The following is an excerpt of a letter Allan
Savory posted to our general list serve in
response to the events of September 11, 2001.
I think it, and the stories in this issue, reflect
the new perspectives we must all bring to
the table if we want world peace.
--Editor
s the events of the 11th unfolded I found
myself overwhelmed. Growing up
in Rhodesia after World War II,
I somehow recognized that guerrilla warfare
would be the future form of warfare and I
studied and later fought, for over twenty years,
in such a war. Having passed much of my life
in senseless guerrilla warfare, I now see the
past unfolding before my eyes.
What I saw was sinister and frightening.
I felt empty, not for the tragic loss of life, but
for the views from leaders and public figures
who spoke only of strength, war and revenge.
The President has called it a new form of
war and pledged to win it. This pledge, while
understandable because of prevailing emotions,
is about as meaningful as the many pledges
to win the war against drugs.
America and the Western nations, whose
way of life is under attack, will need far deeper
understanding to bring about peace and to
safeguard what we value in our way of life.
This is not a new form of warfare—it is one
of the oldest forms of warfare. And, due to
technological advances, it is capable of
wreaking unbelievable damage.
I see in America a repeat of what I lived
through. Our strength is our greatest weakness.
In Rhodesia we had an extremely capable and
efficient army for bush warfare. We never lost
a single encounter or battle no matter what
the odds, but that guaranteed we would lose
the “war.” Such “terrorist” acts are not “wars”
requiring military solutions, but situations
requiring civilian policies that deal with the
root cause of people’s frustrations and suffering.
When all your attention and funding is
focused on revenge, there is little room for
looking deeper.
I use the similarities with Rhodesia because
only the scale differs. America’s leaders would
be wise not to treat this as a war but rather as
a serious wakeup call to look at an extremely
broad and comprehensive strategy involving
our foreign and domestic policies and our
education and business systems.
Right now, the need to motivate people to
unite and to collaborate with other nations to
bring the perpetrators to justice, should be done
without setting people up for retaliatory war.
There is also a deep need to initiate, amid this
collaboration, the moves to bring about a
civilian strategy to win the peace we all seek.
It is not democracy that is under attack
but rather certain aspects of our lives that
others see as causing their suffering. It is in
our own enlightened self-interest to look at
our policies and business activity and the
effect these are having on the world’s natural
resources and communities.
The present catastrophe will unite Americans
as never before and that is good. But the unity
will not last. If our leaders cannot see what
is happening in our own country, what hope
have we of understanding the frustrations of
millions who are daily affected by the policies
of the US, and our fellow Western powers.
The President’s National Security advisors
are intelligent people and the President could
not likely put together a more competent team
for war. However, this same team will be ill-
suited to forming a strategy to win the peace.
To win the peace we seek, the President’s
advisors should also include men and women
who understand the effects on millions of
ordinary, peace-loving people of our policies
on trade, agriculture, weapons sales, and so
on—whether those policies originate in the
U.S. government or multinational corporations.
This is a battle for peace that can only
be won by statesmanship that takes steps to
contain the present violence to the best of
our ability while addressing the things that
will provide the opportunities and platform
for all people to gain greater security and
good governance.
in t h is I s su e
Holistic Management and
Environmental Assessments
Jeff Goebel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Reducing Carbon Dioxide Emissions
at Home
Jeff Goebel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
From Pests to Profit
Ann Adams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
A Turning Point
Vicki Ruby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
LAND & LIVESTOCK—A specialsection of IN PRACTICEGoats as Tools for Flood Control
Rob Rutherford . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Grazing Planning on the Colorado
Plateau—Measuring the Desert
Jim Howell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Questions & Answers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Savory Center Bulletin Board . . . . . . .16
Marketplace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Albert Einstein made the point many
years ago that you cannot solve problems
by using the same thinking that created
the problem in the first place. Holistic
Management practitioners around the
world are using the Holistic Management
model to help them find new ways of
addressing problems that face us all.
David Perino and Kathryn Ehrhorn
are two Savory Center members who
are helping others gain a new perspectiv e
on mesquite. Read about their ef forts
on page 5.
N ew Perspective sby Allan Savory
JANUARY / FEBRUARY 200 2 NUMBER 81
HOLISTICMANAGEMENT IN PRACTIC EP r oviding the link between a healthy environment and a sound economy
A
2 HOLISTIC MANAGEMENT IN PRACTICE #81
The Allan Savory
Center for Holistic Management
The ALLAN SAVORY CENTER FOR HOLISTIC MANAGEMENT is a 501(c) (3)non-profit organization. The centerworks to restore the vitality ofcommunities and the natural resourceson which they depend by advancing thepractice of Holistic Management andcoordinating its development worldwide.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Lois Trevino, Chair
Rio de la Vista, Vice Chair
Ann Adams, Secretary
Manuel Casas, Treasurer
Gary Rodgers
Allan Savory
ADVISORY BOARD
Robert Anderson, Chair, Corrales, NM
Ron Brandes, New York, NY
Sam Brown, Austin, TX
Leslie Christian, Portland, OR
Gretel Ehrlich, Gaviota, CA
Clint Josey, Dallas, TX
Christine Jurzykowski, Glen Rose, TX
Doug McDaniel, Lostine, OR
Guillermo Osuna, Coahuila, Mexico
Bunker Sands, Dallas, TX
York Schueller, Santa Barbara, CA
Jim Shelton, Vinita, OK
Richard Smith, Houston, TX
STAFF
Shannon Horst, Executive Director; Kate Bradshaw, Associate Director; Allan Savory, Founding Director; Jody Butterfield, Co-Founder andResearch and Educational MaterialsCoordinator ; Kelly Pasztor, Director of Educational Services; Andy Braman,
Development Director; Ann Adams,
Managing Editor, IN PRACTICE andMembership Support Coordinator , Craig
Leggett, Special Projects Manager; Mary
Child, Regional Program DevelopmentCoordinator.
Africa Centre for Holistic Management
Private Bag 5950, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
tel: (263) (11) 213529; email:
Huggins Matanga, Director; Roger
Parry, Manager, Regional Training Centre;Elias Ncube, Hwange ProjectManager/Training Coordinator
HOLISTIC MANAGEMENT INPRACTICE (ISSN: 1098-8157) is publishedsix times a year by The Allan SavoryCenter for Holistic Management, 1010Tijeras NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102,505/842-5252, fax: 505/843-7900; email:[email protected].;website: www.holisticmanagement.org Copyright © 2002.
Ad definitumfinem
Holistic Management and
Environmental Assessmentsby Jeff Goebel
In 1970, Richard Nixon signed the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Over
the years, this act has evolved to include
the current process we have today of writing
Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) for
any act that would have an environmental
impact. The intent of this act has always
been to enhance environmental decision-
making (unfortunately, often at the exclusion
of social and economic values). Consequently,
there have been lots of legal and political
challenges, and this act has produced
the most paperwork and used more time
than any act ever passed.
In the spring of 2001, I took an
Environmental Assessment class that
was required for my Masters Program in
Regional Planning at Washington State
University (WSU). I have had a lot of
experience with NEPA and EIS writing
throughout my career in natural resource
management, but I enjoyed this class as it
gave me a deeper understanding of the
development of the law. I was able to
assess the law from my own experience with
holistic decision-making, and found strengths
and weaknesses in the process.
Since this is the law for our nation,
I looked at ways to bring holistic decision-
making into the law to help achieve desired
outcomes. I developed a paper with some
of my classmates (excerpted on the next
page) that reflects an attempt to merge the
two. It seemed to be very successful, as
my classmates learned about Holistic
Management through the focus of completing
the assignment.
I share this story to see if my ideas
could stimulate others who deal with
Environmental Impact Statements to think
creatively about how to fulfill a law or policy
holistically. I also want to encourage others to
figure out how to bring Holistic Management
into existing systems in a way that
encourages a deeper understanding
of Holistic Management and a desire to
practice it. However, I think you need to
be adaptable in the way you introduce it
so you don’t turn people off or make
them feel they are doing more work than
they have to.
For example, I was working with
classmates who wanted to get an “A” and
therefore didn’t want to risk anything too
novel or innovative. They didn’t have any
training in Holistic Management so they
couldn’t accurately assess how it could help
our project. I asked them to let me develop
one of the alternatives that would be part
of the EIS. I used the Holistic Management®
model and generated a generic holistic goal
for the situation. Later when we developed
testing criteria I explained the Holistic
Management® testing questions to the
group. They saw the reasoning and easily
adopted them into our project.
In this way, Holistic Management enabled
us to develop an alternative that would not
have existed under the standard approach and,
when tested with holistic guidelines and the
traditional ways, passed with flying colors. I
believe that such a creative merging of two
processes has significant ramifications for
developing an EIS or for other traditional
ways of determining true environmental
impact of natural resource use.
Jeff Goebel integrated Holistic
Management into the environmental
assessment process.
HOLISTIC MANAGEMENT IN PRACTICE • JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2002 3
Editor’s Note: The following is an excerpt from a Final Environmental
Impact Statement (FEIS) written by Laurie Ames, Jeff Goebel, Kim
Labno, Kholoud Mashal, and Mary Jo Monohan for a graduate
planning class project at Washington State University. While an
FEIS is not required in this circumstance, this project does of fer
an example of how an FEIS is written and how people could
incorporate Holistic Management into the process.
I n t r o d u c t i o n
Global warming has become a concern of many, and while
policies, such as the Kyoto Treaty, are being formed on a large scale,
it is the individual action that can more easily be modified to
contribute to the world goal. The proposed action for this Final
Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) is to find a suitable
alternative to reduce one Pullman household’s carbon dioxide
(CO2) emissions through a viable alternative that meets the family’s
goals and needs.
