission. Educating people to manage land for a sustainable future is Bryan Weech something I strongly believe in and consider myself fortunate to have the opportunity to put my passion and experience to work for this important cause.

It is an exciting time in which the need for Holistic Management is greater than ever and the opportunity to expand HMI’s influence and impact is equally abundant. HMI is in a unique position to collaborate with individuals and organizations who increasingly understand the need for Holistic Management and want to work with us to support the farmers, ranchers, and Certified Educators who will be leading the way.

HMI will be expanding our reach and increasing our impact and I invite you to be a part of this exciting opportunity. For those of you who already support HMI’s mission I encourage you to stay engaged. For those of you who are thinking about becoming more involved, I invite you take advantage of the many opportunities to participate in our Open Gates and other learning opportunities.

In the coming days and weeks I will be visiting with as many people as possible to listen and learn.

I look forward to getting to know the HMI community and encourage you to reach out to me at any time.

I’m excited about the opportunity and recognize the need to expand the reach and impact of HMI and to support the Come visit Bryan and the Holistic Management community that will be leading the Holistic Management Board of way toward a sustainable future.

Directors at HMI’s Holistic Management Rendezvous 2014 Visit www.holisticmanagement.org Bryan Weech to learn more or to register.

HMI Executive Director

All in the Family— Five Generations on the Trigg Ranch

LINDA MCCULLOUGH DECKER . . . . . . . . . 2

Calamity Jane’s Farm— Small-scale Food Production in the Desert

EVELYN DALTON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Preventing Predation of Livestock— Livestock Management for Coexistence with Large Carnivores

MATT BARNES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

The Colville Tribe— A Holistic Financial Planning Case Study

JEFF GOEBEL, WITH THERESA H. VLASES . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

News & Network Land & Livestock

From the Executive Director’s Desk

Family farms and ranches have always been a vital component of sustainable agriculture. In this issue, a number of producers talk about how Holistic Management has helped them improve the management of their farms and ranches. To learn more about how the Trigg Family was influenced

by Holistic Management, turn to page 2.

Holterholm Farms – Holistic Management on a Pasture Dairy

HEATHER SMITH THOMAS . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Princess Beef— Growing a Family Tradition

HEATHER SMITH THOMAS . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Grapevine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Development Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Certified Educators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Marketplace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

All in the Family—

Five Generations on the Trigg Ranch

BY LINDA MCCULLOUGH DECKER

In Practice a publication of Holistic Management International

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

STAFF

Bryan Weech . . . . . . Executive Director

Kelly Curtis. . . . . . . . Chief Financial Officer Ann Adams. . . . . . . . Managing Editor, IN PRACTICE and Program Director Sandy Langelier. . . . Director, Communications and Outreach

Peggy Cole . . . . . . . . Program Manager, Texas Mary Girsch-Bock . . Grants Manager

Carrie Stearns . . . . . Customer Service Manager

Valerie Grubbs . . . . . Accountant / Customer Service Assistant Julie Fierro . . . . . . . . Education Manager

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Kelly Sidoryk, Chair Sallie Calhoun, Past Board Chair

t’s been twelve years since Steve Trigg died. He was the last of the second generation of the Triggs who have owned this ranch for almost a century. Founders SL and Bess Trigg, together with SL’s father and brothers, bought part of the Bell Ranch and brought the first herd of Aberdeen Angus to New Mexico in 1918. When Steve died in 2002 the third and fourth generations—all twenty-two of us—found ourselves with a ranch on our hands.

Before Steve’s death, we seven grandchildren of SL and Bess—the “Third Generation”—had already decided that, rather than inheriting pieces of land, we wanted the whole ranch to “keep on being a ranch” and we all wanted to be able to come to visit or work or retire there. So, with cousin Sally’s legal skills and tenacity, we had created a perpetual trust into which all of us deeded all our ownership of land and shares of the Cattle Company; there will never be death duties to pay, and never any cash paid out to beneficiaries of the Trust.

And—so important—we can come to the ranch.

Our ashes will be scattered on the point of Alamosa. All of that is in our Holistic Goal: To operate Trigg Ranch in a manner that is ecologically, socially, and financially sustainable so that all Steve and Bess Trigg descendants may access and enjoy the land’s gifts, and to manage our lands for a healthy, diverse, productive and naturally

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beautiful landscape, so that we Triggs may live and in our dying, rest in peace with our mother earth.

A New Start

The day before Steve’s memorial ceremony, the beneficiaries of the trust—the three trustees among them—met to carry out a plan we’d already been talking about: we hired Steve’s daughter Kristen Holmes as ranch manager, with her husband Rick. Kristen had lived on the ranch all her life, and with Rick had raised their two daughters there, while working for Steve as cowhands; but Steve had ignored her and shared nothing at all of the management.

Kristen was suddenly tossed from the bottom of the heap to the top, with two cowboys to boss.

We have to keep reminding her that as ranch manager her word is law.

A few years later something momentous for the future of the ranch happened. Kristen’s elder daughter Caitlin graduated from Southwestern University magna cum laude in English and discovered a serious talent for making pottery. But then in-law Effie asked a question, which planted a seed, which grew into Caitlin’s spending a year in TCU’s Ranch Management course, and the next year Caitlin joined the ranch staff as Cowherd Manager.

She brings a broad awareness of the ranching

Ben Bartlett Ron Chapman Zizi Fritz Laura Gill Clint Josey Wayne Knight Danny Nuckols Jim Parker Jim Shelton

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 © 2014

2 IN PRACTICE

Here is the triumphant crew which had just spent the whole of Work Week 2009 gutting the old kitchen and preparing the ceiling, walls, and floor for the new installations.

November / December 2014

business and many tools to apply to the work.

She’s serving on the local Soil and Water Conservation District Board and she keeps in touch with the NRCS and FSA people in Roy. She—and one year’s Work Week—turned the little guest house at Steve’s into a darling home.

And then something else momentous happened—she brought a husband to the ranch: Josh! He’s teaching school in Mosquero, earning a master’s degree in education, and working half-time on the ranch. He’s fallen in love with the heritage chickens that cousin Robin gave them as a wedding present. And we have all fallen in love with him.

When Steve died in 2002, given his unwillingness to discuss anything with anybody, we really didn’t know what we had on our hands, besides the 50,000 acres of land. There was a herd of cattle, descendants of those early Angus, now well adapted to our rough country and well-regarded for our breeder and stocker calves. The cattle were also well known to be hardheaded and uncooperative—like us, I suppose; and they were unwilling to leave their familiar corners of the large pastures. But we didn’t know how many there were. Or how much of the fence was in decent condition. We knew the grass had taken a beating over the years, and mesquite and juniper have flourished. There were a dozen windmills and lots of surface tanks. There was no debt on the ranch; Steve was always reluctant to spend money. But we had little idea what we could expect to earn and what it cost to run the place.

Maybe the biggest challenge has been learning how to make decisions; one spouse says we can’t even decide where to have lunch together in town. However, four years before Steve’s death, we had begun to renovate our grandmother’s home, the old rock house built in 1924, full of our childhood memories but standing empty since her death in the 1970s.

The annual summer “Work Week” draws twentyfive or thirty folks—now ages seventy-eight to eight—to sweat together replacing—well, almost everything: plumbing, wiring, the water system, the propane system, curtains and upholstery, screens and porches, plus refinishing floors and reglazing all the windows.

As soon as we began working on Nana’s house, each of us had ideas about how to do every little thing. There was no boss. Steve was still alive, and he was paying for everything— we assumed—but he mostly left us alone. We soon developed a rule-of-thumb: whoever is particularly committed to a project — like cousin Stephen who was worrying about the kitchen door – decides how it is going to be done.

Everyone else gives advice freely and often; but the honcho decides. When the time came for

eight women to get down to redesigning the kitchen, there was no honcho, and spouses and friends fled; it took three years, and there were a few tears, but the result is a delight. We’ve also done the bunkhouse, and now we’ve started on Steve’s house.

Creating a Business Structure

By the time Steve died, we had four years of experience of working together. But it was a couple of years before we realized that “the whole” we were managing included not only the cattle operation but also the family with its varied interests and its wide range of experience and skills. With the help of a consultant, we set up a structure, in addition to the three trustees, Rick Holmes (the bride’s father) with his wife, Kristen Trigg which is focused around a board of Holmes (Trigg Ranch Manager), toasting their daughter, directors elected annually during Caitlin, and her husband, Josh Ward.

Work Week by all the beneficiaries present. The seven-member board, which always includes two members of Lessons Learned the Fourth Generation, meets monthly by We’ve all learned a lot. During their first year phone. That works pretty well, scattered as we as managers, Kristen and Rick had taken the are from Texas to Hawaii—and cousin Eric the Holistic Management course, and they asked airline captain could be anywhere. Our Jim Howell to come down to meet with all the decisions are made by consensus; the one beneficiaries during Work Week.

And many of formal vote has been to buy a piece of land and us have made good use of various kinds of borrow the money to do it—and that vote was learning—Bill Zeedyk workshops, the Quivira unanimous. Mostly we ask questions, hold Coalition conferences, Bud Williams’ low-stress Kristen’s hand when she worries, and cattle handling, and inviting other specialists to encourage her in the decisions she has made. visit the ranch.

There are broader decisions to make, as I think the biggest surprise has been how well. We do have a Holistic Plan; it’s pretty much easier it is now to handle the cattle. general, but helps us stay focused. When we Kristen, Rick, and Caitlin have paid good heed hold annual meetings of the beneficiaries and to everybody’s advice: “you’ll avoid many a spouses, during Work Week, there’s general wreck if you take it slow.” So, slowly they have discussion of new ideas or enthusiasms—or made use of EQIP grants and other funding to worries. And we have made some decisions divide some of the 2,500-acre pastures into about what we won’t do. No hunting parties, no 600-acre paddocks, and they’ve taught the dudes, no B&B, no bike trail on the old railroad cattle to come for goodies—cottonseed cake— bed. No seismic exploration with heavy trucks when they hear the siren. Cranky old cows have driving over our precious grass. No electric been replaced by a younger generation which fences, for now, and no investment in a are eager to trot through an open gate to fresh photovoltaic installation. No sheep, no llamas, pasture. Low-stress cattle handling turns out to no goats. Certainly for the time being, we are a be low-stress on the cowhands: one of our cow-calf operation, and in most years we make favorite stories is that the first time cattle were a profit. While we have talked to Country Natural Beef and sent one truckload of calves to led to fresh pasture by the feed-truck with its siren going, a dubious cowboy riding behind the be fed out in Oregon, we quickly decided that marketing into the natural beef niche would take herd commented to Kristen: “I could get used to this!” Gathering cattle in a paddock now takes way more time and attention than we want to

give it.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

Number 158

IN PRACTICE 3

Five Generations on the Trigg Ranch

continued from page three

off the team for arguing all day about what percentage of plants in a circle are “desirable”: does that include cactus, yucca, and mesquite which provide a nursery for the grasses? After that we reworded the question: “what percentage of plants are edible by cattle?” We do need to find ways to make all that data easy to compare; a friend has created several apps to try this year, and if we succeed in entering data on screens in bright sunlight, we will have created spread sheets for those comparisons.

We’ve had fun learning about what’s here on the ranch. For over a decade now two dedicated birders have made a monthly survey of the birds which come through this transition zone; we get eastern birds from the Great Plains, and western birds from the high desert, plus the migrants. Other knowledgeable folks have drifted through to talk about native plants, archaeological sites, petroglyphs, and geology.

Maybe butterflies are next.

grader, or the back-hoe. Many a “rolling dip” has half a day, compared to two days of hard riding she created, slowing erosion (and drivers) and a decade ago. Sally has trained the purchased keeping the water—when it rains—where she bulls—the home-bred ones have been culled— wants it. And she cleans out the tanks when to come eat out of her hand, and she’s trained they are dry, and clears the path for new even the youngest of the Triggs to move cattle fences. Rick spends most of his time through a circuit in the shipping pens. Caitlin maintaining or replacing all that equipment. can now keep pretty close tabs on the three Anybody know where we can buy a two-yearherds, and even testing bulls annually isn’t the nightmare it was when trichomoniasis was discovered in the neighborhood a decade ago.

Kristen and Caitlin had cut the stocking rate in half by the time the second drought in ten years set in; last year half the ranch was mapped as “extreme drought”—and the other half as “exceptional drought”. The calves have been weaned early for the last couple of years in order to keep the cows in the best condition possible. So, despite the drought, the cattle look better than ever. New genetics have been brought into the herd by buying registered Angus bulls from area breeders. The goal, as Heading into the Future Caitlin puts it, is to maintain the It seems to me that the area smaller, well-adapted cow that has The monitoring gang performing a detailed observation of one of five circles thrived in our hard country, while still in which they count species of plants and estimate bare area and plant litter where we have failed is in producing a marketable, growthy, in addition to live plants. They take photographs as well as perform 2 other “passing on our heritage” and keeping the whole family easy-fleshing calf that buyers will monitoring processes on the twelve transects around the ranch. intrigued and learning something want. Because of our rough terrain, about ranching. The farthestCaitlin moves the cattle in three away cousins are, naturally, the least independent grazing cells. The managers have a old Ford 250 with bench seats?

The most delightful of our new practices is interested; and it seems impossible to fit Work rough grazing plan on paper, but they actually monitoring.

Jim Howell came down to our rough Week or even Kids Week into the lives of young move the cattle when the grass indicates, staying country in 2003 to teach us the benefits of plant soccer players. Interest does seem to flare, a little longer or moving out earlier than planned. litter—none of us had much idea what he was however, when the college kids bring their A big disappointment has been the retalking about—and showed us how to lay out a friends out for a visit. Another project is getting sprouting of mesquite which looked nice and transect and taught us a fairly elaborate down on paper our memories and the lore. dead the year after aerial spraying. That had monitoring process. So now we and some been expensive, even with an EQIP grant. We dedicated friends gather in nice fall weather and Meanwhile, the old gardens at Nana’s are have persuaded ourselves that dead mesquite transitioning to native plants. The spring is is beautiful: bare gray sticks all across our three spend five days going to the far reaches of the ranch, taking detailed photos and gathering a lot running strong, to our amazement. The renewed best valley pastures. But re-sprouted mesquite of data on each of twelve transects. We can kitchen is a joy. The ruined dirt dam above the is downright ugly. Hand spraying from a 4compare that data from year to year. It would be house is as ugly as ever. But the secondwheeler keeps certain areas under control; and at least for the time being the pastures are more fun to see dramatic changes, but at least we can generation cottonwood tree we have planted in tell that we are headed in the right direction. And the patio is growing and has already sheltered open. There’s a lot of juniper, too, which we both a wedding party and a funeral, with baby have decided just to live with for the time being, when carbon credits were hot on the market we showers and the centennial celebration in the despite Sally’s itching to get at it with a cutter on were able to say, “Yes, see what we are doing”, and we sold credits for some nice money. works. What the future of the ranch will be is the skid-loader.

The most valuable thing about monitoring, hard to say, but we have done what we can to though, has been learning to look at the land; ensure that the Sixth Generation and beyond Rewarding Practices we count species of plants, carefully estimate will want to learn about life on the Trigg Ranch, A surprising amount of work—maybe more the percentages of bare ground and litter and and that the old ranch will be producing good than handling the cattle—goes into maintaining live plant, make note of rabbit poop and spider beef for many years to come. more than ninety miles of road. Kristen has webs and other indications of the ecological Linda McCullough Decker resides on Maui. always had a deft touch with heavy equipment, community. And we argue. We still laugh about and she is often on the big front-loader, the the year cousin Sally and in-law John got thrown She can be reached at: lmctrigg@clearwire.net.

4 IN PRACTICE

November / December 2014

Calamity Jane’s Farm—

those beds were watered and when we got heavy rain, I started noticing a compost tea seeping out. Between the arming for me began in my head and I’m seeking growth. I begin beds, the soil began to change. on paper long before it happened on feeling like I’m bumping the Grass began to grow. I began soil. I remember telling an advisor at ceiling, ready for more. to mow. A lot. Then, I had Texas Tech University that I wanted to I heard about HMI last year. an idea. know all I could about farming and horticulture I’d stumbled upon Women’s I’d heard of rabbit tractors because I wanted to change the lives of food Agriculture Network on and researched them. I decided stamp recipients. I wanted to teach each family Facebook, and they had shared I’d have rabbits mowing and Evelyn Dalton to grow a few things. My idea was to start seeds the information about HMI’s would grow grassfed meat at and go teach people to plant and keep checking Beginning Women Farmer the same time. This has proven on their progress. I believe this could give Program. I was really very serious about to be a great solution. Not only am I holding people hope and self-worth. I believe still, that increasing sales to the community, getting my down the sand, but helping the soil become it’s better to teach someone to care for name and product out there, but I really didn’t something different and better, creating grass themselves then to do it for them. know how. Market growers are few and far and feeding rabbits, who feed us.

Well, you can only imagine what that between around here and to be holistically and Because of the guidance and knowledge I advisor’s reaction was. I had believed being an organic minded really set me apart. People just learned from HMI’s program, I was able to pull think I’m crazy, but that’s been everything together and have a booth at the working for Joel Salatin, so I local farmers market where I sell out of eggs think there is hope for me! and produce in a few hours. I feel as though I’ve So, I sent off the application joined the community in such a positive for the Beginning Women’s manner, and I’ve begun joining forces with the Farmer class and told the people county extension service to try to start planting in my world that I knew it was for some HMI seeds for the 4H clubs. I hope one me. It was exactly what I needed. day to have a program in place to help those When I finally was accepted I that need it, to plant some food and hope into was so excited! This was the their lives. beginning of my life.

With the knowledge I’ve gained from HMI’s Writing my holistic goal during the class was life changing. I Using chickens to improve soil fertility has created more ground found out that my holistic goal would be cover on the farm’s sandy soil in just 2 years. my road map from extension agent was the necessary road to do then on. Making decisions became this, but I realized that I’m a terrible classroom simple based on whether the student. I’d have to find another way. outcome would be moving towards While I have always had chickens for eggs my goal or away. It keeps my focus and grown produce to consume, I always knew and my perspective of things in my it’d be a bigger deal one day. I kept learning and life as well as with the farm. growing, seeking every bit of knowledge that I My current farm is an acre and a could and “practicing” along the way. Even now, half, with a house and barn on it. I keep about 60 laying Evelyn realized that it would be better to get more hens, 15 ducks (for production from smaller spaces by using raised beds to eggs and meat), and grow her produce in this desert climate. meat rabbits. I divided the farm into sections program, I will continue to plan, expand, and to focus on building up each add life into the soil here. I envision creating a section. Being here in the sandy great teaching farm so I can show people that desert, I wasn’t sure what would it’s possible to have your own little oasis in this happen and I was simply trying barren land—land that not only feeds people, things I had read. I kept seeking but improves their quality of life. information, kept trying.

I became frustrated with Evelyn Dalton runs Calamity Jane’s Farm in planting crops in the ground and Rabbits are also used to reduce vegetation between raised Midland, Texas. She can be reached at: put in raised beds, filled with a beds as well as add to soil fertility. calamityjanesfarm@gmail.com mix of compost and peat. When

Small-scale Food Production in the Desert

BY EVELYN DALTON

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Number 158

IN PRACTICE 5

Preventing Predation of Livestock—

Livestock Management for Coexistence with Large Carnivores

BY MATT BARNES

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6 IN PRACTICE

Overall, most carnivores are opportunistic, and most bears, wolves, and cougars remain focused on wild prey, even when livestock are nearby. But some individual predators do switch their focus to livestock, and if they do they are usually lethally controlled.

Non-targeted lethal control is often ineffective at reducing livestock losses, because removal of individuals not focused on livestock opens up a place for other individuals that may be or become focused on livestock. We cannot expect to eliminate all Electrified fladry is designed to deter wolves, but can also be used to contain cattle in temporary paddocks. Fladry works best depredations by preventing for small areas and short times such as calving season. This predators from switching from wild calf was born in a fladry paddock on a summer grazing prey to livestock, but we may be allotment. able to keep them to a lower, opportunistic level. are much more manageable.

The progressive livestock management In addition to an expansion of focus from practices often adopted by Holistic carnivores to livestock, effective coexistence Management practitioners, especially planned requires a parallel expansion from a focus on grazing and herding with low-stress livestock technological tools to developing management handling, are partly based on the patterns of contexts in which those tools can be used more wild ungulate herds in the presence of their effectively. The most important tools are those predators, and are an effort to partner with nature. These practices can improve rangeland that can be applied creatively and adaptively, and that can establish the context in which health, livestock production, and ranch livestock-carnivore interactions occur and profitability. Because these practices are based reduce the probability of interactions leading to on predator-prey relationships, ranchers can depredations. For example, range riders or also use them to coexist with native carnivores. herders and livestock guarding animals are “tools” with inherent adaptability, but their Livestock Management Key effectiveness depends on the context in which Conservation that recognizes humans as they work. part of nature will be more effective, as human None of the tools are very effective when decisions now affect all ecosystems. livestock are scattered over large areas. Neither Protectionist conservation strategies, which riders nor guarding animals can prevent generally separate humans from the rest of isolated or distant animals from encountering or nature, are necessary, but are insufficient to being killed by predators. Technological tools build resilience in social-ecological systems or (e.g., fladry, light and noise devices) need to be foster harmonious coexistence between in close association with the livestock, and as humans and wildlife. As a sub-field within such are rarely used on extensively managed wildlife conservation, coexistence is inherently rangelands. Grazing at high stocking density bottom-up, practical, and collaborative, rather creates a context in which all of the other tools than top-down and regulatory; yet has can be used, by reducing the spatial scale at emphasized approaches that keep carnivores any one time to a manageable level. physically separated from humans and Two weak links in terms of livestock livestock. Coexistence practitioners can vulnerability to predation can be identified in the become more effective by shifting their focus seasonal cycle of livestock production in the from the wild to the domestic animals—which Northern Rockies. Wolf predation of livestock

November / December 2014

PHOTO CREDIT: GARL GERMANN / THE RODEAR INITIATIVE

rom both ranching and conservation perspectives, livestock predation by large carnivores has traditionally been seen as a problem with the carnivores as its cause. For instance, much of the work done to reduce livestock-carnivore conflict has focused on keeping carnivores physically separated from humans and livestock, and on developing tools to manage the carnivores. A more holistic view is that carnivores are an inherent and valuable part of the system, some livestock predation is inevitable, and the root cause of excessive livestock predation is that conventional management has made livestock easier than wild prey for predators.

The weak link in carnivore conservation is lack of human tolerance, and the weak link in tolerance may well be conflicts with livestock.

Habitat includes both the resources (for carnivores, prey) and the conditions for a species’ persistence. In the Northern Rockies, the large national parks and wilderness areas are relatively secure but insufficient habitat for large carnivores such as grizzly bears, wolves, and cougars. The working landscapes between these protected areas support prey animals, but may or may not be available habitat for carnivores, depending on human activities and tolerance. Although livestock-carnivore conflicts are a relatively minor source of livestock mortality overall, they can be locally significant, and they are a major concern for ranchers in the region, a major source of carnivore mortality, and of social polarization. Future gains in carnivore conservation will be largely on working landscapes.

We at Keystone Conservation believe that developing human tolerance for carnivores includes preventing or mitigating livestock depredations, and ideally occurs in the context of building both social and ecological resilience.

This includes the ranching and broader conservation communities collaborating to improve rangeland health—the proper functioning of ecological processes—and thus the capacity of the land to produce biological diversity and ecosystem services, including forage for both wildlife and livestock. Ranchers generally seek a rural quality of life, with landbased livestock production. These utilitarian goals generally align with conservation goals, as they both rely on the same future resource base.

peaks during the summer when livestock are most spread out; and in some areas during calving season. These can be addressed with strategic management of grazing and breeding cycles.