Proposed Ac t i o n
The proposed action is a combination of several alternatives. Its
emphasis is on incorporating efficient use of appliances while
educating the family on the need for reduced CO2 emissions. The
key is to modify behavior and plan for future activities listed as
alternatives. This will be done by first gaining support within the
household and from visitors, then replacing 16 light bulbs with
energy efficient bulbs, and, third, planting drought-tolerant plants
in the yard as good carbon sinks.
To gain consensus, the family will meet to introduce the
proposed changes, and future meetings will be used to explore
and develop a deeper understanding of the extent of the problem
and what can be done to resolve the global climate change issue.
These actions would reduce emissions/increase sinks by including
all family members in the job of reducing energy use.
A t t r i b u t e s
The attributes used to test the alternatives presented was the
effect on air quality, money spent each year and as a one-time
expenditure, aesthetics, biodiversity, water use, CO2 saved, electricity
saved, nitrogen fixed in the soil, and the seven testing questions of
the Holistic Management® model.
Purpose and Need for Ac t i o n
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) almost
15,000 pounds of carbon equivalent is emitted per person each year
in the United States. These emissions of greenhouse gases are
believed by a growing consensus to contribute to global warming.
The EPA suggests that emissions can be reduced by about 4,800
pounds of carbon equivalent by changing three areas of lifestyle:
electricity, waste, and transportation. This project will deal specifically
with the use of electricity and carbon sinks in order to reduce one
family’s CO2 emissions. Operating our homes produces about 2,700
pounds of carbon per person per year, and most of that is from the
energy used to power electrical appliances.
O b j e c t i ves of Proposed Action
The objectives for the proposed action are to reduce energy use
and costs, improve quality of life and improve education about global
warming and CO2 emissions. To ensure socially, economically, and
ecologically sound decisions, we included the Holistic Management®
model in the variables. This is the holistic goal we developed to do
that starting with the “whole” the goal refers to:
• Whole Being Managed
Land base: Home and yard in Pullman
People: Family, neighbors, government entities - public works, transit
service, recycling, utilities—schools, and employer.
Key decision makers: Family
Money & resources: Government revenues and assets; business
revenues and assets; Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO)
revenues and assets (grants); and private individual resources.
• Quality of Life: Basic needs provided—food, water, air, shelter; health
care is adequate; excellent educational opportunities; desire to make
an effort to decrease consumption of all resources; respect and
dignity prevail; conflicts are successfully confronted and resolved;
and ability to be meaningfully engaged in society.
• Forms of Production: Awareness of world and local conditions; fears
acknowledged and efforts channeled toward hopes, develop consensus;
creativity enhanced; effective and efficient utilization of resources;
enhanced distribution abilities; value diversity and richness provided
as a result; and commitment by family and community members.
• Future Resource Base:
Water Cycle: Effective cycling; Mineral Cycle: Effective with changes
supporting life sustaining conditions including carbon, nitrogen,
hydrogen, oxygen, and other; Energy Flow: Accumulation of energy on
earth, not increasing in atmosphere, ability for excess energy (beyond
human life supporting) to dissipate out of atmosphere; Community
Dynamics: Generally shift to higher serial conditions supporting
diversity and complexity, optimum biomass accumulation supported.
Neighbors, peers, mentors and other community members have
respect for us and see us as a role model based on our behaviors
and actions.
In using the holistic goal to determine the effectiveness of
alternatives, we used measurements on a scale relative to the ability for
the action to move toward or away from the holistic goal per attribute.
The scale is (1)—no measurable change from the present situation (for
example, alternative 1 which was to take no action) and/or moves us
away from our holistic goal through (5)-the greatest positive change or
moves us toward our holistic goal. Below is a description of the
alternatives considering the attributes we discussed.
A l t e r n a t i ve 1—No Action
Under the No-action alternative, the use of the refrigerator-freezer,
water heater and lighting would remain the same as it has for the
past year. All calculations are made using the following conversion
factors: 3,413 British Thermal Units (Btu) = 1 kilowatt (kWh);
1 kWh = 2.3 lbs CO2 ; 1 kWh electricity costs $.05. We used this
alternative as a basis of comparison with the other alternatives
continued on page 4
Reducing Carbon Dioxide Emissions at Home
4 HOLISTIC MANAGEMENT IN PRACTICE #81
Under this alternative, the electricity generated to power a 17.4 cu
foot refrigerator-freezer would emit 12,089 lbs/year of CO2. The
electricity generated to keep the 50-gallon water heater running would
emit 15,870 lbs/year of CO2, and lighting would emit 3,706 lbs/year of
CO2 . The total yearly output of CO2 for these two appliances and the
existing incandescent lighting is 31,665 lbs/ CO2 per year. The total cost
per year to keep the existing appliances and lighting running is $668.
Under this alternative no actions would be taken to either increase
or decrease carbon dioxide emissions or enhance biodiversity or
aesthetics.
A l t e r n a t i ve 2—More Effe c t i ve Use
of Existing Appliances
This alternative provides a way to reduce CO2 emissions by
regulating the use of existing appliances such as the water heater,
lighting, and refrigerator. It does not require a short-term monetary
outlay and may provide a long-term benefit.
Each of us can help prevent global warming and save ourselves
money through our own purchasing decisions and lifestyle choices.
More efficient use of the existing water heating, lighting, and
refrigerator can save $453 per year. It can also save 18,617 lbs/CO2per year.
A l t e r n a t i ve 3—Replacement of
Existing Appliances
This alternative may have the largest short-term monetary outlay,
but may provide the best long-term benefit in other desired areas by
reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Under this alternative, energy-
efficient models would replace the existing water heater and
refrigerator-freezer, and the 16 incandescent light bulbs would be
replaced by fluorescent light bulbs. After an initial monetary output
of $1,792, these replacements’ total yearly emissions of CO2 would be
12,492 lbs; a saving of 19,173 lbs of CO2 emissions per year. Total
electrical costs for the year would be $272, a savings of $416 per year.
A l t e r n a t i ve 4—Enhanced Photosynthetic Capacity
This alternative reduces carbon dioxide by increasing the existing
plants’ ability to absorb CO2 or by additional plantings. This alternative
has some monetary outlay, but may provide long-term benefit.
In an effort to decrease net CO2 emission on a household area
basis, it is desirable to increase CO2 gas consumption by proliferation
of photosynthetic (P/S) vegetation that can act throughout the year.
Plants selected for utilization should be perennials with high CO2assimilation, nitrogen and water use efficiency and leafy biomass.
Outdoor plants which photosynthesize in the winter are particularly
desirable because they continue to reduce carbon while root
respiration remains low.
Calculations described for this alternative use the dimensions of
the household area, and the assumption that 10 percent of the area is
vegetated under the no action alternative. The alternative action
increases vegetated area to at least 15 percent of total household area
resulting in a net increase of 495 square feet vegetated area.
We used a birch tree to estimate the average CO2 consumption of
Reducing Carbon Monoxide Emissions at Home
continued from page 3
a deciduous tree at 588 Mg CO2 /ha based on 180-day growing season.
A typical “giant” evergreen, such as a pine, could consume a maximum
of 1,220 Mg CO2 /ha based on a 365-day growing period. Carbon
sequestration by grasslands is approximately 1-2 Mg CO2 /ha/yr, a value
derived indirectly from biomass accumulation and a defined number of
growing days.
From the values above and assuming 15 percent of lot property is
devoted to non-dwelling grounds and completely covered with
vegetation, an estimated 33 lbs CO2/yr could be consumed by the
grounds surrounding the average household. However, there is a large
initial cost to implement this alternative ($1000). Following years will
include increased water and fertilization input.
A l t e r n a t i ve 5 —Public Awa r e n e s s
This alternative provides for long-term benefit and may provide
other solutions or alternatives.
The family level of public awareness focuses on gaining support
within the household and with visitors in order to support actions
addressing global climate change. Actions that can be taken are to foster
the opportunity for family members to explore and develop a deeper
understanding of the extent of the problem and what can be done to
resolve the global climate change issue.
There are six stages important to human change: 1) denial, 2) anger,
3) bargaining, 4) depression, 5) acceptance and 6) adaptation. Actions need
to be developed to allow humans to advance through these stages. An
assumption about this alternative is that by focusing on the whole family
being engaged in the change process, it will ultimately allow for optimal
levels of changes in CO2 emission reductions and improving CO2 sinks.
Conclusion
The proposed action—alternatives 2 through 5—compared to the
no-action alternative, improves air quality in terms of carbon dioxide
concentration and reduces energy costs. The higher initial costs of
implementing the proposed action, compared to the no-action
alternative, is an acceptable and predicted consequence of
accomplishing the goal of stabilizing climate fluctuations.
Jeff Goebel is a Certified Educator in Pullman, Washington.
He can be reached at [email protected] or 509/334-4767. For the
complete paper visit Jeff’s website at www.aboutlistening.com.
HOLISTIC MANAGEMENT IN PRACTICE • JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2002 5
From Pests to Profitby Ann Adams
If you enjoy talking to people who are
enthusiastic about their work, I suggest
you visit with Kathryn Ehrhorn and
David Perino of San Pedro Mesquite
Company (SPMCo). For the last five years
they have expanded their mission from
harvesting and marketing mesquite to
educating both consumers and potential
suppliers about the opportunities they are
missing because of the conventional view
of the mesquite tree. They’ve come a long
way in that process and are having more
success in that endeavor, while enjoying
the journey along the way.