PHOTO CREDIT: MATT BARNES

PHOTO CREDIT: MATT BARNES

such as bison are commonly thought to have massed in huge, dense herds. But the observations of the nineteenth-century buffalo hunters Planned Grazing and Carnivores suggest a more On most of the world’s rangelands outside of nuanced picture: North America, fences are relatively rare, and animals would spread livestock are herded daily. Nomadic and out in smaller family transhumant herders often camp with or near groups in the absence their livestock, while more sedentary livestock of predators, but operations often involve returning the animals would form the large, to the relative safety of the village at night. In dense herds under Africa, where livestock cultures evolved with predation pressure. large carnivores, livestock are night-penned in Native Americans Range riders herding using low-stress livestock handling to re-kindle the herd kraals (corrals) intended to protect the livestock have called cattle instinct, increase stock density, manage grazing distribution, and reduce from lions and other predators; some of these “slow elk.” This is vulnerability to predation. kraals are mobile. somewhat ironic, Grazing management that involves because the deer family, not the cattle family, is cattle, in a behavioral sense, have indeed bunching livestock into a single cohesive herd, the primary prey of North American large become “slow elk.” keeping that herd in a limited portion of the carnivores. For example, elk are most Livestock are most vulnerable to predation landscape at any one time and moving the herd vulnerable to wolves when either isolated or when scattered over large areas. Scattered across the landscape over time, rather than running—and when cattle behave similarly, they individuals are more likely to run from scattering the animals across the entire are more likely to be killed. Generally, large predators, increasing their vulnerability. landscape, has the potential not only to improve carnivores are much less successful at killing Intensifying grazing management such that land health and grazing capacity by changing bison than they are at killing elk or deer. Bison livestock are bunched into a single cohesive diet selection patterns, but also to facilitate usually stand their ground in a tight herd, often herd, keeping that herd in a limited portion of natural anti-predator behaviors such as with their calves in the middle. The natural the landscape at any one time, and moving the herding-up and standing ground. The link behavior of cattle is probably more like that of herd across the landscape over time—e.g., between grazing management and antibison, to which they are closely related and planned grazing—has the potential to reduce predator behavior has been suggested by roughly similar in size. predation losses through safety in numbers.

Holistic Management practitioners, but has However, livestock producers have High stock density maximizes the probability never been tested scientifically. generally bred and trained animals not to that the entire herd will be alert to the presence The herd almost certainly evolved in behave this way, largely unintentionally. This of a predator, and facilitates anti-predator response to predation pressure; a predator is happens in many ways, including scattering behavior such as standing ground and less likely to find prey when prey animals are animals across large areas, general handling defending young. Individuals naive to predators grouped, and an individual reduces its chances stress, and only gathering animals into a herd may not exhibit these behaviors, but a dense of being taken when it is in a group. Large for occasional husbandry practices. This and socially cohesive herd facilitates group herds must move around the landscape to seek negative reinforcement essentially teaches the learning. And in some cases, well-timed pasture fresh forage and avoid fouled areas, and animals to avoid bunching and pairing—the probably also to escape predators. Wild herds very behaviors that would protect them. Modern movements within a grazing season can reduce the livestock-carnivore encounter rate by reducing in the spatial overlap between livestock and wild prey, and by avoidance of seasonally high-risk areas, such as den and rendezvous sites.

There are many means to an end. The management practice of planned grazing, the overall strategy for affecting soil-plantherbivore-carnivore interactions, is of primary importance. This management can be accomplished to varying degrees with facilitating practices: cross-fencing for planned grazing, and herding using lowPrior to herding, these cattle scattered themselves in small bunches, potentially vulnerable to predation. Riders used low-stress livestock handling to rekindle the herd instinct. This photo of cattle voluntarily remaining at high stock CONTINUED ON PAGE 16 density was taken 24 hours after the riders stopped herding.

Number 158

IN PRACTICE 7

The Colville Tribe—

A Holistic Financial Planning Case Study

BY JEFF GOEBEL, WITH THERESA H. VLASES

n 1995 I began working with the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation in Nespelem, Washington. As far as I know, prior to the work described here, no government had used Holistic Management Financial Planning. The work in the Tribe’s natural resource department was the previous largest scale application I am aware of. A holistic policy analysis course was taught at the Tribe in December of 1995 in which we analyzed the Tribe’s conventional government budget process using the Holistic Financial Planning process. As a result of this analysis the 55 tribal leaders made a decision to adopt the Holistic Financial Planning process as policy. I began teaching Holistic Financial Planning to tribal members in January of 1996, at which time the Council also developed and adopted the Tribe’s Holistic Goal. In the course of less than a year, the Tribe was able to balance their budget, save over $8 million, and invest those savings into the greatest needs for the Tribe.

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8 IN PRACTICE

Creating a Profitable Budget

Work on financial planning began with the development of a month-by-month plan to begin in February and culminate in June. The core planning team was made up of administrators, program managers, and budget staff. In February we started with the Annual Review by using the consensus building process to address concerns about the process and identify best possible outcomes for this work. Best possible outcomes included passing the budget three months early by a unanimous Council vote, reducing tribal spending to 5% below projected income, cutting no jobs or salaries, and protecting some politically important programs.

This work was concluded by determining what work would be required over the next four months and deciding when to do it, who would do each task, and how the tasks would be carried out.

We set a reduction in the tribal expenditures of 5% as a best outcome. This became what would be called the “profit target” for our financial plan.

We needed to alter the concept of “profit” in government. Since this was a sovereign tribe, any monies that they saved could be returned to the tribal membership, used to acquire infrastructure and assets like additional land, or placed in “reserve” for future use.

Work started in March by developing a worst-case estimate of the Tribe’s income for the following fiscal year, which was $47 million. Allowing for the 5% “profit,” our projected budget was $43 million. The remaining 5% could be invested in performing actions yielding positive longterm benefits for the Tribe such as investing in education, land acquisition, and building financial reserves. Tribal Enterprises, which is a nongovernmental entity, was also included in the planning.

The planning team learned that many grants that provided funding for the Tribe supported programs that were not always

November / December 2014

consistent with the Tribe’s Holistic Goal. Often, programs went after money for the sake of the money, not thinking about the full consequences to the Tribe. Grant-funded programs and projects that were not consistent with the Holistic Goal were identified and funders were approached about modifying, or even canceling, the contract.

Any contracts that could not be modified would be fulfilled but not renewed. Several funders, such as EPA, supported the change. Based on this work, EPA now incorporates a holistic approach in requests for proposals.

Expenses were planned during April and May. Administrators, program managers, and budget staff from each program area developed clear purpose statements for their program, tested that purpose toward the Tribe’s Holistic Goal and determined program objectives for the coming year. They were to then allocate dollars to the objective and develop a program expense budget. Over 250 government programs were tested.

Lessons Learned

• Planning should proceed from the Holistic Goal downward, not from the bottom up (in developing program purposes, strategic plans, and actions).

• The tribal organization was fragmented, with a lot of duplicated services. This was an opportunity for saving resources by using a process to open up the territorial boundaries of programs and departments.

• External funding needed to be reviewed.

Some sources of revenue did not lead toward the Holistic Goal. Contract/Grant scopes of work had to be rewritten. Some funders changed, some did not, so either the Tribe fulfilled the obligations of the contract or returned the funds.

Not asking these questions in the past had been damaging to the integrity of the Tribe.

• Treating symptoms rather than the root causes of problems was the focus of 80% of government programs. Being aware of this issue allowed action to be taken to work on strategies to resolve the conflict of treating symptoms rather than underlying causes. The game wardens provided an example of refocused resource allocation to resolve this issue. They realized that they had to patrol a very large reservation with roads in poor conditions and limited staff, and the cause of the problem was that people violated game regulations for various reasons. To address this issue, they reallocated 40% of their financial resources and time to work with community education and involvement to resolve the poaching problem.

• When program strategies and actions fail in testing, they should be checked to see if these strategies or actions are addressing symptoms.

• More testing may be beneficial and necessary.

Only a small group participated in testing.

Given the previous learning, expanding the numbers of people involved in the testing process could significantly increase the awareness of the tribal government’s relationship to the Tribe’s Holistic Goal and the consistency of daily activity toward it.

The Integrated Resource Management Program team was part of the • Goals being tested tribal effort to improve the tribal budget while making decisions towards do not always reflect how the tribe’s Holistic Goal. things really operate.

This learning highlighted the inconsistencies Not All Money is Equal between the stated Holistic Goal and current Participants in the financial planning process actions, providing an opportunity to create a learned that subjectivity could be removed from better alignment between the organization’s stated purpose and actions. budget decisions and people would take an honest look at what needed to stay or go, even if it was • A good monitoring their own program. Also, because we treated every process is needed. This program the same, programs did not compete with was a major failing of the each other for resources. When we found that process after I moved away some programs, such as the communication from the direct leadership of program (Tribal Tribune), actually needed twice the this project with the Tribe. funding, several programs took even deeper cuts This important step was for the good of the Tribe. The Holistic Goal became highlighted in my real through the realization that money not recommendations, but was not carried forward after my squandered today could be available for the Tribe and children of tomorrow, resulting in everyone involvement ended.

• Some entities, such as making a commitment to the process.

While tribally-generated money could be the Council, Per capita, saved, federal funds had to be spent each budget Tribal Gatherings, and year. While it may be in the best interest of Emergency Funds did not taxpayers to return unspent money to the Federal The Colville Tribe has acquired an additional 100,000 acres of land have written goals. Clarity treasury, it was best for the Tribe to get and spend since managing toward their Holistic Goal. of the purpose of various as much in federal funds as possible, rather than entities can help in spending the tribal dollars that could be saved. determining appropriateness of actions as • Enterprises are difficult to test due to the So, a list of needed items that could be mentioned above. profit motive. Tribal employees had to ask legitimately purchased with the federal funds if • Most programs failed to address the themselves about all programs and projects: money was left at the end of the year was financial weak link (understanding and “where does this fit into the Holistic Goal?” The education). This issue is described as the “limits devised. Programs would also be rewarded for Holistic Management® Framework is actually returning tribal money at the end of the year. 75% to growth” concept which points out how a very effective to use in businesses, particularly of surplus funds would go to the tribal coffers and restriction in knowledge can result in limited with the gross profit analysis and comparing 25% would go into a program’s discretionary fund ability to address the root cause of a problem options testing questions and the Holistic to be used for any purposes, with no strings and make progress.

Management Financial Planning process. attached, as long as it was legal. This kind of • Human service programs can be tested.

However, in this case, the Tribe’s Holistic Goal creativity was used throughout this process.

Often, Holistic Management is seen as a ranch did not mention profit but it did mention a management or natural resource process. The healthy economy and secure employment. process of developing a holistic goal and doing • The process provided much information Overcoming Challenges holistic testing allowed participants to realize a about the programs and activities of the Tribe.

At the end of May, expenses were compared much broader application. The group was also The holistic testing provided an excellent with income. Expenses were 5% over, not under, willing to adapt the Holistic Management opportunity to understand the complexity of the the target. By then it was only three weeks until process to fit the tribal government, without tribal government and how each program losing the underlying assumptions of the holistic Council elections, which would throw out all the related to the larger perspective of operations and that relationship to the Tribe’s Holistic Goal. decision-making process.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 21

The reason for this challenge was semantics. ’Failure’ is traditionally viewed as a negative result. However, in holistic testing, failure means there is a great likelihood the action will not guide the organization toward the Holistic Goal.

This creates a “red flag” to take notice and be creative in coming up with other solutions, or to be willing to accept the consequences and make necessary changes later. Other language could replace ‘pass’ and ‘fail’, such as the question “will the action move us toward or away from the Holistic Goal?”

• Program staff was generally objective in testing. This was an impressive outcome to observe and created a high level of trust and credibility in the testing process. Holistic testing also significantly reduced levels of conflict over budget development.

• Training and education can speed up the process and improve quality by increasing understanding. Staff and the Council needed help writing strategic plans and actions, and testing programs and actions.