B eyond Burning
David Perino has been in the mesquite
industry for 30 years now, beginning with his
father’s encouragement to use the wood
more in his work as a building contractor
in Tucson in the ‘70s. At one point he had
30 employees in his woodshop making
mesquite products, but he eventually had to
close his business because he couldn’t find a
reliable source for the mesquite. Everyone
was so busy viewing mesquite as a nuisance
tree, one that encroached on valuable land
and needed to be bulldozed and burned,
that he couldn’t find anyone willing to
harvest it other than for charcoal, which
returned about one penny for every
pound of mesquite.
In fact, David spent 11 years in Texas
trying to get ranchers to change their
perception of mesquite, but couldn’t find any
takers. The same was true in Arizona. But
when Kathryn joined SPMCo five years ago,
some things started to change. While Kathryn
didn’t have experience in the mesquite
industry, she did bring to the table a global
perspective and strong administrative skills.
With their combined skills and interests,
SPMCo was ready to look outside the U.S.,
where those working the land might be
more willing to see the income potential in
this resource.
And what potential there is. Mesquite
grows on over 25 percent of the world’s land
mass in semi-arid areas, home to 700 million
people. This labor force has few other ways
to earn a good income from local markets.
Kathryn and David saw their mesquite
training program, in which they educate
others about mesquite as a potential resource,
as a way to help others earn a good income.
Rancho La Inmaculada
One of their first forays south of the
border came about when they were
introduced to Certified Educator Kirk Gadzia
by a neighbor. He told them about a rancher,
Ivan Aguirre, in Hermosillo (Sonora), Mexico
who would be interested in learning about
their mesquite ideas. David couldn’t believe
that he had finally found a rancher willing to
think of mesquite as an asset.
Ivan had already made that shift in
thinking years before when he began
practicing Holistic Management. And as a
Certified Educator in Mexico, he had begun
outreach work in his community. Kathryn
and David contacted Ivan and went down
to visit the Aguirres.
Ivan and Martha Aguirre and their
extended family have done remarkable things
with their ranch since they began practicing
Holistic Management almost ten years ago.
With mesquite charcoal only yielding a
penny a pound, they were very interested
in David and Kathryn’s statement that they
could be earning 63 cents a pound by
creating value-added mesquite products.
So Kathryn and David developed a
special harvesting and marketing plan for
the Aguirres. For $25,000, they determined
the Aguirres’ expected yield, helped them
determine what the best products would
be for the local markets, and purchased or
manufactured the appropriate technology for
their harvesting needs. As always, the key
was to determine what resources were there
and then develop products and markets from
that resource base in order to sustain it.
The Aguirres live on a rather isolated
24,000-acre (10,000-hectare) ranch with no
electricity or phone lines. That means the
sawmill they purchased must be run off a
generator and marketing done locally by
word of mouth. The Aguirres main business
is beef cattle, which they wanted to
supplement with income that didn’t involve
extensively harvesting the mesquite trees.
So the Aguirres merely prune the trees and
use the mill to create lumber for a local
market. They use the sapwood and smaller
slash as a mulch around the trees to increase
the efficiency of the water cycle, which
they have already improved through their
grazing planning.
The effectiveness of the water cycle
at Rancho La Inmaculada caught David
unawares and caused him to miscalculate
mesquite yield projections. Normally, given
the 10-inch (250-mm) rainfall Rancho La
Immaculada receives, David would expect
.25-inch (6-mm) thick sapwood. So he based
his yield projections on that figure. But when
Ivan began harvesting his mesquite, he wasn’t
getting the projected yields. After many
faxes and phone calls, David realized that the
reason for the difference in yield was that
Ivan’s sapwood was an inch (25 mm) thick, a
thickness you might see in an irrigated park
in Denver. It suggests that the Aguirres are
capturing four times as much water in their
soil as their neighbors are.
David and Kathryn want to work with
more people like the Aguirres to make use of
their valuable resource. The Aguirres should
recoup their mill investment within two to
three years (a longer period than normal due
to their isolated location). David believes that
most people could use the time and money
they are currently allotting to eradicate the
mesquite and use that same time and money
to build mesquite as an enterprise
on their ranch.
In this way he hopes more ranchers will
view ranching and timber as synonymous
continued on page 6
While many people have seen mesquite as
a nuisance, David Perino and Kathryn
Ehrhorn are busy educating others about all
the beauty and versatility of mesquite.
6 HOLISTIC MANAGEMENT IN PRACTICE #81
with an expectation of achieving as much
money from their timber resources as they do
their livestock. Likewise, David and Kathryn
want others to see this mesquite harvesting
model as a model for other trees that are
considered pests, like juniper and pinon.
Because they recognize each whole is unique,
they realize such a model must be adapted on
a ranch-by-ranch basis. However, they believe
their training model can be a more effective
starting point for experimentation for people
who have the natural resources but don’t
have the knowledge or experience in
assessing, harvesting and developing value-
added products, and marketing those
products.
From Ironwood to Mesquite
Once Kathryn and David had finished
their research and marketing for the Aguirres,
they turned to Hermosillo and Miguel
Aleman, two towns near the Aguirres.
Because of their success with the Aguirres,
and through an introduction from
Cooperative Extension Agent and Certified
Educator, Manuel Molina, they were invited
to help address the issue of a rapidly
dwindling ironwood resource that local
artisans had used for income.
One of the first steps David and Kathryn
took to help these artisans was to develop
new, safer tools and to help them learn how
to work with the mesquite to protect what
was left of the ironwood as it was now
illegal to harvest. Many of the artisans were
missing fingers from working with crude
and dangerous machinery. Part of the switch
to mesquite was a switch to woodturning
lathes with which they could make other
value-added products. The lathes were
designed to incorporate the current machines
that had powered the crude saws the artisans
had been using.
Altogether, Kathryn and David worked
with 400 local artisans, as well as others who
were involved in the management of the
mesquite to harvest it sustainably. Kathryn and
David helped local landowners and artisans
assess the mesquite resources so they could
discern what they could harvest for the long-
term and then what type of value-added
product they could make that would sell
locally so they weren’t at the mercy of
exportation.
milling and joining equipment and traditional
laminating techniques, people can learn to
make just about any wood product.”
Likewise, another mesquite product of
great value is the mesquite bean, which is
ground into flour. Containing 20-30 percent
protein, this flour is a high source of soluble
fiber and Omega 3 fatty acids. A viable food
source for both humans and animals, SPMCo
encourages local harvesting of the beans.
They sell the flour and the value-added
products made from it—like dog biscuits—on
their website.
Bringing It Home
So have all these programs been good
for business? It’s booming. In the last five
years, gross sales of mesquite products have
doubled each year. Projected sales for this
year are $750,000. With their five employees,
Kathryn and David are busy answering
phones for requests for mesquite flooring
and the other products offered through
their website.
But the training and outreach programs
clearly bring much enrichment to the work
environment at SPMCo. “We believe in these
programs and that what goes around comes
around,” says Kathryn. Their interest and
involvement in sustainable development is
one of the reasons why they became
Savory Center members. “The Savory Center
was clearly in line with our values,” says
Kathryn. We always tell others about
Holistic Management. We give Kirk and
Ivan’s phone numbers to any ranchers
we talk to.”
“But Holistic Management is more than
just ranching,” says David. “We’ve used the
goal setting process to help create the plans
for our outreach programs, and to monitor
them. The concept of working with a whole
is so important in the work we do. But most
of all, Holistic Management has helped make
the business more fun. Before it always
seemed like drudgery to me. Holistic
Management has helped me see that we
owe ourselves a living.”
“It’s been a challenging growth curve,”
says Kathryn, “but we continue with great
zest and optimism. Seeing the mesquite
programs actually working for our families
and the many others with whom we
work makes it all worthwhile.”
Visit San Pedro Mesquite’s website at
www.spm.com or call Kathryn and David
at 520/212-9663.
As part of their training module, Kathryn
and David asked questions and created
“assignments” that required the local artisans
to do the legwork and determine the
products and markets, giving them more
ownership in the outcome. For example, one
assignment was to look around and see what
non-wood products were available that could
be made out of wood locally. In addition,
Kathryn and David taught them how to
communicate with the local media so they
could establish the kind of public relations
necessary for local marketing.
In addition to these efforts, the city
government of Hermosillo donated land
for the shop, and a local technical college
donated woodworking equipment. David and
Kathryn are donating their time and expertise
in partnership with the artisans and the
local government so that a local sustainable
industry can be established. And as that
partnership becomes profitable, everyone
shares in the profit.
“We’ve found that this type of economic
development works when we’re looking at
the whole picture and what is needed to
offer industry to local people,” says Kathryn.
“It can take some adjusting on everyone’s part
to work with a timber industry that expects
certain lengths of wood. But with new
From Pests to Profit
continued from page 5
San Pedro Mesquite has helped indigenous
populations learn to profit from the mesquite
that surrounds them.
HOLISTIC MANAGEMENT IN PRACTICE • JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2002 7
weren’t given many specific directives, there
was a lot of frustration — healthy frustration,
Wayne told us. We didn’t know what each
member would contribute nor what stake the
various organizations they represented might
have in our efforts.
One of our members, a banker, said that in
the beginning he was
confused about why he
was asked to participate —
what did finances have
to do with health? But
after making the effort
to become involved he
could see, for example,
the way that banks dealt
with farmers (especially
in stressful economic
times) had a significant
impact on the farmers’
relationships with their
families, their neighbors,
their own state of health.
We began to see the
interconnectedness of
all the various aspects of
our lives as community
members.
We worked to form
ourselves into a cohesive
group. We are pleased to note that unlike
many partnerships, we had few “turf issues.”
People did not feel they had to protect their
territory from others who might usurp power
and resources. I think that is, at least in part, a
reflection of Wayne’s work.