Number 158

IN PRACTICE 9

LIVESTOCK

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Holterholm Farms —

Grazing Dairy Cows

Holistic Management on a Pasture Dairy

BY HEATHER SMITH THOMAS

on Holter is the 5th generation on a dairy farm near Jefferson, Maryland in Middletown Valley. “The land was originally purchased in 1889 by my great-great-granddad. I grew up here on the farm, graduated from high school in 1981 and became a partner in the operation in 1984. I was also married in 1984. At that time we were a typical confinement dairy, milking about 100 Holstein cows. We had a 2-acre dirt lot that the cows could get out in, but that was the only place for them when they were outside. Even when they were out there, we were feeding them a TMR (total mixed ration),” says Holter.

“In 1994 my wife Kathy and I bought out my parents. In the winter that year, our County Extension had a management class called Pro-Farm.

It was based on a program at Cornell called Pro-Dairy. What I got out of that class was that it taught us farmers to think for ourselves rather than just following traditional guidelines,” he says.

“At that time I was trying to do my best. I had been taught for years that Ron Holter every salesman that came up the driveway was smarter than I was and I had to do what he said. During the management class, the Dairy Extension Agent, Stan Fultz mentioned grazing dairy cows. When he said that, I thought to myself that it was too good to be true and just can’t work,” says Holter.

“My wife and I were setting some goals at that time and looking hard at what we wanted to do with our lives. My father was in his late 60’s and my mother was in her late 50’s. They wanted to get out of the operation and we’d bought them out, but they were still helping me. My children were 2 and 4 years old and I was hardly getting to spend any time with them. One of our goals was to see my family grow up, and not be working round the clock,” he says.

“We were getting up at about a quarter to 3 in the morning to milk cows, and I only got to see the kids for an hour at breakfast and an hour at lunch and usually came in at 6:30 to 7 in the evening. I’d eat dinner and sit down to try to read to the children and they’d have to tell me to wake up to finish the story!”

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November / December 2014

That winter, after the management class, he and his wife went to some other meetings. “Our Extension Agent spoke at a local Soil Conservation meeting and showed slides of dairy cows grazing in Oregon and Vermont. That was the first my wife had seen this. We came home and prayed about it, and the Lord led us to convert the farm over to a grazing dairy,” says Holter.

In 1995 they planted all the open ground to a pasture mix, and started grazing their dry cows and heifers. “We used mostly temporary fencing.

Then in the spring of 1996 we had a fencer come in and drive posts, and we put up fence—and had the cows out by the time we had green grass.

We had every animal outside. At that time it was just a dairy and we didn’t have any diversity of species on the farm,” he says.

“Dad and I were just blown away by how easy it was. We almost had ‘corn planter withdrawal’ because we were just standing on the porch watching the cows harvest their own feed. It just didn’t seem right! All our neighbors were scrambling around like we used to, and we were not—which was a real blessing!”

“The more we got into grazing, the more we could see the environmental benefits and social benefits of it. We basically cut our work force (or the hours that we worked) in half, at that time. I was able to be a dad again. I was able to get out to my son’s baseball games and my daughter’s musical events and had wonderful years with my children in their growing up,” he says.

“Then in 1997 we sold our fall-calving cows and replaced them with Jerseys. We went to spring seasonal calving in the spring of 1998. In thinking through the whole process we wanted to follow the natural pattern of grass with the cows’ milk production and dietary needs. We had our cows dry through the winter of 1997 and that was a total shock! I even volunteered in school with my children, which was really neat!”

The cows all calved in the spring of 1998 and have been spring seasonal ever since. “We sell any cows that will calve outside our MarchApril calving window and sell them in the fall as short-bred cows, so we don’t have to carry them through the winter,” he explains.

Becoming Organic

“In the year 2000 we realized we weren’t using herbicides, pesticides, synthetic fertilizers. The cows were doing all this for us. So we made the decision to be organic. There was no market for organic milk in Maryland at that time, but we farmed the land organically and fed the cows

purchased grain—which was non-organic. We had pretty much eliminated and hope to improve the land that way. The farmer has been hesitant to antibiotics at that time. We’d already stopped deworming the cows and the let us graze animals down there because there are no fences, but now they are starting to consider this as on option for a couple years calves and stopped dry treating the cows with antibiotics when we dried throughout that 7-year rotation. That is pretty exciting and we may be able them off. We realized that we didn’t have any more mastitis without to get the nurse cows and calves down there for at least part of the antibiotics than when we used them,” says Holter. year—which would alleviate the pressure on this farm. We might be able “The Lord just kept teaching us the right way, step by step. Then in to make more hay on this farm and not buy as much hay,” he says.

2005 Organic Valley and Horizon moved into Maryland. Organic Valley is “We continue to develop our plan, working on it as we go. Our son a cooperative system. We like their mission; it aligned quite well with our Adam is 23. He graduated from college in 2011 and got a business farm. So we went with Organic Valley July 1, 2005 and became certified degree. He wanted to come back and farm, so he makes the 6th organic. All through this process the Lord just kept tugging on us and generation. He joined the partnership with Kathy and me. He has told us making us realize that cows were not created to eat grain. So the fall of numerous times that if we weren’t grazing and organic, he wouldn’t have 2007 we stopped feeding any grain and have been no-grain ever since,” been interested in being here, so we are thrilled we made that decision.” he says.

Daughter Carrie is 21. “She helped on the farm as she was growing Through this period, the Holstein cows were phased out because they up but graduated from college in May, 2013 and got married. Her couldn’t breed back within that window, on pasture only. “We milk about husband is not a farmer, but they live fairly close and we are blessed by 110 Jerseys now. In 2008 we also started using nurse cows to raise our that,” says Holter. calves rather than us feeding the calves with nipple barrels. We realized that the cow can teach those calves so many things that we can’t.

The heifers grow up to be better cows,” explains Holter.

“When the cow eats, her saliva on her nose gets on the grass, and the calf follows and eats that, and it really boosts the rumen as well. Just the whole process, with the cows teaching the calves what to eat, makes better cows.” They follow mom’s example at a very young age.

The nurse cows are Jerseys. Any cows that don’t work well in the milking parlor become nurse cows. “We usually have a few heifers every year that don’t want to let their milk down in the parlor and if they don’t want to do that we turn them into nurse cows; they are very happy to do that. Any cows that have some mastitis or somatic cell count problems, or any 3-titters that the milkers don’t stay on well can also become nurse cows,” he says.

“We keep the calves on the nurse cows for 6 or 7 months before we wean them. Usually we just dry off the nurse cows at that time because the calves really pull down their body condition. Those cows need a little extra time to regain their body condition before winter,” While the dairy is the main enterprise, Ron also raises beef cattle and chickens. he explains.

“Through this whole process and becoming organic we became aware that GMOs are as terrible as pesticides and herbicides. We also started raising our own chickens. We started keeping layers more than 10 Integrating Holistic Management year ago and we sell eggs from the farm. The chickens are fed organic “I have read a lot about Holistic Management. We are trying now to grain and are pastured all the time. We also got into sheep and sell fine tune and do a better job of the financial aspects of ancillary grassfed lamb.” enterprises. The dairy has been carrying the load and we needed to The Holters started a small beef herd, as well. For many years they diversify. We like every aspect of having the beef cows, but with the raised a few Jersey steers to sell by the quarter, half and whole. “We liked amount of hay we still have to buy for them, we are not 100% sure that the Jersey steers but they just seemed to grow too slow. So we started a they are paying their way. We are still working on that,” he says. small herd of Herefords, to finish out the steers for beef,” he says.

“Part of the reason that we started the beef herd is that when we go to There are 207 acres on the home farm that are utilized for pasture. the natural food markets in our area we see the grassfed organic beef “We use another 30-acre farm that is certified organic, for our beef herd. coming from Uruguay. That doesn’t seem right. We know that the local We also rent a 50-acre certified organic farm for our bred heifers. We are movement presents a lot of opportunity for us, but we are still trying to still not where we want to be, in that we still have to buy a considerable wrestle with the scale that is needed to supply them—and the time and amount of hay,” says Holter. effort involved in providing the meat at the right time for them. We are not “We are working with one farmer on hay; his farm was organic by sure whether we should try that or still continue doing quarter, half and neglect when we started buying his hay and he is realizing now that he wholes twice a year,” he says. can’t just continue to do nothing to the land. They don’t want to rent the “We may just keep enough beef cattle to keep that market satisfied, land to us and we just buy the hay, but they are realizing that they need to but we are not sure yet. We are also just getting started with sheep, with 3 add nutrients and build the soil. So we are endeavoring to start a 1/7th ewes. It’s not a big enterprise yet, but we want to overlap as many year fallow, putting diverse cover crops in 1/7th of the farm each year.” enterprises as possible. There is a synergistic factor with the chickens, Those pastures are clipped off three or four times a year and then and the sheep eating different things than the cows.” An acreage can they are cropped again the next year for hay. “What we clip off that grow a lot more products with multiple species.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 diverse pasture we just leave it lying on the ground to help build the soil, Number 158

Land & Livestock

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Holistic Management on a Pasture Dairy continued from page eleven

“We have set our goals and are working through them, and continually re-evaluate them. We have our mission and know where we are going and where we want to be, but we are continuing to re-evaluate our decisions. One example: in 2010-2011 we started reading about Greg Judy and what he was doing with mob grazing. It sounded fantastic. If we could eliminate hay, that would be what we’d like to do. Neither my son nor I like sitting on a tractor!”

Keyline Plowing

“We tried a little bit of keyline plowing to help aerate the soil. Our grazing mentorship group (through the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Maryland Grazers Network) bought a Yeoman’s plow a few years ago.

We experimented with it a little bit on our farm but have not seen much difference between where we used it and where we didn’t use it. I tried to plow the way P.A. Yeoman says to in his book, but we already had paddocks set up and it was a little difficult with fences in the way,” he says.

“We were not running water down the hill. We were trying to head it in the right direction. We did aerate the soil a little bit with the plowing but we didn’t see much benefit. I think this might work better when a person is starting to graze, and trying to regenerate fields that have been in annual cropping—converting them to a grass system. I think it might be a real benefit in that situation, but we were already into grass for several years by that time. The soil was already naturally broken up; the grazing had aerated the soil naturally and earthworms were abundant,” says Holter.

“I think that’s why we didn’t see a big benefit from the plowing, but I also think that it’s a whole system, rather than just one part of his system—with the catchment ponds and being able to irrigate from those ponds, etc. If we’d done that we might have seen a little more difference.

This was another learning experience, but I’m glad we tried it. Otherwise I’d still be thinking that we ought to do it!”

“Our goal is to improve the water cycle on the farm, and we are doing very well in this regard. Our organic matter has increased. When we started grazing it was only at about 2.5 to 3% on all our fields. Now it’s time to take another sample again, but when we took a soil sample 3 years ago for the organic certification we had gotten it up to 5.5 to 6% organic matter. This was quite an improvement, so we know we are already catching and holding a lot of water. We still get dry in the summertime, so part of the reason we tried the Yeoman plowing was to see if we could improve that,” he says.

“That didn’t pan out, but we tried it. I’d like to have catchment ponds out here and irrigate off them with gravity flow but we don’t have the funds to put them in yet. Patience is a virtue!” Sometimes we are forced to have patience.

Dairy Planned Grazing

“We thought mob grazing might be the way to do it, but dairy cows are a whole different character than beef cows. We could not get good enough forage into them—especially when it got mature—to produce the milk. Early in the season the forage was good, but once the grass started to make a seed head and beyond, milk production dropped. The grass looked beautiful, but we could not get enough milk out of the cows and their breed back was not as good,” says Holter.

“We were actually moving the cows about 8 times per day and the next day we’d let the beef herd in, to follow them, and try to trample those 12

Land & Livestock

November / December 2014

Creating a grass-based dairy with Jersey cows has been a positive experience for Holterholm Farm. Going organic was the next natural step. paddocks. We just couldn’t get it trampled with the cows, moving them that often. The milk cows were getting thin and the beef cows were getting fat. This showed us that the mob grazing is good for beef cattle but we just couldn’t make it work with our dairy cows,” he says.

So now the cows are being grazed on less mature forage. “We do graze it taller, trying to let it get up to about 12 to 18 inches and just take off the top third to half of the plants. That way they get more energy, without the protein, and we’re not letting it get fully mature. We are harvesting hay off some of it and doing some pre-clipping.” This way, the grass is still in a vegetative state when the cows go into it. The dairy cows simply need a little higher nutrient level to produce milk.

“We discovered another interesting thing, and I think it’s because we are in a non-brittle environment. By the second (and especially the third) year after we stopped doing this, we found that in the fields that were allowed to become fully mature, the biological cycle in the soils actually went backward. We lost a lot of the biological activity because we were waiting too long to get the cows back in. We started seeing urine spots again, which we hadn’t seen for 10 years on the farm,” says Holter.

“Our pastures had gone more to grass, with fewer legumes. This also set us back in milk production. Now that we are grazing a little more frequently (not letting the plants become fully mature) we’re seeing that cycle rev back up,” he says.

“We added a lot of carbon to the soil when we let the pastures become mature, which was a blessing. It helped us and is going to continue to help us, but our cow numbers dropped because we just couldn’t get enough of them bred back within the breeding season. I don’t regret doing the mob grazing, except that it really hurt us financially. Now we are finally starting to dig out of it, but it was an expensive learning experience,” he says. A person has to figure out what works best for the animals and the land, on their own place/situation. It’s uncharted territory in which you learn as you go.

“My advice to people just starting is to not try mob grazing mature forages with dairy cows—or at least try it on a smaller scale rather than the whole farm, like we did!”

That kind of ongoing learning and experimentation is a part of life on Holterholm Farm and has helped bring the next generation back on the farm as well as create the desired quality of life. With 14 years of organic pastured dairy production, Holter has a lot of experience to share through the grazing groups and mentoring programs he is involved. As he continues to expand his offerings through a growing list of diversified enterprises to sell locally, the core of the operation will be pasture-based food production that improves soil health.

Princess Beef—

Growing a Family Tradition

BY HEATHER SMITH THOMAS

ynthia Houseweart markets grassfed beef from her ranch near Hotchkiss, Colorado, selling direct to customers all over the state. She and her husband, Ira, practice Holistic Management on their family ranch, and received the Delta County Conservation District’s award for Ranchers of the Year in spring of 2014.

It was gratifying to these young ranchers to know that awards like this can be given to people who think outside the box.

“We are in a great area here. Our valley has the most organic farms in the state of Colorado,” says Cynthia. More people are beginning to understand the movement toward Holistic Management and raising food more naturally. It’s an on-going challenge to educate consumers about where their food comes from and how it is grown.

“This is why I started a newsletter about our product a few years ago.

People told me it was impossible to educate people but I think we can. It just takes some time and effort. I have some great people who help me out, including a friend from college who does graphic design for my newsletters. I have another friend who does all my editing; she used to be in broadcast journalism.” This focus on building customer relationships is one of the reasons that Princess Beef is so successful.

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Cattle Drive Beginnings

Cynthia grew up in Denver where her parents were teachers—but their roots were in ranching, on the plains of eastern Colorado. By a stroke of luck, fate or coincidence she realized that she had a passion for ranching and raising cattle.

“Amy Allen is a friend from Colorado College. She majored in art studio and I majored in art history—and her parents (Steve and Rachel Allen) had a ranch in western Colorado near Crawford. I thought it would be fun to go on a cattle drive. After finishing my undergraduate degree I didn’t have a job so Amy lined me up with her family to take part in a 2-day cattle drive. I ended up staying on their ranch and working with them for 12 years. They had been to an Allan Savory class in the 1980’s and this is how I was introduced to Holistic Management,” says Cynthia.

“I learned everything from the Allens. I did the cattle drive at their ranch in the spring of 1993 and stayed on as a ranch hand for 12 years. I married my husband Ira in 2003. Ira and I lived on the Allen ranch for 2 years. I loved the cows, and it all made sense to me,” she says.

“Steve and Rachel sent me to several Holistic Management classes, and Steve took the classes with me. I can’t say enough good things about Steve and Rachel Allen; they were my mentors. We all went to a Bud Williams stock handling class, and from then on we were very quiet moving cows. Steve got so good at it that he began to teach some stock handling classes. He is also a good stock dog handler and has been helping people with that for years,” says Cynthia.

Steve and Rachel gave her a cow that became the foundation of her own herd. “When I began working for them I would feed the cows, and this cow was always the first one to come to the feed wagon. I got to where I could pet her, and I called her Princess. That winter they gave me Princess and her calf as a gift.”

The Allens had Red Angus crossbreds. “For the last 10 years Ira and I have only had red or black Angus bulls, but we still have some Allen ranch and Houseweart family ranch cows in our herd—and they are a mix: red Angus crossed with Gelbveih, Simmental and Limousin,” she says.

She and Ira have been breeding for moderate size cattle. “When we

Rachel and Steve Allen have been important mentors and collaborators for the Housewearts. select bulls we don’t want any that are larger than a 4.5 frame. We are really trying to get their frame size smaller for our grassfed beef.” The majority of cattle today, in almost all breeds, have been selected for larger frame size and have gotten too large.

Moderate frame cattle are more feed efficient than large ones. “We have been really working hard on our grassfed genetics,” she says.

It all started with Princess, however. “I started selling Princess’s steers as beef to family and friends, and kept her heifers to start my herd. At that time I was hearing about the benefits of grassfed beef, and the Allens subscribed to the Stockman Grass Farmer magazine and I was reading that. It all made sense to me; I did not want to put my animals in a feedlot,” says Cynthia.

She started selling beef to friends and family—starting with one, then three, then five. “This year I’m selling 40. I didn’t grow my business quickly. I think it was good to start out small and learn as I went along. The mistakes I made were not so huge.”

The Allens had a grazing permit in the West Elk Wilderness. Steve formed a holistic goal to involve the U.S. Forest Service, the community and the permittees. “It took some time, but they eventually formed a grazing plan and got quite a bit of recognition for it. They were fortunate to be able to work with Dave Bradford, a very innovative, open-minded local Forest Service representative. Because of this plan the permittees were able to turn out quite a few more yearlings, go out earlier and come home later, thanks to the Allens. It is amazing what can be done with innovation, and how friendly people become when they realize they can work together—and discover that they are all trying to achieve the same goal.” The people who came to those meetings represented many different interests.

Improving Land through Grazing

“When I started my grassfed beef program I grazed my cattle on the outskirts and edges of the hayfields—all the places where we couldn’t cut hay. There were wooded areas and gulches, and I could utilize all those places with my cows. Now as my herd has grown, we graze the hayfields as well,” she says.

“I think this is an exciting thing. The norm is to not graze the hayfields, but they are so much healthier if they have the cattle impact. This year we did soil samples for the first time, and the organic matter in the places I’ve pastured was so much better than the pivots where we grow hay. We put CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

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Growing a Family Tradition continued from page thirteen

cattle there in the fall after the hay is harvested, but they are not intensively managed during the growing season like our pastures are.

This is a new thing for me, because now I am going to figure out how to graze the pivots as well. I’ve looked at Jim Gerrish’s methods for fencing pivots for rotational grazing,” she says.

Properly grazed, there is more forage production on hay ground than when it is simply put up for hay, and grazing is much better for the land.

The animal impact and trampling/litter adds natural fertilizer and organic matter to the soil.

This was a win-win situation, providing forage for the herd, and adding animal impact to improve the land. “This year they put a pipeline through their place and it was going to be too complicated with my fencing, so we aren’t using their pasture this summer, but we have a great relationship with them. They were fantastic to work with. They were educated about the environment and knew that animals and planned grazing could improve the land,” she says.

“We have good pasture here now and are all set on our own place, but it is interesting how many people have approached me and said they wished they could have had us come to their place. I would love to have a situation in the future where people would pay us to bring our cattle to improve their land. I think that could happen, once people realize how beneficial it can be, and how proper grazing can improve the soil.”

In earlier years we were taught that it took centuries to make an inch of topsoil, but it can be done much faster than that with animals to trample/fertilize and add organic matter to the land. It’s sad and frustrating that there’s a certain element of public opinion that feels cattle are damaging and need to be removed from the land. “They don’t understand the benefits, and how cattle are a great tool for improvement.

It’s a tool that uses solar energy and doesn’t take fossil fuel, but you have to do it right,” says Cynthia.

Princess Beef

The Housewearts have their beef certified by the American Grassfed Association as well as Animal Welfare Approved to give them more of a marketing advantage.

“A few years ago, Steve and Rachel sold their grazing permit and their own cows and switched to goats. Now they just have our mother herd for Princess Beef, which this year will be 55 cows, and they have their goats and some sheep. Where they live there is a lot of knapweed and the goats will eat it. They also had a little patch of leafy spurge but the goats eliminated it. Currently their ranch pastures their goats and sheep, and our cows,” says Cynthia.

“Here on our own place we pasture our beef calves after they are weaned. We also bring the young, first calving cows down here at calving time where we can watch them a little more closely,” she says.

“We move them to new pasture every 3 to 5 days during the growing season. In late fall and winter we open everything up so they can graze it all. But we feed in the fields, on the ground to accumulate more litter and manure, rotating the feeding areas around the field to get it all covered with natural fertilizer. In early May I put up my yearling fence and start the 3 to 5 day moves. Up at the Allen Ranch the season is a little slower and we start the moves about 2 weeks later.”

A couple years ago their area went through a severe drought. “The Allen Ranch receives irrigation water from one of the smaller ditch companies in this area. With the devastating lack of rain and snow, we knew we were in trouble. I belong to the Valley Organic Growers Association and I sent a note to them. They put it online and their group e-mail. The note said that Princess Beef needs help and won’t make it through the season without finding new pastures. I had a great response from a couple in Paonia. They wanted to improve their ground with cattle and invited us to bring ours. So for 2 summers in a row we went there,” says Cynthia.

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Cynthia and Ira live about 20 miles (on a dirt road) from the Allen Ranch. “It takes about half an hour to drive it. When we move the cattle back and forth we haul them,” she says.

Their beef is sold without the need for much advertising. “I have a mailing list and send out a newsletter once a year which includes a brochure and order form, but most of our customers learn about it by word of mouth. I do a little bit of advertising locally, but not much,” she says.

Another marketing tool is the fact that Princess Beef is now certified by the American Grassfed Association (AGA) and the Animal Welfare Association (AWA). “I was always a member of the American Grassfed Association but never went through the certification. What changed my mind was how popular grassfed beef has become, and the fact that it’s now being sold in the grocery stores. I wanted one more way to separate myself from the crowd and stand out, so last year we became certified,” says Cynthia.

“You pay a fee ($300) for the AGA certification, but the AWA certification is free. We were doing everything they required already, and it just made sense to become certified. Ira has had clients tell him that they would rather buy beef knowing it was humanely treated during its life and slaughter than buy grassfed beef. That was interesting, and we realize it is becoming more and more important to consumers.” Many people in the cities are removed from rural life and agriculture but they are concerned about animal welfare issues. They want to know how their food was raised.

“I always invite people to come see our place. I want it to be transparent; they can come here anytime. Not everyone can do that, but the people who do come here to see it then keep buying our beef year after year. So I think that the label is important for many people,” she says.

“At the grocery store I buy food that’s organic. When I have no idea where it came from, I go with that label. For my Princess Beef, however, I chose not to do the organic certification. Even though we are basically organic—it’s what we are and what we believe—we can’t use that word in our label. We follow all their standards, but organic certification is considerably more expensive. I also don’t like the fact that a person can have certified organic beef finished in a feedlot. I have problems with that, and I explain that to people. We follow all the organic standards (we don’t use de-wormers, antibiotics, synthetic fertilizers, etc.) but we don’t

Beef delivery on the ranch is a family affair with the girls helping out sharing cookies.

continue. One of the big things is the fact we need to be profitable, to continue on and make it work. It takes the fun out if it if you make nothing,” says Cynthia.

“Ranching is a seven day a week job, but we also want to keep it fun.

Our immediate group—Ira and I and the girls, and his parents—want to see it continue but we also want to enjoy doing it. We have to make a profit to make it work, and we also have to keep the land in good shape for future profitability,” she explains.