However, we also realized we did not
know as much about each other as we
thought. In a small community such as ours,
we assume we know everyone’s story, and
they know ours. As we continued to meet,
we learned more about the problems and
methods of each other’s business, and
learned how we might support each other
in new ways.
For instance, one of our Partnership
members, Glenwood Inc., is a center for the
developmentally disabled. They needed to
find useful work for their individuals. At
our Turning Point meetings, we identified
a need in our community for light
A Turning Pointby Vicki Ruby
Editor’s note: For the last four years,
Certified Educator Wayne Berry has served
as a facilitator for the Sheridan County
Turning Point Partnership, introducing
Holistic Management into this community
development project. Hired more as a
facilitator than a Holistic Management ®
Certified Educator, Wayne introduced parts
of the Holistic Management ® model to help
the Partnership reach their desired outcomes.
Although some members of the Partnership
might not have been fully aware of this
Holistic Management influence, both Wayne
and Vicki felt it had a significant impact on
the success of the Partnership. For example,
although there were numerous Turning
Point projects around the country, Sheridan
County’s was the only partnership out of
40 that started from a whole-community
foundation rather than a specific focus. All
partnerships had an initial three-year grant
for planning, but the follow-up development
grants were competitive across the whole
country. The Sheridan County partnership
was successful in obtaining one of those
development grants.
Sheridan County is a sparsely populated,
rural county of only 4,300 residents
located in the northeast corner of
Montana. The county has struggled in recent
years with high unemployment rates and
nearly half the county’s population living
at or below the federal poverty level.
The primary industry in Sheridan County
is agriculture, and farmers and ranchers have
been selling their goods for prices well below
today’s market. Such a depressed economy has
led to bank foreclosures and the collapse of
main street businesses, and has had a direct
impact on the health and quality of life of
families and individuals. Migration out of the
county has persisted at a rate of one percent
for the past 70 years.
To address some of these needs,
Sheridan County applied for a Turning Point
Partnership grant. I was hired by the
Partnership first in the capacity of secretary
and bookkeeper and, later, to gather and
synthesize information for required reports
and for publicizing our efforts. We then hired
Wayne Berry, a Holistic Management®
Certified Educator, to facilitate our meetings
and help us build a cohesive group from a
very diverse mix of individuals.
What Wayne taught us and the way he
guided us certainly helped us achieve the
cohesion necessary to win a development
grant and provide a service to the community
that wasn’t there before. I also think that
Holistic Management has
helped me do my work
because I am better
able to see the
interconnectivity in
all the different kinds
of work I do, both
professionally and
as a member of this
community. As we
prepare our final
reports for the National
Association of County
and City Health
Officials (NACCHO), I
will be turning to the
original holistic testing
questions Wayne
taught us to help us
evaluate our journey,
and to help us make
the transition into a
new beginning.
Building A Coalition
The original Turning Point grant awarded
to us came with the stipulation that we form
a coalition of community members. That,
then, was our first challenge.
At our first meeting, Wayne gave a
presentation emphasizing our need to take
a look at the whole picture. Providing us
with a list of “Holistic Testing Questions” (the
seven testing questions) to reflect on, he led
us through a series of exercises he called a
“grounding session.” Out of this session, we
developed a “Temporary Core Document”
(our holistic goal).
The group of people we gathered
came from all areas of our community
geographically, and it was a diverse group
professionally as well. All they knew at the
beginning was that we had access to a certain
amount of money, and we wanted to improve
the basic health of our community. Because
this goal was so broad, and because we
Holistic Management helped Vicki
Ruby see the interconnectivity of the
work she was doing in her community .
continued on page 8
8 HOLISTIC MANAGEMENT IN PRACTICE #81
housekeeping services for elderly and
handicapped people. The Glenwood
representatives were able to match those
needs and resources, and came up with a
Home Attendant Service. Their individuals,
under supervision, were able to offer their
skills for a modest fee.
Sustaining Change
Wayne has continued to urge us to return
to our Core Document to guide our current
work as a Partnership. From the beginning
this document crystallized our quality of life
statement—the things we want for our
communities. That statement includes the
desire for communities in which every
person is treated with dignity and
compassion, healthy schools and strong
faith communities, and a strong sense of
volunteerism. We placed a high priority on
safety, with high standards for the quality of
our environment and low crime rates. We
also identified good accessibility to health
care services, as well as health education
and health facilities, as very important.
The Core Document also identified our
stakeholders: youth, families, working people
and well adults, the elderly, low-income
families and individuals, and the physically
and mentally challenged. It also includes a
“Production Statement” that outlined our first
tasks as a group. While we don’t measure
ourselves against the Core Document, we do
keep it in mind, and we still speak in the
terms we used in that document.
For example, we wrote that we wanted
to establish a “mall” for quality of life issues
in which available services coordinate their
efforts, and the whole person/family is taken
into consideration. To this end, we have hired
an architect to complete a feasibility study
regarding a Wellness Center that we envision
housing fitness space and equipment,
community meeting space, and health
education and information resources.
Another main thrust in our efforts has
been to increase collaboration with other
communities statewide and especially in
the northeastern counties of Montana. We
see more and more clearly that we cannot
survive in isolation. For that reason, we
hope to increase our regional public health
of changes—such as moving the office to a
less accessible location—that Public Health staff
felt would be detrimental to the programs.
The staff took these concerns to the
Partnership, asking for their suggestions
and opinions. The individual partners
overwhelmingly felt that the Public Health
Office should remain at its original, accessible
location in the Courthouse. With the hospital
administration
increasingly adamant
that the move
would be made, the
Partnership sought
public opinion.
Partners were
instrumental in
developing a public
opinion survey and in
voicing their concerns
in the community.
Eventually,
following negotiations,
the County and the
hospital decided that
the County would
reassume sponsorship
of the Public Nurse’s
Office, and that the
office would remain
in its original location.
The entire decision-
making process had
heavy input from the
public at large, and this was very much due
to the existence of the Turning Point
Partnership. It was amazing how much people
knew and cared about what could easily
have been a behind-the-scenes matter
regarding their public health system.
Our grant period ends this year. However,
the Partners have expressed a commitment to
the network we have formed and continuing
our existence as an active Partnership.
Partners have also given their support to
participating in a Rural Consortium that is
being formed by Turning Point grantees
around the nation. For Sheridan County there
is a feeling that this is just the beginning of
progress toward a more sustainable future.
Vicki Ruby is Assistant Coordinator
of the Sheridan County Turning Point
Partnership in Plentywood, Montana.
She can be reached at 406/765-3473 or
service capacity through alliances with
neighboring counties.
A Voice for the Community
While we have done some specific
projects, we haven’t had many concrete
products “available for show and tell,” as
Wayne puts it. This has been frustrating for
people directly involved, and for others who
approach them to ask,
“Just what is Turning
Point, anyway?”
But what we
have done is lay the
groundwork for future
projects to be more
successful and to all
move toward a
common vision. Early
on, we created a
“Community Values
Survey” that asked for
residents’ perceptions
of and their level of
satisfaction regarding
many aspects of life in
Sheridan County. Two
important points in the
results showed that
people who live here
have a lot of pride in
Sheridan County, and
that economic stability
is a focus of concern for
nearly everyone. We’ve tried to incorporate
those concerns as we’ve increased awareness
of public health, and the idea that all of us
have a stake in our communities.
Most of all we’ve tried to find the
solutions to our problems within our own
community. We’ve sent people, both official
Partnership members and interested
community members, to grant-writing
seminars and leadership training workshops.
We are trying to increase our resource base
in terms of people and skills, by empowering
individuals and supporting teamwork.
An important effect of having the
Turning Point Partnership active here is that
community members have been given a
vehicle through which to voice their opinions
and inform themselves. For instance, for
several years the County had contracted with
the local hospital to provide personnel to
administer the Public Health Office. Then
hospital administration proposed a number
A Turning Point
continued from page 7
Wayne Berry was hired to facilitate the
Turning Point Partnership meetings.
Using Holistic Management he helped
them build an ef fective coalition.
IN PRACTICE • JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2002 LAND & LIVESTOCK 9
LAND L I V E S TO C K& A Special Section ofIN PRACTICE
JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2002 #81
promising series of events on the Pacific Coast may be setting the
stage for more holistic management of municipally owned lands.
The setting is San Luis Obispo County, California. Located
midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, the county features
some spectacular coastlines, floodplains with rich vegetable production,
inland grazing lands with the greatest collection of endangered species
of any place in the continental U.S., and rapidly growing urban centers.
In the southern part of the county, straddling US Highway 101 and
running to the ocean, are the towns of Arroyo Grande and Oceano.
Through this area run several waterways, including Arroyo Grande
Creek and Los Berros Channel. Years ago, the Lopez Dam was built to
capture the water in Arroyo Grande Creek, thereby creating a more
predictable release of water throughout the year.
The lower end of Arroyo Grande Creek was straightened in order
to quickly “dispose” of excess water during storm events. The Los
Berros Channel was made with the same purpose in mind. It flows
into Arroyo Grande Creek about two miles from the Pacific Ocean.
With the resulting flood control, vegetables could be reliably grown
and houses could be built in the flood plain with no fear of being
flooded. Assessments collected from the farmers and community
services districts were to be used to maintain the flood control channel.
As the years went by, and several species of concern (notably
steelhead trout and red-legged frogs) captured the headlines, the tools
available to maintain the flood control channels became more and
more limited. The Army Corps of Engineers became stricter about
dredging the channel. It became more difficult and expensive to find
places to dispose of the dredged materials, even if it was allowed.
Costs soared—up to $100 a yard in some estimates.
The fact that the stockpiled materials would undoubtedly find
their way back into the channels wasn’t even figured into the costs
of dredging and transporting. Herbicides were ruled out by several
agencies concerned about the impacts they would have on many
species in the channels as well as down stream. Fire has become less
viable because of air quality concerns, plus the difficulty in burning
Some of the 300 goats grazing down the vegetation choking a
suburban drainage ditch. The very next day “at least 50 people
from the area parked along the side of the road, out of their cars,
just looking at the goats. The local TV reporters were there taping
interviews.” When the goats came back the following year residents
met the first gooseneck as it was being unloaded, expressing their
relief that the goats were coming back.
Goats as Tools for
Flood Controlby Rob Rutherford
material that is standing in water. Hand crews could be brought in to
physically remove the vegetation, but they took a long time and were
becoming more expensive.
What about Goats?
It was with this dilemma on the table that George Gibson, an
engineer with the County Public Works Department, gave me a call.
I still remember his first words: “Are you the Goat Guy?” Taken a little
by surprise, I claimed not to be the Goat Guy, but that I knew one. It
seems that at a coffee table conversation at his department, and amid
a great deal of frustration—land owners yelling to get the ditches
cleaned, and a long line of agencies saying they couldn’t—that one of
the staff members jokingly threw out the idea of getting a goat to eat
the ditch clean. After a hearty laugh, a junior engineer said there was
a guy named Rutherford out at Cal Poly [University] that talked about
this stuff. I was only later to get to know more about that junior
engineer—a person living in conflict—an engineer who thought we
ought to work with the environment rather than beating it into
submission! Based on her input, George gave me the call.
I agreed that his proposal to use goats to reduce the vegetation
made good sense, but I didn’t have the goats. I contacted Bob
Blanchard, a local cattle/goat producer, who has been doing some
great grazing management in land adjacent to the Diablo Canyon
power plant. He uses the goats to reduce fire fuel hazard under the
power lines leaving the plant.
Bob and I met George at the site the next day. Immediately, Bob
continued on page 10
A
10 LAND & LIVESTOCK IN PRACTICE #81
Much to his credit, George Gibson,
the engineer who knew nothing of
the tools of grazing or animal impact
or much of anything else about
biology (and whose idea of a good
channel is the Los Angeles River with
its concrete channel), kept insisting
that this goat thing would work. He
pushed and pushed, insisting that this
needed to be a long-term thing, and
that he knew it wouldn’t look like a
mowing machine had come through.
The goats would leave some stuff,
there might be complaints about
animals in the waterway, the lettuce
growers would be nervous, he would
take the heat if it went wrong, etc.
Let’s Do It
With that kind of pressure, Bob
agreed to think about it overnight. The
next day, Bob came back with an offer
that he thought George would refuse.
We would move the goats in for a
four-day trial. No guarantees. If it
didn’t work, we’d part company on
good terms—and he needed $3,000 for the four-day trial. George’s response
was: “Can you have them here this afternoon?” Bob just about fell over
(should have asked for more money). We moved the goats in the next day.
Temporary electric net fence was set along the banks with four strands of
electric temporary fence stretched through the ditch. We fenced about one
acre per day and had about 350 goats in the area. It took about one day to
graze the first section.
We moved the goats in on a Tuesday afternoon. The next day, John
Phillips and I took our class down to the site to observe. When we got
there, there had to have been at least 50 people from the area parked along
the side of the road, out of their cars, just looking at the goats. The local TV
reporters were there taping interviews. One of the people interviewed was
an elderly lady who presented herself as the perfect ambassador for the
project. She could have been anybody’s grandmother. She talked about how
her home had almost flooded several years ago, how fun it was to see the
goats, etc. We were on four different TV news broadcasts, and received
nothing but positive press. As George claimed, “We couldn’t have purchased
better PR.” The goats did a nice job, leaving plenty of forage to stabilize the
banks, but consumed at least 90% of the vegetable matter in the area.
By the end of the second day, Bob’s fears were quelled, and he and
George negotiated to extend the contract. The grazing continued
downstream to a point where the National Fish and Wildlife folks insisted
that we get out of the ditch because of habitat concerns. The goats were
there for a total of 31 days and grazed about 1 .5 miles of ditch. The county
paid Bob $24,000. The previous time the ditch had been cleared the cost
for hand crews was about 3 times higher. During the winter of 2001, a
predictably heavy rainstorm brought the annual flood (made worse by
the floodplain management) but the area grazed by the goats held.
Unfortunately, the area that had been left ungrazed caused a blockage that
forced the stream out of its banks. As a result, the county became liable for
about $2.5 million in flood damage to houses, lettuce, and a riding stable.
Goats as Tools for Flood Controlcontinued from page 9
Berry bushes, afternoon, day 1.
Berry bushes, day 2.
Berry bushes, morning, day 1.
A predictably heavy
rainstorm brought
the annual flood but
the area grazed b y
the goats held.
Unfortunately, the
area that had been
left ungrazed caused
a blockage that forced
the stream out of its
banks. The county
became liable for
about $2.5 million
in flood damage to
houses, lettuce, and
a riding stable.
started to get cold feet. The channel was about 100-feet
(30-meters) wide. On one side was a housing development,
with at least one dog in every yard, on the other side was a
major county road, and then further downstream, about 200
acres of lettuce—and no fences.
IN PRACTICE • JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2002 LAND & LIVESTOCK 11
There were numerous meetings with agencies pointing fingers at each other,
residents praising the goats, the vegetable grower (a member of the Regional
Water Board) admitting that the goats did a good job, and so on.
Bob and George continued to communicate, and George was able to
secure a budget for this year. He also got permission to graze further down
the channel. Therefore, during August of 2001, we put close to 600 goats in
the ditch and grazed nearly to the ocean—a distance of about two miles. By
the time the first gooseneck had been unloaded, at least ten of the local
residents were right there expressing their relief that the goats were coming
back, including our TV-star grandmother from the year before. The grazing
this year took 41 days, and the county paid Bob $35,000. Of these dollars,
Bob paid about $3,000/month to my students who provided part time labor.
The rest was to compensate himself for his time, expertise, and
equipment/supplies.
Lessons Learned
During both years of this grazing adventure, Bob and I spent more
than a couple of hours sitting on chairs on a ditch bank, watching the
goats, and talking about what was going on. We agreed that what we were
involved in was addressing a symptom. The channel had become filled
with silt due to farming practices upstream. Flooding was inevitable given
all the development, and thus the bare ground, in the catchment, and the
monoculture practices on the vegetable farms. However, we both felt that
this was an opportunity to demonstrate how effective goats could be as a
riparian zone management tool—that they could actually enhance habitat.
We noticed that the goats ate different things depending upon what
was available. If there were a wide variety of plants, they readily went after
the willows. If other types of plants were limited, they didn’t browse the
willows nearly as heavily. The goats readily consumed hemlock and castor
bean with no deaths or illnesses. We did find that although goats don’t
really like to get their feet wet, these goats learned to stand in the water to
eat some of the delicacies like watercress.
It was our opinion that the quality of the forage was better the second
year, and if asked back, that we would continue to see a change in plant
materials. We were of the opinion that if flood control was the primary
motivation for the project, we should have grazed the creek later in the
year, just before the rainy season.
Because we were asked to be there
in August in order to fit the County
Engineering calendar, we are concerned
that a lot of regrowth will occur in the
five months prior to our wettest time.
Another very critical part of the
success of this venture was Bob’s ability
to visit with the residents and visitors
at the site—community dynamics if you
will. When the rumor got out that a
local opponent was going to protest to
the County Board of Supervisors about
having livestock in the creek, a woman
in the adjoining mobile home park
started a petition and got 650 signatures
in four days supporting the goats.
George Gibson knows a lot more about
goats now than he did a year ago. He
also takes credit for the success of the
venture, which is interesting in that
he never mentions that the whole thing was the idea of a
junior engineer who doesn’t “think that concrete channels are
a good thing.”
We’re looking forward to the winter of 2002 and hoping that
we do get a “flood” in order to assess the job done this year.
We’re hoping that the success of this venture can be shared with
other counties and municipalities as a way of converting solar
energy into money, while at the same time improving the
functioning of ecosystem processes.
So, here we have a situation of many goals—set by the junior
engineer, the senior engineer, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the
Army Corps of Engineers, the residents, the vegetable grower, the
goat owner—and we are spending our time perfecting our tool
use. I’m hoping that once the various stakeholders understand
that we’ve got the tool thing down, it might be a good idea to
sit down and create a holistic goal, which should set us up for
longer term efficiency at moving towards what we want,
rather than just addressing symptoms.
Rob Rutherford is Professor of Animal Science
at CalPoly. He can be reached via email at
Grazed portion of the ditch downstream. Lettuce fields are on
the left. On the road is a travel trailer where laborers spend the
night, and a water trailer for the goats when the ditch is dry .
Ungrazed ditch in the residential area.
When the rumor got
out that a local
opponent was going
to protest about
having livestock in
the creek, a woman
in the adjoining
mobile home park
started a petition and
got 650 signatures
in four days
supporting the goats.
few months back I wrote an article about Dave James and his
Slick Rock Ranch ( IN PRACTICE #78, July/August 2001).
Situated in some of southwestern Colorado’s roughest canyon
country, I claimed the Slick Rock was the toughest piece of the West I’d
ever seen anybody try to run cows in. Since acquiring the ranch in the
late ‘90s, Dave and his crew have spent most of that time just learning
the country, figuring out how to coax cattle in and out, under and over,
and up and through the maze of canyons, benches, cliffs, mesas, and
bowls that constitute the Slick Rock.