“We’ve seen that improving the soil improves the grass and legumes, and improves the animals. It’s all interrelated. We work the animals calmly and this also makes it fun. Our animals are easy to handle because we select for good temperament and we handle them quietly.

Our 10-year-old sorts cows on foot and we have no fear of her ever having a problem or getting hurt,” says Cynthia.

“When we work cattle everything is calm, no one is yelling or screaming. It’s easy and its fun.” This makes it much easier on the cattle, as well as the people, with no stress. The meat is also much better when the cattle are not stressed and the animals don’t get sick.

“It may seem inconvenient moving the cattle back and forth between two ranches, but they get trailered and haul calmly and they go very nicely when it’s time to haul them to the butcher,” says Cynthia.

Cynthia and Ira have a nice blend of enterprises, with the grassfed beef and Ira’s metal work. They also have a few horses they use on the ranch. “We have 7 horses and one mule. We have some really great kids’ horses, including one from the Allens that I used to ride on the range permit. Our girls like to ride, so even though we don’t need the horses very much to move cattle on our operation, we sometimes make a fun day of it with the girls. We usually just move the cows with dogs. Steve has some great dogs and we have a couple, so the dogs generally help us move cows most of the time. But we do make time to take the girls riding, to move cows. We make a special occasion and take the day to do it.” This is part of having the work be your fun.

have it on our label.”

With the Holistic Management and planned grazing there is no need for dewormers or fertilizers. “So to look at the whole picture, to put these animals in a feedlot does not make sense.” The grassfed beef is healthier meat.

“We sell mostly quarters, half and whole beef. It all goes to the butcher in September and the meat is ready for delivery in October. The calves are butchered at about 18-plus months of age. We tried keeping some an extra winter but it didn’t pay; we couldn’t afford to feed hay to them another winter,” she explains.

“Our climate doesn’t allow us to graze cattle all through the winter. We feel fortunate when we can graze into early winter. This year we actually grazed until the first of February, down here with the yearlings; we harvested one cutting of hay and let the cattle graze what would have been the second cutting—lasting A Family Affair partway through the winter.

While working for the Allens, Cynthia met a local Up at the Allen Ranch the young man whose family had a ranch nearby. After cattle have to be fed earlier, their marriage they lived on the Allen Ranch for 2 usually starting in December. years and then moved to Ira’s parent’s ranch in 2005.

This is one of the Cynthia and Ira have two girls, CeCe and Izzi. The disadvantages of a mountain girls are getting big enough to be a lot of help with the climate, and we always have animals. “They are 8 and 10 years old now, and are to be prepared in case it very enthusiastic helpers. We have chickens, ducks snows a lot in the fall,” and pigs as well as cows,” says Cynthia. Izzi is in 4says Cynthia.

H, with archery and duck projects.

“Down here we are in a “I have to give Ira’s parents Bill and Betty a lot of beautiful valley where we credit for helping make this family project work. They don’t get huge snowstorms, have cows, and I was very cautious about moving but it can happen. We calve in The Houseweart Family (from left to right): Ira, Izzi, CeCe, down here and bringing my herd, but they have been March-April.” Allens calved and Cynthia. very generous about it. We use about half of the earlier when they used the Houseweart place for our Princess Beef. Another grazing permit, to have the great asset is the fact that Bill is a veterinarian and Betty is a vet tech,” calves old enough to go to the range, and to have at least part of the cows Cynthia says. bred to their own bulls before turnout. It’s impossible to selectively breed “When we moved here, Ira’s father was very accommodating. the cows on community pasture, and the other permittees complained Knowing that I didn’t agree with spraying and fertilizing, he quit. This was about the small frame bulls. very impressive and I was grateful. We have a neighbor whose daughter wanted to raise grassfed beef. She had done it on the Front Range and Healthy Land, Animals, and People moved back here 2 years ago and was hoping to do it here with her “I see our program as looking at the whole picture. The big thing for us father, but he would not change. This was so sad, whereas Ira’s parents is the fact we are on a place that has been in my husband’s family for a CONTINUED ON PAGE 16 century. Our girls are the 5th generation, and we really want to see it Number 158

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Growing a Family Tradition continued from page fifteen

have been very generous to let us do what we wanted to do,” she says.

“They didn’t do it without some fussing, but they have been really very good. I think some of that goes back to wanting to keep the land in the family. They are willing to bend a little bit to accommodate us so we can continue ranching here.” This is what families are all about. Ira’s parents still have about 25 head of their own cattle, and are very comfortable with having the rest of their place utilized by Princess Beef.

Ira does some artistic welding and metal work. “We live on the original place, so his shop was his grandfather’s shop. It is filled with all the old harnesses and tools that his grandfather and great-grandfather had,” she says.

“Ira is an ornamental blacksmith. He went to college to learn welding and fabrication but he met a professor there who did ornamental iron work, and found his passion. He’s an artist now, and quite good at it. He has a huge business and sells a lot of his work, but I must say that Princess Beef is catching up with him in terms of income,” says Cynthia.

Cynthia’s father was another great influence on what she and Ira are doing today. “I mentioned this when we received the Conservation award in April. My parents, Ed and Judy Butterfield of Centennial, Colorado, were

Livestock Management for Coexistence with Large Carnivores continued from page seven

stress livestock handling methods, as well as strategic placement of supplements and rotating access to water sources. These are means to an end, and to be effective, must be used creatively and adaptively, based on ecological and behavioral processes.

Synchronizing Breeding Cycles

The most vulnerable stage in the life cycle of both wild and domestic ungulates is young-of-the-year, especially the very young.

Wild herbivores generally employ a strategy of predator satiation through synchronized birthing seasons, which maximize the adults’ collective defense of young, and produce many more young than predators can kill—maximizing the proportion of young that grow beyond the most vulnerable age. Shortening livestock calving seasons may reduce the likelihood of predators switching their focus from wildlife to livestock. The timing of calving may affect predation, but also depends on other factors.

Many ranchers may have the ability to calve in low elevations where large carnivores are still uncommon, or where livestock can be kept on feed in small pastures close to ranch headquarters. This may only be practical with winter to early spring calving for ranchers who use higher elevation rangelands with higher carnivore density beginning in late spring to early summer. Winter calving may reduce losses to bears, which typically emerge from hibernation in March and April.

However, where large carnivores cannot be seasonally avoided, calving at the same time as wild ungulates in late spring (green-grass calving) may reduce losses. When the calving seasons are distinct and consecutive, predators can focus on livestock from the onset of calving to late spring, and then switch to wild calves and fawns. If all wild and domestic calves are born simultaneously, predators are more 16

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teachers but they are both outdoor people. My mother got her degree in outdoor education and my father ran the Plains Conservation Center east of Denver for many years and taught people about grasslands ecology. He also ran the Grasslands Institute for the Audubon Society at Pawnee National Grassland in northeastern. People love my story—about the city girl turned rancher—but I already had some of that ranching blood in me.”

(Cynthia’s great-grandparents, Amos and Rosanna Butterfield, homesteaded a cattle ranch in 1886 in Holyoke, Colorado).

In a recent letter to his daughter, Cynthia’s father aptly captured her ranching spirit. He wrote: “As I reflect on our family history I think of the early Butterfield homestead and the pioneer efforts to live on the high plains raising cattle. Also, I could never have imagined that the imperative philosophy of land conservation and the magic of the Grassland Institute which we shared would be recaptured for our family. How wonderfully you and Ira embrace that pioneer spirit in the way you raise our granddaughters and meet with knowledge and enthusiasm today’s ranching challenges while enhancing the environment in the process.”

With parental support from both sides of the family tree and strong mentoring in Holistic Management from Rachel and Steve Allen, it seems like Cynthia and Ira were destined to make Princess Beef a great place to raise a family as well as healthy beef. And with a growing consumer interest in land health as well as healthy food, the Housewearts are poised to address consumer concern as well deliver the product they want. likely to remain focused on wild ones.

For cattle, green-grass calving contributes to a shorter calving season, and more efficient use of forage in general, because it matches the physiological cycle of the cow to the forage cycle of the range. When these cycles are matched, cows are in better condition all year, come into first postpartum estrus sooner, and are more likely to breed successfully on the first attempt, allowing for a shorter breeding season and therefore a shorter calving season.

These factors may translate into significantly higher profits for green-grass calving. Later-born calves are younger at weaning, but tend to grow faster than their winter- or early-spring-born counterparts, so that they are not that much smaller by fall weaning time. Because the forage and cattle cycles are better matched, and because the calves are smaller, late calving allows more total cows and calves on the same forage base, and less winter feeding cost. More, smaller calves are more profitable than fewer, larger calves if the total weight of weaned calves is similar.

Ultimately, ranchers can apply many of the same management approaches that work for land health and livestock production to prevent conflicts with large carnivores. Livestock management, specifically holistic planned grazing, herding with low-stress livestock handling, and synchronized calving, can directly and synergistically reduce predation, while establishing a management context in which other predation-prevention practices and tools can be used more effectively.

Matt Barnes is Field Director for Rangeland Stewardship at Keystone Conservation, which partners with land owners and managers to develop and apply solutions for holistic stewardship and coexistence with large carnivores. For further information, visit: www.KeystoneConservation.US. Matt can be reached at: MBarnes@KeystoneConservation.US. This work was supported by grants from Patagonia Inc., the Dixon Water Foundation, and the Volgenau Foundation.

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

Josey Institute of Agroecology Funded

The Dixon Water Foundation recently funded The Josey Institute for Agroecology at North Central Texas College (NCTC). The Institute will conduct research and offer educational programs on sustainable ranching and farming for NCTC students, as well as land owners and the general public. The Institute is named for Dixon Water Foundation Board Chairman and HMI Board member, Clint Josey.

“This institute will help train a new generation of land stewards to manage economically and ecologically sustainable ranches, which are so important to our state’s future,” said Robert J. Potts, president and CEO of the Dixon Water Foundation.

NCTC Science professor and Holistic Management Certified Educator, Lisa Bellows, will direct the Institute. “This will be an exploratory year for the Josey Institute, so that we can define the needs of our community, organize our approach, and target the position of NCTC as a leader in agricultural ecology,” Bellows said.

The Institute will serve as the new home of the Promoting Agriculture and Conservation Education (PACE) Project, an existing collaboration between the college and the Gainesville Independent School District. PACE students learn about sustainable ranching on a holistically managed property south of the Gainesville High School. Holistic planned grazing and multi-species grazing are demonstrated on the property, which is owned by the school district and leased by the college.

Through the Institute, Bellows will be teaching a Sustainable Agriculture course this fall, in which Whole Land Management will be the focus.

From left to right: Dr. Brent Wallace, president of NCTC; Clint Josey; Dr. Lisa Bellows; and Dixon Water Foundation President and CEO Robert Potts.

Holistic Tour for Organic Denmark

treatments and Holistic Management.

The tour was from September 8-12th and the 5 participants visited 11 different dairies in New York and Pennsylvania including Bendy Brook Farm, Springwood Farm, Hamilton Heights Dairy, Emerald Valley Dairy, Spring Creek Farm, Moore Farms, Brothers Ridge Farm, Bloodnick Family Farm, Engelbert Farms, Raindance Farm, and Dharma Lea Farm. All parties agreed the tour was a great success in exchanging ideas about holistic planned grazing, organic production, animal performance, and a host of other topics.

After the tour, Carsten wrote: “I want to express my deep joy and satisfaction about the trip that Ann, Pam, Susan, and Maggie [tour organizers and guides], and all the other farmers we met made for us. The enthusiasm and knowledge that came flooding towards us was amazing.” HMI would also like to thank Pam, Susan, Maggie, and the host farmers for their efforts in making this tour a success.

In collaboration with Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Association (NODPA), HMI provided a tour of holistically-managed organic dairies in the Northeast for Organic Denmark, a non-profit association which has taken the lead within the European organic movement to bring together the entire organic sector in Denmark comprising of more than 145 companies.

The idea for this tour originated from HMI’s Getting Started Online Grazing Planning course. Two participants from that course, Carsten Markussen and Thorkild Nissen, who are members of Organic Denmark, requested a tour of holistically-managed, organic dairies in the northeast U.S. because the landscape was similar to Denmark.