They’re still learning and probably always will be learning, but
they’re a whole lot smarter now than they were when they started.
They know how to bring a big bunch of cattle out of McIntyre Canyon,
over Cougar Bench, and up onto Horse Range Mesa. They know how
many cattle can water on the spring in Bush Canyon, and when the
ponds thaw out on Egnar Mesa, assuming they’ve got any water. They
know that in the dead of winter, they better be watering on the Dolores
River if they want their critters to get a drink. If they have snow holding
in the shade of the junipers, they know they can push a big mob up
onto White Sage Bench and take some pressure off the riparian corridor
along the Dolores. They know that Grassy Hills are covered in mostly
low quality galleta grass, and if they hope to get some use out of it, they
better pack some protein up there ahead of the cattle. They know that
sometime around the first of April, the cattle better be somewhere near
the Snyder Place. If not, it’ll be a long, hard drive with heavy pregnant
cows up to the summer country. That’s a lot of stuff to keep track of,
and that’s just a small sample.
Time to Refine
Now, five years later and armed with a stockade of local knowledge,
Dave finally felt he was ready to take a stab at creating a proper holistic
grazing plan. One could argue that if he had started planning holistically
from the beginning, even without any practical history, he would have
figured out all these practical considerations even quicker. That may be
true, but his crew probably would have mutinied and left Dave in a
major fix. Actually, Dave did initially try to impose an intensive style
of grazing management, but with neither the cows nor the cowboys
knowing where they were going, a chain of costly wrecks was the
unhappy result.
After that initial reality check, I think he felt it was better to let his
guys make the day-to-day decisions, let them figure out how to get
around the country in their own way, and let them develop the local
knowledge. Now, going through the grazing planning process, it’s their
input that’s most valuable. They know whether the whole herd can
be expected to stay up on Grassy without bailing off down into the
Dolores Canyon, and how far up Summit Canyon a cow will go, and so
on. To create a grazing plan that’s going to work, this sort of knowledge
is absolutely critical. You can come up with a plan without it, but the
frustration that ensues when nothing works, the cattle aren’t happy, and
you’re working your behind into the ground, sort of sours you on the
whole deal. I know. I’ve been there.
Anyway, this summer Dave gave me a call and asked if I would
come help them do a holistic grazing plan for their winter dormant
season, not only on the Slick Rock, but also on the new 117,000-acre
(47,350-ha) winter grazing allotment in southeastern Utah in which he
recently became a partner. The new place, which Dave calls the Perkins
Desert, takes in all the country between Bluff and Mexican Hat, Utah,
plus some state lease country north and east of Bluff. It’s named after
the family that has ranched there for over 100 years, a descendent of
which, Corey Perkins, is Dave’s partner. For those of you who’ve been
in that part of Utah, you’ll realize that it’s smack dab in the middle of
Monument Valley, one of the West’s most scenic but austere landscapes.
Average rainfall is a scant 6 inches, and it can come at any time of the
year. Good growing seasons are consequently few and far between.
Grasses include an impressive diversity of dropseed species, lots of
galleta, some Indian rice grass, and lots of annual cheat grass. The brush
component, which accounts for a big part of their forage resource,
includes lots of blackbrush, plus quite a bit of four-wing saltbrush,
shadscale, winterfat, and Mormon tea.
Bare Ground and Drought Reserve s
As you might expect, the dominant feature of the landscape is bare
ground. Dave has identified this mostly denuded soil surface as the
primary culprit obstructing his goal of more effective ecosystem
processes, greatly enhanced biodiversity, and increased profit from
livestock. His management aim, therefore, focuses on gradually building
a source of soil-covering litter.
I asked him what he expected out of me during our three-day
planning session. He said he wanted to figure out how many cattle he
could run on both ranches (the Slick Rock and Perkins Desert) and still
leave a full year of forage in the event of extended drought. In other
words, if no rain came over the course of the coming year, he wanted
to feel comfortable that he could still bring his cattle back next year on
leftover forage. If it did happen to rain over the next year, that excess
forage from the year before would still be valuable as a source of soil-
covering litter. By letting those plants accumulate a year or more of
growth, there will be organic matter available to not only feed the cattle
during the next grazing period, but older, more brittle material to lay on
Jerry Heaton, cowboss on the Perkins Desert, gazing out over the
Upper Sand Island pasture.
Holistic Managemen t® Grazing Planning on the Colorado Plateau—
Measuring the Desert by Jim Howell
A
12 LAND & LIVESTOCK IN PRACTICE #81
estimate how many square yards it would take to comfortably hold a cow
for a day, while also leaving a lot of material to serve as litter and food
and cover for wildlife. At first the government guys were skeptical, but as
soon as we stepped off the first square they could see how easy it was.
For those of you who haven’t done this before, here’s how we did it:
Once we found what we felt was a representative sample of a certain
vegetation type, we’d have one guy stand still in one spot, then two
guys would walk in perpendicular lines originating at that spot. Those
two guys would agree to walk out around twenty paces, or about 20
yards, then stop and assess. Would the square they formed (using an
imaginary fourth person) feed a cow for a day, leaving a good residual
cover? No, not quite. Okay, walk out five more paces. How ‘bout now?
Yeah, easy, come in two paces. That’s about right. That’s 23 by 23, which
is 529 square yards to feed a cow for a day. Since there are 4,840 square
yards in one acre that means, if you divide 4,840 by 529, one acre of
this sort of country could feed about nine dry cows for a day, or 9 ADA.
If working with the metric system, you’d perform the same exact
procedure, but use meters and hectares instead of yards and acres.
The hard part was estimating how much of that pasture was made
up of the type of country in which we were currently doing our
estimates. We didn’t have time to go everywhere, and even if we could
have, it still would have been awfully tough to guess how much of the
pasture was productive bottom land, useless cliffs, sparsely vegetated
broken gullies, inaccessible mesas, etc.
Dealing with Landscape Dive r s i t y
We dealt with this challenge in two ways. One was to pick the brains
of the guys who know that country like they know their own living
rooms, Jerry and Corey. “How much of this sort of country is there in
this pasture,” I’d ask. They’d have a pretty confident estimate almost
every time. That sort of knowledge only comes with long, long hours
on horseback. It’s the type of knowledge that’s absolutely critical to
managing highly diverse and extensive landscapes. It’s also the type of
knowledge that people who don’t live out there, but claim they know
what’s best for the arid West, are sorely lacking. They should spend a
couple months moving cows with Jerry Heaton.
The other way was to look at soil survey maps. All those different
landscape features typically have slightly to radically different soil types.
The types of vegetation that can be expected to grow in those distinct
the soil surface as well.
This hasn’t happened on the
Perkins Desert for a long time.
After a day and half of covering
lots of country, I didn’t see one
plant that had an accumulation
of older material, let alone any
plant that was suffering from
overrest. Energy conversion, or
the efficient trapping of sunlight
energy by plant leaves, was their
weak link in the financial chain
of production, not the conversion
of excess grass into beef. Along
those lines, Dave also wanted to
figure out how to stay off the
western half of the Perkins
Desert, which received no
effective precipitation in 2001. It
was a tall order, and we got busy.
B ovine Grocery Shopping
The first order of business was to figure out how much forage was
out there, on both the Slick Rock and the Perkins Desert. Just looking
out over the country, with it’s buttes, mesas, cliffs, benches, gullies,
washes, and deep canyons, it was hard to visualize how in the world
we were going to do that in just three days. It seemed like we’d need
a month out there on horseback just to get started. But we had a
methodology. On their state lease land (leased from the state of Utah—
the balance of both Slick Rock and Perkins Desert are administered
under the Bureau of Land Management), I noticed that Corey’s map
had some numbers written on it by the government-employed range
conservationist in charge of that allotment. These numbers reflected the
acres that could support one animal unit month (AUM), or one mature
dry cow for one month, in different areas of the allotment. But the
numbers were based on historical averages, not on the current situation,
so they had little relevance. Anyway, I have a hard time looking out over
a piece of country and trying to estimate how much of that country it
would take to support a cow for a month.
Evidently Allan Savory used to have the same trouble and, using
Andre Voisin’s concept of animal days per acre
(ADA), was able to bring the measurement down
to the amount of land needed to feed one cow for
one day. It’s a whole lot easier to envision that,
than the area needed to feed one cow for 30 days.
Once you know how much land it takes to feed a
cow for a day it’s easy to calculate the number of
animal days one acre will support.
So Dave, his right-hand man Jerry Heaton (who
knows the country and is responsible for making
things work on the ground), and I spent a day and a
half estimating ADA on the Slick Rock. We spent
another day and a half on the Perkins Desert, where
we were joined by Corey Perkins, Dave’s BLM range
conservationist, and another local NRCS (Natural
Resources Conservation Service) range
conservationist. It was fairly straightforward to
One could argue
that if he had started
planning holistically
from the beginning,
he would have figured
out all these practical
considerations even
quicker. That may
be true, but his crew
probably would
have mutinied.
IN PRACTICE • JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2002 LAND & LIVESTOCK 13
Estimating the area required to feed one cow for one day .
continued on page 14
14 LAND & LIVESTOCK IN PRACTICE #81
and as their knowledge and data base grow, they’ll gradually be
able to make better and better decisions.
Putting it All To g e t h e r
Once we had all those estimates of forage on hand, it was time to
sit down, calculate grazing periods, and start figuring out how to make
everything work logistically. We already alluded to a bunch of those
practical considerations on the Slick Rock. On the Perkins Desert, we
had to take into account livestock theft threats when the cattle were
in pastures with access to the San Juan River, busy traffic seasons (an
unfenced highway runs right through the allotment), rafting season on
the San Juan, and seasonal use restrictions on the state lease country,
just to name a few. When all those factors are charted on the planning
sheet, the biggest challenge then entails making all the cattle moves
work logistically (both for the cows and the cowboys) while still
honoring those important considerations. Even with the Holistic
Management® Grazing Planning procedure this isn’t easy, but it’s a
whole lot easier than trying to take all these factors into consideration
without this planning procedure.
In fact, by sitting down and consciously considering all of these
factors, each of which is critical to take into account if Dave and his
crew hope to move toward their holistic goal, Dave and Jerry both
said it contributed significantly to their peace of mind. They could see
that it all could work. Only by going through the step-by-step process
did that become clear.
Finally, we reminded ourselves that when dealing with the land, we
always have to assume our decisions are wrong, and then monitor for
the first signs that we’re veering off track. This is especially true with
the first plan, when, even after the input of generous practical wisdom,
unexpected events and unforeseen circumstances are just about
guaranteed. But as Allan Savory says, “that’s why you plan.” If you had
no plan, you’d never know you were veering off course in the first
place. With the plan, we know where we want to go. If we’re proactively
monitoring, we’ll know when we need to adjust the plan to stay on track.
If our initial planning was so off the mark that nothing’s working, we’ll
know we might need to start over and replan. This takes discipline, close
observation, a willingness to adapt, and a can-do attitude. If we can do it,
if we can stay on track, one day we might actually have to change the
name of the Perkins Desert when it no longer looks like a desert.
Measuring the Desert
continued from page 13
Calculating Animal Days (ADs) in a Sample Pasture
Pasture One Acreage Avg. ADA ADs
Vegetation type 1 2,000 7. 5 15,000
Vegetation type 2 3,000 4 .0 12,000
Vegetation type 3 500 2 . 5 1,250
Totals 5,500 28,250
If herd size was 700 dry cows, this pasture could support the herd
for about 40 days (28,250 ADs divided by 700 animals equals 40 days).
In this example, 7.5 ADA equates to a 25-by-25-yard square for one
animal day, 4.0 ADA to a 35-by-35-yard square, and 2 . 5 ADA to a 44-by-
44-yard square. Although this example uses yards and acres, it all
works the same in meters and hectares. Just remember that one hectare
comprises an even 10,000 square meters, and that one meter is just a
little longer than a yard.
Paul Curtis (Dave James’ BLM range conservationist), Jim Ho well,
and Corey Perkins calculating ADA.
soils are also variable. The soil maps have all that information (soil type,
slope, predominant vegetation, etc.) clearly delineated. If we came to an
area that Jerry and Corey couldn’t estimate, or if we were wanting to
verify their estimates, we’d look at the soil maps. We primarily had to do
this in the biggest pastures, a few of which covered 25 sections or more
(one section equals 640 acres, or 260 ha).
We’d drive through a good sample of the pasture to get an idea of
the different vegetation types (which again closely correlated with soil
types). Then we’d stop and step off a few squares that could feed a cow
for a day in one type, and calculate ADA from there. Next, we’d look at
the soil maps and determine how many acres (or sections) of the total
pasture was comprised of that vegetation type. This enabled us to
determine how many total animal days (ADs) we had in that vegetation
type in that pasture. Then we’d do the same thing for the other
vegetation types within that pasture. When we finished doing that in
each pasture, we had the total ADs of forage on hand over the whole
ranch. We knew how many months we needed to keep cattle on both
the Slick Rock and Perkins Desert, so from that total AD estimate, we
could calculate our estimated carrying capacity for the season. This was
a critical piece of information for Dave and Corey, since they were
keenly interested in how many outside cattle they could contract to
increase winter cash flow. (See the sidebar for a numerical explanation
of calculating ADs in a pasture).
In future years, after having accumulated several seasons of ADA
harvest data in each pasture, estimating ADA will be much easier and
more accurate. Dave and his crew will know how the pasture performed
relative to the estimate of forage on hand, and they’ll be able to make
common sense adjustments based on how good the year has been. For
example, when doing the planning for the coming dormant season,
they’ll be able to go back to last year’s planning chart, and see that the
Lime Ridge pasture yielded 5 .0 ADA. If the current year’s growing
season produced about the same amount of forage, they’ll be able to
plan on a yield of 5 .0 ADA again this year. If the year was better,
they might increase the estimate to 7 .0 ADA. As the years go by,
L ow Cost Wi n t e r i n g
After visiting lots of ranchers on other continents, I’ve been
struck by how cheaply they’re able to produce beef and
lamb relative to most North Americans. Usually they have
no choice, since their prices are so much lower, often only a third to
a half of what Americans and Canadians can expect. I know of one
Australian who is producing beef at US$.09/lb. That doesn’t include
his land cost, but even so it’s impressive. He claims the key is to
figure out how you can get away “without doing anything to ‘em,”
while still maintaining acceptable production. In North America,
especially in colder climates, this is a major challenge for most
producers who are locked into the paradigm that they have to baby
their animals through the winter on expensive stored forages. The
variable costs associated with surviving the winter represent the
majority of the annual cost of running a cow. I’ve read of Canadians
wintering their cattle on hay that has been windrowed but then left
in the field and strip grazed. Are there any other examples of low
cost wintering that not only reduce direct expenses but also labor
costs as well?
I am in southwestern Ontario, on the Bruce Peninsula,
which separates Lake Huron from Georgian Bay. We are
an area of traditionally higher snowfall (130 inches/3,300
mm on average) in addition to the usual 30 inches (760 mm) or
so of rain. For the past three winters I’ve been grazing my sheep
outside following a model introduced to me by Janet McNally of
Hinckley, Minnesota. I feed 4.5-foot (1.4-meter) round bales in the
pastures. These bales are placed in the various paddocks once the
grass has gone dormant in the fall. The ewes usually go into these
paddocks in mid-December. Ewe lambs go in a bit earlier.
The round bales provide shelter for the sheep during winter
storms. Any hay that is wasted composts and contributes organic
matter to the pastures. The "hay circles" also make wonderful
insulated lambing beds in the spring with the birth fluids, dung,
urine, and pawing all helping to expedite the composting process.
Typically, by the next fall, you can tell where the hay bales
were placed because the lushest grasses and legumes are
growing there.
Using Janet's model as a guideline, my sheep spend 364 days a
year on pasture. (They come in for one day in May to be shorn).
An added personal bonus is that winter chores are few and far
between and there is no barn and yard cleanup in spring. The first
winter I tried this idea we had 100 inches (2,540 mm) of snow in
24 hours and they had to call in the army. The sheep were fine!
—Doug Beggs, Meaford, Ontario, Canada
We used to cut over 1,200 acres (485 ha) of high elevation
(7,700 feet/2,340 meters) native hay meadows once and
then about half of that again a second time, while most
of our cowherd was summering on our National Forest grazing
lease in nearby mountains. Now we calve in June, keep all the
cows at home through the summer, and send the calves to the
mountain summer range as yearlings.
We graze through our hay meadows once during the growing
season, and again during the winter as standing dormant feed.
Because the grass has been grazed once, the standing dormant
feed is young and tender enough to be palatable, but mature
enough to have had sufficient leaf surface for photosynthesis
and root regeneration.
We still put up two to three hundred acres of hay (80-120 ha),
both baled (which we contract), and cut-and-piled. Cutting and
piling is a process where near-dormant grass is cut and windrowed,
then the rows are raked into piles and remain at that location.
Because the forage is not cut until it is nearly dormant, the
moisture percentage is very low, so it can be immediately raked
and piled. The protein content of the standing dormant grass is
6 . 5%, the cut and piled hay 7 . 5%, and the baled hay 8 .5%.
The cost of production for the standing dormant forage is
negligible. For the cut and piled hay it’s about $5/ton, and $30 per
ton for the baled hay. For the difference in price, the cut and piled
hay provides adequate protein for a cow that is not near calving
or newly lactating. Because we now calve in the late spring/early
summer, our cows have a low nutritional demand through the
winter, and calving coincides with the fresh new grass of spring.
We are often asked, “So what happens during a winter with a
five-foot snow?” Well, we use our loader-tractor to clear a snow-free
swath in the standing dormant grass for the cattle to graze. In
doing so, we’ve still only made one pass across the meadow
with a machine as opposed to several with standard haying and
feeding methods.
The piled hay is fairly easy for cattle to get to, even in deep
snow, especially with a large herd. In addition, snow melts quickly
around the piles, which generate quite a bit of heat and also
absorb sunlight. Most of the skeptics who worry about snow calve
in the middle of winter. We like to point out that it’s probably
much more difficult from a labor standpoint to calve in that much
snow than it is to feed standing dormant and piled hay. The
combination of these approaches to winter feeding and late
spring/early summer calving results in much lower expense and
far less labor investment.
—Mike and Cathy McNeil, Monte Vista, CO
IN PRACTICE • JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2002 LAND & LIVESTOCK 15
Questions & Answe r s
Q:
a :
QUESTIONS?If you’ve got questions, we’d like to help you find answers.
Send your questions to:
Jim Howell, 1661 Sonoma Court, Montrose, CO 81401
970/249-0353, email: [email protected];
or fax in care of the Savory Center: 505/843-7900.
a :
16 HOLISTIC MANAGEMENT IN PRACTICE #81
Regional Training
Program Coordinator
Mary Child is
working with
the Savory Center
as our Regional
Program
Development
Coordinator. This
work began with
the development
and coordination
of the 2001 Holistic
Management®
Certified Educator Training Program being held
in the Northeast region of the U.S. Mary is
working with individuals and organizations in
the Western, North Central, and Southeastern
U.S. and the State of Alaska because of interest
in Certified Educator Training Programs in
those regions. Mary is also the Program Mentor
for the Northeast Program, a participant in the
1999 Certified Educator Training Program, and
is developing a Savory Center research project
titled “Making the Transition to a Collaborative
Organization.”