HMI contacted Pam Moore, a Holistic Management practitioner and member of NODPA, to get her help in organizing the tour. Dr. Susan Beal was selected as tour guide for this 5-day tour. Dr. Beal is an Agricultural Science Advisor for PASA (Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture). She has studied veterinary Dr. Susan Beal (closest to camera) was the tour acupuncture, animal chiropractic, and is guide for this 5-day tour of 11 holistically managed, well-versed in a variety of alternative health organic dairies in the Northeast

OK Holistic Planned Grazing Course

HMI partnered with Oklahoma Farmers and Ranchers Association to put on a 2-day Holistic Planned Grazing course near Hulbert, Oklahoma on August 22-23rd. The class included a pasture walk on Spring Forest Farm managed by Julie Gahn. The course was taught by Holistic Management Certified Educator Peggy Sechrist.

A diverse group of approximately 24 participants learned how and why to form a holistic goal, how ecosystem processes function and provide biological wealth, and specifically the tools of animal grazing and animal impact before diving into the grazing planning process.

The group was fortunate to have in attendance, Dr. Ann Wells, DVM and Dr. Ron Morrow, recently retired from NRCS as state grazing lands specialist. As working partners, Ann and Ron have been teaching a holistic approach to livestock grazing and management for many years. Their knowledge of the local forage species and growing conditions was invaluable to the group’s learning in an environment where the average annual rainfall is 48 inches.

As a result of this training and participant interest, the Oklahoma Farmers and Ranchers Association expressed an interest in sponsoring more Holistic Management training in the near future. This training was made possible by funding from the USDA/NIFA Beginning Farmer/Rancher Development Program and the Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture.

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DEVELOPMENT CORNER Open Gates Update

HMI was busy with many programs through August and September including 2 Open Gates in Texas and New Mexico.

JX Ranch Day The over 50 participants, who came to the JX Ranch Day south of Tucumcari, New Mexico on August 9th, looked around in wonder at all the green growing grass. While the JX Ranch has received 9 inches of rain this year, the amount of grass in this area that has struggled with drought since 2011 was very impressive.

After HMI’s Program Director Ann Adams opened up the event with orienting everyone to the agenda for the day, Tom Sidwell explained how they have been able to survive the drought through improving their grazing, effectively investing in infrastructure development, and improving the marketing of their animals. In particular, since 2004 the JX Ranch has put in 38,400 feet of pipeline, 11.5 miles of fence, new corrals, 12 livestock drinkers, 4 solar pumps and panels, 2 new wells, and 7 storage tanks (80,000 gallons total) , as well as clearing 1800 acres of mesquite and juniper. They have found willing partners in the NRCS (EQIP money) and the National Wild Turkey Federation to reduce the cost of these investments.

The results? Prior to the drought, the Sidwells increased their stocking rate by 40% and after destocking deeply during the drought, they still have a 25% increase in stocking rate as compared to what they were running in 2004. Due to tree clearing, their house well has increased by 500%, even through the drought.

The increased range productivity was evident to all participants as we broke into small groups to practice forage inventorying and discuss grazing practices and how much to have animals graze and why.

Group participants shared their experience then we headed back to the ranch house for a great lunch from Jimmy Watson’s Barbeque. At the end of lunch Susann Mikkelson of the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union explained to participants the value of cooperatives and the assistance that RMFU can provide to producers.

In the afternoon we continued stepping through the grazing calculations before Scott Lerich of the National Wild Turkey Federation, Tish McDaniel of the Nature Conservancy, Jake Swofford of Quails Forever, and Amy Erickson talked about how good ranch practices can improve wildlife habitat as well as livestock forage. We discussed how wildlife can be an additional enterprise for some ranches. We then went out to the field again to do some on the ground biological monitoring and talking about indicators of soil and wildlife habitat health. The small group discussions were lively again with lots of information shared.

We ended the day with a discussion on profitable marketing. Laurie Bower of the Southwest Grassfed Livestock Alliance talked about how SWGLA assists grassfed producers, then Mimi Sidwell talked about how she grew her grassfed customer base and how they maintained it during the drought. Lastly, Jack and Tuda Crews talked about the New Mexico Beef program they are involved in and how they are able to get the premiums they want from that program.

Participants managed over 240,000 acres and learned a great deal about grazing planning and biological monitoring through this program.

Thanks to Tom and Mimi Sidwell for opening the JX Ranch gate to all our participants. Thanks also to the Thornburg Foundation for 18 IN PRACTICE

November / December 2014

Participants learned how to perform a forage assessment

their support of this event and to our sponsors, Southwest Quay SWCD, the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, Southwest Grassfed Livestock Alliance, the National Wild Turkey Federation, The Nature Conservancy, and the Canadian River SWCD.

HMI’s Ann Adams with Mimi and Tom Sidwell as the Sidwell’s talk about how Holistic Management has helped their ranch.

Mesquite Grove Strong breezes mitigated the hot west Texas sun as the Mesquite Grove Ranch Day got under way August 22nd. After a brief history of his family’s generations on the ranch by owner Buddy Baldridge, the 30 participants loaded into pickups for some on-the-land learning.

First stop was the edge of a 200-yard-wide mesquite grove. Dr. Kelly Reyna, our wildlife expert, and Dr. Richard Teague, our rangeland expert, guided the group to look at the diversity of vegetation outside the grove versus inside the grove with an eye to wildlife habitat as well as cattle needs.

Next, Ranch Manager and HMI Certified Educator Guy Glosson taught the group how to estimate ADA’s (Animal Days per Acre).Then Dr. Teague introduced the participants to a simple biological monitoring system designed by HMI Certified Educator Kirk Gadzia.

Participants from this program are managing over 45,000 acres. The evaluations showed that 75% of participants intended to develop or modify their biological monitoring program and had improved their ability to read the landscape. Mesquite Grove Ranch Thanks to Mesquite Grove Ranch, the Day participants learning Dixon Water Foundation for funding this about biological program as well as sponsors Free Choice monitoring and forage Enterprise, Ashmore Insurance, and the assessment.

Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Beginning Women Farmer Program Results

New York We’ve just tabulated more results of our 2013-2014 Beginning Women Farmers Training Program funded by a grant from the USDA/NIFA Beginning Farmer/Rancher Development Program. The New York program was coordinated by Sarah Williford of Central New York RC&D. This group finished their Holistic Management learning sessions in April and their final farm mentor visits in July. Lead instructors were Holistic Management Certified Educators Phil Metzger, Erica Frenay, and Elizabeth Marks. Additional instructors included Crystal Stewart. Mentors for the program were Tricia Park, Kylie Spooner, Rebeca Torres Rose, and Amie Collins.

Of the participants who completed the final survey: • 92% are currently farming • The average years of farming was 4 years

• The average acres under production was 55 acres • The average age was 47 years old • The total customers of all participants: 107 • 100% of participants intend to keep farming

Here are some of the key outcomes:

BWF Participant Behavior Change Holistic Goal/Whole Farm Plan

Some of the key outcomes from this program were:

BWF Participant Behavior Change Grazing Plan

% of Participants 100%

Grazing Plan

100%

63%

Marketing Plan

63%

Biological Monitoring

50%

Land Plan

75%

Key Outcomes of Increased Satisfaction Experienced

Marketing Plan

67%

Satisfaction with Ability to Make Complex Decisions

67%

Key Outcomes for Participants from Program Increased Satisfaction with Communication

Increased Satisfaction with Ability to Determine Needed Profit Increased Satisfaction with Quality of Life

Increased Satisfaction with Time Management Increased Satisfaction with Ability to Make Complex Decisions

Connecticut

On-farm visits are part of the Beginning Women Farmer curriculum

% Participants Experiencing Change 100%

100% 89%

89%

78%

86%

Financial Plan

Biological Monitoring Business Plan

88%

Business Plan

100% 89%

100%

continued Holistic Goal/Whole Farmfrom Plan page seventeen

orge Relationships That Positively Impacted You Financial Plan

100%

Forge Relationships That Positively Impacted You DEVELOPMENT CORNER 100%

Land Plan

% of Participants

Satisfaction with Ability to Determine Needed Profit

38%

% Participants Experiencing Change 88%

88%

Satisfaction with Communication

71%

Satisfaction with Quality of Life

57%

Satisfaction with Time Management

71%

Maine Lastly we completed the evaluations for the Maine program which was coordinated by Gail Chase of Women’s Agricultural Network of Maine. This group finished their Holistic Management learning sessions in June and their final farm mentor visits in July. Lead instructors were Whole Farm Planning Instructors Gail Chase and Diane Schivera.

Diane was also the mentor for the program as a collaboration with Maine Organic Gardeners and Farmers Association.

Of the participants responding to the final evaluation

On-farm visits allow for discussion of production practices as well as focusing on other key areas like land planning, grazing planning, and biological monitoring.

We also completed our evaluation for our Connecticut Program which was coordinated by Deb Legge and Sherry Simpson of Connecticut Northeast Organic Farming Association. This group finished their Holistic Management learning sessions in May and their final farm mentor visits in July. Lead instructors were Certified Educators Seth Wilner and Phil Metzger and Whole Farm Planning Instructors Sherry Simpson and Crystal Stewart. Mentors for the program were Allyson Angelini, Christine Farrugia, and Phoebe Browning.

Of the participants responding • 75% are currently farming and 88% intend to continue to farm • The average years of farming was 2 years • The average acres under production was 2 acres under production • The average age was 42 years old • The total customers of all participants: 76

• 70% are currently farming • The average years of farming was 3 years • The average acres under production was 7 acres under production • The average age was 39 years old • The total customers of all participants was 72 • 100% plan to continue farming Some of the key outcomes were:

BWF Participant Behavior Change

Forge Relationships That Positively Impacted You

% of Participants 100%

Holistic Goal/Whole Farm Plan

100%

Marketing Plan

86%

Financial Plan

Biological Monitoring

100% 86%

Grazing Plan

50%

Business Plan

Key Post Program Outcomes: Participants Experienced Increase In Satisfaction with Communication

Satisfaction with Time Management

17%

% Participants Experiencing Change 100%

100%

Satisfaction with Ability to Determine Needed Profit

100%

Satisfaction with Quality of Life

83%

Satisfaction with Ability to Make Complex Decisions

Number 158

100%

IN PRACTICE 19

Certified

Educators

The following Certified Educators listed have been trained to teach and coach individuals in Holistic Management. On a yearly basis, Certified Educators renew their agreement to be affiliated with HMI. This agreement requires their commitment to practice Holistic Management in their own lives and to seek out opportunities for staying current with the latest developments in Holistic Management.

U N I T E D S TAT E S Tim McGaffic

Roland Kroos

ARIZONA

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

P.O. Box 1903, Cave Creek, AZ 85331 808/936-5749 • tim@timmcgaffic.com

Lee Altier

CALIFORNIA

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

Poppy Hill Farm, 1675 Adobe Rd., Petaluma, CA 94954 rking1675@gmail.com • 707/217-2308 (c)

Mulville *P.O.Kelly Box 23, Paicines, CA 95043

707/431-8060 • kmulville@gmail.com

Cindy Dvergsten

Katie Miller

22755 E. Garrett Rd., Calhan, CO 80808-9170 970/310-0852 • heritagebellefarms@gmail.com

IOWA

Torray & Erin Wilson

4375 Pierce Ave., Paullina, IA 51046-7401 712/448-3870 • wilsonee3@gmail.com

MAINE

Vivianne Holmes

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

MICHIGAN

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

Ralph Tate

1109 Timber Dr., Papillion, NE 68046 402/932-3405 • Tater2d2@cox.net

NEW HAMPSHIRE Kate Kerman

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.