Mary was raised on a farm in Southern
Delaware and subsequently lived and worked
in Philadelphia and later in the Potomac
Highlands of West Virginia. There, in 1985, she
cofounded the Lightstone Foundation, a 600-
acre land-based local nonprofit. She helped
develop the organization and design programs
on: (a) local food systems and farmer’s markets;
(b) organic farming; forest, streambank and
wetland restoration; (c) experiential education
curriculum and residential training for teachers,
professors, parents and students; and (d)
sustainable enterprise development. She holds
a Bachelors of Arts from the Institute for Social
Ecology in Plainfield, Vermont.
Mary lives in Moyers, West Virginia, enjoys
gardening and taking care of a small flock of
long-wooled sheep, several laying hens, a
border collie and assorted cats. If you have
suggestions or questions for Mary, please
contact her: [email protected]
or 304/249-5999.
Registered Trademark
For several years now, we have worked to
receive a trademark for Holistic
Management as it pertains to the Holistic
Management® model and all the various
under the Public Lands Partnership and the
Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S.
Forest Service (USFS), and Department of
Wildlife (DOW).
Initially, this alliance formed in response to
the Colorado Department of Wildlife’s concern
with the decline in mule deer population on
the plateau. In working together, the group
realized the need to take an ecosystem
approach, work beyond agency boundaries
and coordinate efforts to improve and sustain
the overall health of the natural resources of
the plateau. The heart of this effort is public
support and input.
To that end, Daniela will work toward
putting the necessary pieces together to gather
and disseminate relevant information, educate
interested and concerned individuals, and
gain public input and feedback. The Holistic
Management® decision-making framework is
one component of that education.
This project is funded by the agencies
involved and grants, including one from the
Ford Foundation.
Holistic Management in Australia
In Australia, the University of Sydney senate
has just voted to offer Holistic Management
as a core unit of study for a degree level course.
This change means that instead of being an
elective out on its own, which students have to
pay for additionally, Holistic Management is
now part of the core curriculum that is covered
by their yearly fees. The Holistic Management®
curriculum will also be offered through other
campuses of the University of Sydney.
planning processes that are a part of the model.
We recently received word that we have now
been registered both for Educational Services
and Business Management Services.
This registration means that we can
differentiate our product (the Holistic
Management® model) from other management
processes or educational services that have a
holistic approach but are not based on the
model. We hope this will help us maintain
the integrity of Holistic Management and the
services that we offer to others.
We ask all our members to remember that
if you are writing about Holistic Management
that you please capitalize it. You only use the ®
symbol when Holistic Management is followed
by a noun, like model or grazing planning (i.e.
Holistic Management® model). In doing so, you
help educate others that Holistic Management is
a specific process and you help the Savory
Center protect our products and services.
Uncompahgre Plateau Project
Holistic Management® Certified Educator
Daniela Howell has been contracted as
the Public Education coordinator for the
Uncompahgre Plateau Project (UPP) a large
ecosystem restoration project in Colorado
aimed at addressing important economic and
ecological issues and concerns. UPP is a
collective effort between private individuals, the
Delta, Montrose, Ouray and San Miguel county
governments, citizens from the area represented
S a vory Center Bulletin Board
Mary Child
Estate Gift
The Savory Center has recently been made the sole beneficiary
of the David B. West estate in Ozona, Texas.
David was a former Savory Center member who participated in
several Holistic Management courses taught by Center founder
Allan Savory in the mid to late 1980s, but had not been actively
involved with the Center since that time. David passed away at his
ranch in September at the age of 57.
The estate includes an 11,000-acre ranch near Ozona, personal
belongings and stocks and cash. This is the largest single gift the
Center has ever received, and we are overwhelmed by David’s
generosity. We know members of his family and community will
miss his presence.
David’s intent was that the ranch would be used as a Holistic Management training and
research site, and we intend to honor his wish.
It will be some time before the estate is fully administered and actually passes to the
Savory Center. We will keep you posted in IN PRACTICE and on the Savory Center’s
electronic conference as we receive more information.
David West
HOLISTIC MANAGEMENT IN PRACTICE • JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2002 17
Western U.S. Training
The Savory Center, working with Certified
Educator Don Nelson of Washington State
University, plans to hold a Western Region
Holistic Management® Certified Educator
(HMCE) Training Program and has applied to
the Western Region Sustainable Agriculture
Research and Education (SARE) Professional
Develop Program for funds to support
agricultural professionals in this training.
We are currently seeking qualified applicants
for this training program who may be eligible
for SARE funding or through other avenues.
f you know of anyone, please pass this
information along. We will find out the decision
to award SARE funds in May 2001.
Agencies and organizations supporting the
Ijust received the #79 issue of IN PRACTICE.
I would like to express my sincere thanks
for your work. Every issue contains a new
aspect of our life and work. I was very inspired
by the micro-credit activities. Suddenly it
dawned to me that I can do much more than
I actually do to include Holistic Management
in my work. Thanks again for being so
committed on keeping all of us in touch
with IN PRACTICE.
Dieter Albrecht
Berlin, Germany and Beijing, China
At Colorado’s celebration on Healthy Land,
Healthy People I realized how much I
appreciate Allan Savory for always bringing me
back to the fundamentals. I have a tendency
to get my head in the clouds, get a little cocky
and focus on big ideas while the fundamentals
are crumbling beneath my feet.
Allan’s comments throughout the
conference remind me how important it is to
plan grazing, not to become complacent about
partial rest, continue working on ways to
improve herd effect, and that mantra—replan .
Once again I was reminded that “it is simple,
but not easy” to manage holistically.
Another important fundamental is
vocabulary. Allan reminded me that “We think
in words.” It is important to plan grazing vs.
rotate . It is important to say that Holistic
Management is a process rather than a system.
If we are sloppy with the fundamentals,
decisions are sloppy. It’s all about making
decisions, and crisp fundamentals make crisp
the pie charts and noticed that the Center is
living in the red. I feel, as educators, our
relationship with the Center should be a two-
way street where the Center refers to us as
educators and we give back to support their
efforts to help others effectively manage our
precious resources whilst making better
decisions. In the meantime, the Center survives
mostly on donated funds. It can also close due
to lack of funds. Furthermore, by our gifts and
contributions, the Center has a better chance at
remaining viable. It just makes sense!
These contributions are tax deductible as
you know; so instead of income we get to have
a deduction on our taxes which results in lower
taxes ultimately paid out. Last winter, when I
finally got out of debt due to employment of
the ideas and concepts in Holistic Financial
Planning, I was also able to give a sizable
contribution to the Center. From a tax
standpoint, I needed that deduction since I no
longer have a property payment and interest
that is deductible. The way I see it is, I now get
to support a non-profit of my choice rather
than a financial institution.
I hope you will consider contributing back
to the Savory Center so we may all continue to
move forward with clarity, vision, and purpose!
As I look back on my life, thinking of
the greater whole and how I have benefited
as a result of being involved with Holistic
Management, I realize that I have been
especially blessed!
Kitty Boice
Sonoita, Arizona
decisions. Certified Educators and practitioners
can put a lot more backbone in our efforts by
remembering the fundamentals.
Thank you to the Colorado Branch for a
great time, new ideas, companionship, and most
importantly, remembered fundamentals.
Tony Malmberg
Lander, Wyoming
Last spring I received a call from the Savory
Center referring a consulting/training job to
me. I called the potential client, sent a letter of
what I would do, then arranged a time, place
and fees. Upon completion of the course, my
co-facilitator and I decided to donate 25 percent
of our fee back to the Savory Center.
Later, I called Kelly Pasztor, Director of
Educational Services, to see if the check had
arrived. I was surprised to discover such a
donation is not standard practice. My feeling is
that if a job comes to me by way of the Center,
I am indebted to them. I had assumed that
everyone saw the necessity and importance of
such contributions. What would we do if no
jobs came to us?
Last summer, I brought the idea up at the
Educators Alliance meeting at Chico Basin.
I felt that all of us would be honored to give
back and I worked at getting the idea to others.
There was some discussion, the information
made it to the minutes, but I do not recall a
decision being made. Since the summer
meeting I have heard no further discussion
about this issue.
In the last issue of IN PRACTICE, I looked at
Readers F o r u m
proposal submitted to SARE are: Cooperative
Extension from the Universities of Alaska,
Arizona, Montana State and Washington State;
the California Association of Resource
Conservation Districts; NRCS–California;
NRCS–Maui, Hawaii; Wyoming Resource
Conservation Districts; American Farmland
Trust, CO; and the California Agricultural
Leadership Program.
This first residency for this program is
scheduled to begin in November 2002.
Applications are available on-line at
www.holisticmanagement.org/wwo_certed.cfm.
If you have any suggestions, ideas or questions,
please contact Don Nelson at 509/335-2922 or
[email protected]; Kelly Pasztor at 505/842-5252
or [email protected]; or
Mary Child at 304/249-5999 or
New Branch Efforts
Agroup of Holistic Management® Certified
Educators in California met recently to
see what they could do to promote and
support Holistic Management in their state. If
you are interested in joining them and willing
to commit energy to furthering this purpose,
please email Christopher Peck at
[email protected] or 800/736-7892.
In Arizona, Kelly Mulville is also looking
to revitalize the Arizona Branch. If you are
interested in helping with that effort,
please contact him at: 520/558-2472