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

AUSTRALIA

“Glen Orton” Coolatai, NSW 2402 +61 4 09 151 969 (c) • judi@aimsag.com.au

Graeme Hand

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

Dick Richardson

Frogmore, Boorowa NSW 2586 61-0-263853217 (w) • 61-0-263856224 (h) 61-0-429069001 (c) • dick@hanaminno.com.au

Brian Wehlburg

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

MINNESOTA

Mae Rose Petrehn

*3421 Cedar Ave. S, Minneapolis, MN 55407 913/707-7723 (c) treadearthintometaphor@gmail.com

Sullivan *610Preston Ed Sullivan Lane NE, Meadville, MS 39653

20 IN PRACTICE

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

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

17702 County Rd. 23, Dolores, CO 81323 970/882-4222 • wnc@gobrainstorm.net

prestons@telepak.net 601/384-5310 (h) • 601/835-6124 (c)

NEBRASKA Paul Swanson

◆ Seth Wilner

COLORADO

MISSISSIPPI

Resources and Environmental Science, Bozeman, MT 59717 406/599-7755 (c) • montagne@montana.edu

*

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

Larry Dyer

Montagne *P.O.Cliff Box 173120, MSU, Dept of Land

350 Troy Road, Marlborough, NH 03455 603-876-4562, kkerman@phoenixfarm.org

◆ Rob Rutherford

*

MONTANA

Don Campbell

CANADA

Box 817 Meadow Lake, SK S0X 1Y6 306/236-6088 • doncampbell@sasktel.net

Linda & Ralph Corcoran

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

Guichon *BoxAllison 10, Quilchena, BC V0E 2R0

250/378-9734 • allisonguichon@gmail.com

November / December 2014

◆ These educators provide Holistic

*

Management instruction on behalf of the institutions they represent.

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

NEW MEXICO ◆ Ann Adams

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

Kirk Gadzia

P.O. Box 1100, Bernalillo, NM 87004 505/867-4685 • 505/263-8677 (c) kirk@rmsgadzia.com

NEW YORK Craig Leggett

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 607/539-1179 (h) • 604/342-3771 (c) info@shelterbeltfarm.com

Elizabeth Marks

P.O. Box 185, Austerlitz, NY 12017 518/567-9476 • Elizabeth.marks@ny.usda.gov

Phillip Metzger

120 Thompson Creek Rd., Norwich, NY 13815 607/316-4182 • pmetzger17@gmail.com

NORTH DAKOTA Joshua Dukart

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

SOUTH DAKOTA Randal Holmquist

25267 Holmquist Rd., Reliance, SD 57569 605/473-5356 • randy@zhvalley.com

*

◆ Lisa Bellows

TEXAS

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

Guy Glosson

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

Peggy Maddox

P.O. Box 694, Ozona, TX 76943-0694 325/392-2292 • 325/226-3042 (c) westgift@hughes.net

Sechrist *106Peggy 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 • sandym@mathesonfarms.com

◆ Don Nelson

Washington State University 121 Clark Hall, Pullman, WA 99164-6310 509/335-2922 • nelsond@wsu.edu

WISCONSIN Laura Paine

52 NW Macleay Blvd, Portland, OR 97210 541/610-7084 • goebel@aboutlistening.com

Southwest Badger Resource Conservation & Development Council N893 Kranz Rd., Columbus, WI 53925 608/732-1202 (w) • 920/623-4407 (h) 608/338-9039 (c) • laura.paine@swbadger.org

Blain Hjertaas

Usiel Seuakouje Kandjii

Jeff Goebel

OREGON

Box 760, Redvers, Saskatchewan SOC 2HO 306/452-3882 • 306/452-7723 (c) bhjer@sasktel.net

Brian Luce

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

Tony McQuail

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

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

306/432-4583 • JLPigott@sasktel.net

Kelly Sidoryk

P.O. Box 374, Lloydminster, AB S9V 0Y4 780/875-9806 (h) • 780/875-4418 (c) sidorykk@yahoo.ca

KENYA Christine C. Jost

International Livestock Research Institute Box 30677, Nairobi 00100 254-736-715-417 (c) • c.jost@cgiar.org

NAMIBIA Wiebke Volkmann

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

*P.O. Box 12011, Beckenham

Christchurch 8242 64-276-737-885 • john@succession.co.nz

SOUTH AFRICA Wayne Knight

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); +27 866 369 362 (f) barnesfarm@mweb.co.za

UNITED KINGDOM Philip Bubb

*32 Dart Close, St. Ives

Cambridge, PE27 3JB 44-1480-496-2925 (h) • +44 7837 405483 (w) pjbubb99@gmail.com

A Holistic Financial Planning Case Study continued from page nine

planning, as the new Council would have its own agenda. To further complicate things, Council members had stopped participating after the first month of planning.

Planning meetings always started with the consensus building process.

Usually, people thought this was a waste of time. At the end of May, when everyone was disappointed about being over budget, the group broke into small circles. Each group developed a list of all the reasons it was impossible to attain the best possible outcomes. The groups listed five pages of reasons. The groups then answered the question, “Given that it’s impossible to attain our best possible outcomes, if it were possible, what would you do?” This question stimulated a great deal of creative thought and, within two hours, they had developed a superb action plan.

Within three weeks, by the middle of June, the expense budget had been reduced to 8% below income—$39 million-without any job losses or salary cuts. The group plan for presenting the budget to the Council included a reading of the Holistic Goal in Salish by young people who had been taught by elders. Council passed the budget, at the reduced level, unanimously, the week before elections and three months before it was due. The budget was celebrated with a potluck, which, according to a former CEO for the Tribe, was the first time a budget process had ended in a celebration. The passage of the budget concluded my contract with the Tribe. A tribal team, which had been allocated $100,000 for training from the Center for Holistic Management, would pick up where my contract left off.

Investing in the Future

The planning process included writing recommendations for the coming year and developing a plan for the money saved. The planning team was directed to determine how best to use this “profit.”

The team had identified over 700 “unmet needs,” which had not been funded before but were necessary for the Tribe’s success. All of these were tested and prioritized and money was allocated. Money for reserves was top priority and 25% of the $8 million savings was allocated to a reserve fund. Acquisition of additional land within the reservation was next with 20%, then education of tribal members, also 20%, followed by numerous other important and tested actions.

The plan also included a recommendation that the budget be monitored monthly.

Positive results include one team member being voted into Council and becoming Tribal Chairwoman. She served three terms.

The Tribe was also recognized as a “New Founder of the Northwest” award recipient for 1997 by Sustainable Northwest. Since I have worked with the Tribe, they have acquired over 100,000 acres of additional land. They have invested in preserving their three languages and changing state law so that the elders could teach in the public schools to their children so the young people could learn their culture. After twenty years, the Tribe’s Holistic Goal still remains as a vision for the Tribe.

Jeff Goebel is a Holistic Management Certified Educator. He can be reached at 541/610-7084. He is offering a course in Holistic Financial Planning. Turn to page 22 for more details.

THE MARKETPLACE l Services, Inc. KINSEY Agricultura

?

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

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 158

IN PRACTICE 21

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Holistic Management Trainings Jan. 26-31, 2015 Albuquerque, New Mexico with instructor Kirk Gadzia

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Includes detailed drawings for loading ramp, V chute, round crowd pen, dip vat, gates and hinges. Plus cell center layouts and layouts compatible with electronic sorting systems. Articles on cattle behavior. 27 corral layouts. $55.

Low Stress Cattle Handling Video $59.

Send checks/money order to:

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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

November / December 2014

970/229-0703 www.grandin.com

GOEBEL Holistic Financial Planning (For ranches, farms, businesses, and governments) February 1-8, 2015 Pu’u O Hoku Ranch, Molokai, HI www.puuohoku.com/ To learn more, contact: JEFF GOEBEL • 541/610-7084 goebel@aboutlistening.com www.aboutlistening.com

THE MARKETPLACE

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MARK SHEPARD Restoraation Agriculturee explains how we can have all of the benefits of natural, perennial ecosystems and create agricultural systems that imitate natture in fo orm and fu unction while still providing fo or our fo ood, building, fu uel and many other needs — in your own backyyard, farm or ranch.

Manitou Springs and Danceland, Manitou, Saskatchewan Jodie Griffin – Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture

Book & DVD Combo #S-7170 $45.00

Keynotes David Irvine • Linda Edgecombe

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Order online www.acresusa.com or call toll-free 1-800-355-5313

Producer Panel Arlette and Allen Seib • Sam and Janine Covlin Sue and Richard Dubruin

Introductory and Advanced Tracks in Holistic Management by Holistic Management Certified Educators Lots of time for networking and socializing!

More information to follow in IN PRACTICE and on the HMI website

Holistic Management Course Series

12th Annual Production Sale

Saturday, November 22, 2014 At the Ranch

Central Community College Hastings, NE Introduction to Holistic Management December 11-12 2014 Instructor Paul Swanson $250 (includes Holistic Management Handbook)

♦

12 miles N of Beach, ND on Hwy 16 Noon Lunch Sale to start at 2:00 MT

Holistic Grazing Planning March 5-7, 2015 Instructor Ralph Tate $350 (includes Grazing Planning Software)

DDA Medicine Man 56J #1655137a5

9 Sons Sell!

Selling: 28 - 18 Month Old Forage Tested Angus Bulls with many reliable calving ease prospects!

Holistic Financial Planning

Holistic Biological Monitoring

January 30-31, 2015 Instructor Ralph Tate $250 (includes Financial Planning Software)

June 2015 (Date TBD) Instructor Paul Swanson $100 (1-day course)

For more information and to registration contact:

Bob Shields bob.shields01@gmail.com 308.379.1361 $100 deposit required for each class

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

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DONNIE, TRISH, HARLEY & TAYLOR FEIRING 16851 21st St SW PO Box 725 ♦ Beach, ND 58621 (701) 872-5888 ♦ Cell (701) 228-4622 E-mail: feiringcattleco@yahoo.com “Our land is as important to our operation as the cattle that graze it….”

Number 158

IN PRACTICE 23

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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

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Click on the Free Downloads link on the homepage to learn more.

Books and Multimedia

■

■

___ Grazing Planning Software (single-user license) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $100 ___ Upgrade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . electronic $30, hardcopy $45

Pocket Cards

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Planning and Monitoring Guides

___ Introduction to Holistic Management, August 2012, 128 pages . . . . $25

___ Holistic Management: A New Framework for Decision-Making, Second Edition, by Allan Savory with Jody Butterfield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $60 ___ Spanish Version (soft). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $40 ___ Holistic Management Handbook, by Butterfield, Bingham, Savory. . . $40 ___ At Home With Holistic Management, by Ann Adams . . . . . . . . . . . . . $20 ___ Holistic Management: A New Environmental Intelligence . . . . . . . . $10 ___ How to Not Grow Broke Ranching

by Walt Davis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $30 ___ Video: Creating a Sustainable Civilization—An Introduction to Holistic Decision-Making, based on a lecture given by Allan Savory (DVD) . . . $30 ___ Spanish Version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $30 ___ Stockmanship, by Steve Cote. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $35 ___ Comeback Farms, by Greg Judy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $32 ___ The Oglin, by Dick Richardson & Rio de la Vista . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $15 ___ Gardeners of Eden, by Dan Dagget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $25 ___ Video: Healing the Land Through Multi-Species Grazing (DVD) . . . $30 ___ PBS Video: The First Millimeter: Healing the Earth (DVD) . . . . . . . . $25 ___ The Organic Farmer’s Business Handbook by Richard Wiswall . . $34.95 ___ How Stella Saved the Farm,

by Vijay Govindarajan and Chris Trimble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $19.99 ___ The Dirty Life, by Kristin Kimball . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $15

TO ORDER:

Software

___ Holistic Financial Planning, August 2012, 58 pages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . $17

___ Holistic Grazing Planning, August 2012, 63 pages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $17

___ Holistic Biological Monitoring—Croplands August 2012, 26 pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $15

___ Holistic Biological Monitoring— Rangelands and Grasslands, August 2012, 59 pages . . . . . . . . . . . . $17

___ Holistic Land Planning, August 2012, 31 pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $15

Planning Forms

___ Annual Income & Expense Plan, padded, 25 sheets/pad . . . . . . . . . . $17

___ Worksheet, padded, 25 sheets/pad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $7

___ Livestock Production Worksheet, padded, 25 sheets/pad . . . . . . . . . $17

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