#098, in practice, nov/dec 2004

INS IDE THIS ISSUE

November/December 2004 * Number 98 www.holisticmanagement.org

hen we began our 20th anniversary celebration last January, we were excited about the festivities for the year and what we could accomplish in the year ahead

with your help. With IN PRACTICE, we put on a coat of many colors, thanks to thethoughtful support of Dr. Dean William Rudoy. He has also generously sponsored our newfour-color brochure that you all should have received as part of our annual appeal letter we mailed the beginning of September, as well as sponsoring this four-color issue.

To make the best use of this opportunity and to celebrate our 20 years as a network anda movement, we thought we would share with you as many pictures as we could of theland results people have achieved through their Holistic Management practice. While peoplehave greatly improved their quality of life and their finances with Holistic Management,most of us were drawn to Holistic Management because of our great love for the land andour concern about the policies and decisions being made in land management. So in thisissue we offer several photo essays as examples of Holistic Management in practice.

Celebrating Accomplishments

In September 1984 Allan Savory and Jody Butterfield founded the Center for HolisticResource Management. For those of you who have been with us over the years, you’ve seenchanges in staff and programming. But through it all, you’ve seen our ongoing commitmentto teaching people about Holistic Management and coordinating our worldwide network.What that network has accomplished is very impressive indeed. Holistic Management hasbeen introduced in every populated continent in the world, and we have over 70 CertifiedEducators helping teach this process in eight countries. In turn, those practitioners are leadersin their communities, serving as formal or informal mentors to other agricultural producers,government employees, and other members of their communities. When I read thenumerous sustainable agricultural and community development publications that cross mydesk, the percentage of our members, practitioners, and educators that are referenced offersa clear pattern with a clear message—we are reframing the conversations in these arenas.

Moving Forward

This year’s IN PRACTICE was in some ways a microcosm for the transition at The SavoryCenter. In those issues we celebrated the past with stories from previous issues, and weoffered a glimpse into some of the lives of the new practitioners. The staff and Board at The Savory Center have been in conversation with many in our network to explore how we can better support our long-time and new members and get the word out about HolisticManagement. To that end we have been developing our five-year strategic plan based on the concept of communities of practice.

Communities of Practiceby Ann Adams

a p u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e s a v o r y c e n t e r

INS IDE THIS ISSUE

IN PRACTICEIN PRACTICE2 0 t h A n n i v e r s a r y * 1 9 8 4 - 2 0 0 4

Savory Center Grapevine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15Book Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16Certified Educators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17Marketplace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

FEATURE STORIES

NEWS & NETWORK

Our appreciation to Dean William Rudoy, Ph.D. for his generous donation that has enabled us to print this four-color issue of IN PRACTICE in

celebration of our 20th Anniversary.

The Africa Centre—A Participant’s PerspectiveSelinah Ndubiwa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Brussels Ranch—After the FireDick and Judy Richardson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Twin Creek Ranch—The Beauty of Animal ImpactAndrea Malmberg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Monitoring in MontanaWayne Burleson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Holistic Management in South Africa—Monitoring the Progress

Johan Blom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8Never Underestimate Change

Roland Kroos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11Lana Litter—Money in the Bank

Nick Reid and Karen Forge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

continued on page 2

Since 1984 The Savory Center has been working withagricultural producers and resource managers tocreate a grassroots global greening through improvedland health. While there are many ways to measureimproved land health, the dark green of healthygrasslands has been something that many HolisticManagement practitioners have documented. Likethis picture of Joe and Julie Morris’ ranch, T.O. CattleCompany in central California, the fence linecontrasts of Holistic Management practitioner’s landwith that of their neighbors often clearly points out the increased vigor of the plant community whenpeople work with nature and use the tools of animalimpact and grazing in a thoughtful manner.

W

thinking and their practices, we need to increase our skills and efforts for more effective collaboration and so that more peoplecan achieve the results you will see on thefollowing pages. In other words, it is time for a strategy that more effectively uses all ourresources to move us toward our mission. Wehope our donors, educators, members, clients,and everyone else in our resource base willwant to support this strategic initiative.

In an effort to bring the community togetherin this time of transition, we are sponsoring a

Holistic ManagementRendezvous: ACommunity Caring for the Land onJanuary 12-13, 2005 inAlbuquerque. Thisgathering will be inconjunction with theQuivira CoalitionAnnual Conferenceon January 14-15, 2005.Please read moreabout this event inthe enclosed flier. At this conference we will have moreopportunity to talkwith you one-on-oneand in groups tobegin exploringpossible collaborations

and continue sharing the learning. This is an opportunity to connect with the

international Holistic Management communityand support and influence The Savory Center’snew direction. This is also an opportunity tocelebrate and acknowledge Allan and Jody’scontribution to the Holistic Managementmovement and to The Savory Center. Most ofall, it’s a continuing education opportunity. Ihope as many as possible take the opportunityto attend. As a community caring for the land, our ability to create lasting change isproportionally related to how much we sharewhat we’ve learned and listen to new ideas andperspectives. See you at the Rendezvous!

2 IN PRACTICE * November/December 2004

SavoryCENTER

TheSavoryTHE SAVORY CENTER is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization. The Savory Center worksto restore the vitality of communities and thenatural resources on which they depend byadvancing the practice of Holistic Managementand coordinating its development worldwide.

FOUNDERSAllan Savory * Jody Butterfield

STAFFTim LaSalle, Executive Director

Kate Bradshaw,Director of Finance and Administration

Kelly Pasztor,Director of Educational Services;

Constance Neely, International Training Programs Director

Ann Adams,Managing Editor, IN PRACTICE and Director of

Publications and Outreach Brooke Palmer, Executive AssistantTerri Telles, Finance Coordinator

Donna Torrez, Administrative Assistant

BOARD OF DIRECTORSRio de la Vista, Chair

Leslie Christian, Vice-ChairTerry Word, Secretary

Richard Smith, TreasurerJody ButterfieldJudy Richardson

Bruce Ward

ADVISORY COUNCILJim Shelton, Chair, Vinita, OKRobert Anderson, Corrales, NM

Michael Bowman,Wray, COSam Brown, Austin, TX

Leslie Christian, Portland, ORLee Dueringer, Scottsdale, AZGretel Ehrlich, Gaviota, CA

Cynthia & Leo Harris, Albuquerque, NMClint Josey, Dallas, TX

Krystyna Jurzykowski, Glen Rose, TXDianne Law, Laveta, CO

Guillermo Osuna, Coahuila, MexicoJim Parker, Montrose, CO

Dean William Rudoy, Cedar Crest, NMYork Schueller, El Segundo, CA

Richard Smith, Houston, TX

Africa Centre for Holistic ManagementPrivate Bag 5950, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

Tel: (263) (11) 404 979; email: [email protected] Matanga, Director

HOLISTIC MANAGEMENT IN PRACTICE (ISSN: 1098-8157) is published six times a year by The Savory Center, 1010 Tijeras NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102, 505/842-5252, fax: 505/843-7900; email: [email protected].; website: www.holisticmanagement.org Copyright © 2004.

AD DEFINITUM FINEM

CENTER

The

Communities of Practice continued from page 1

So what do we mean by communities ofpractice? Quite simply it is the identification of people, organizations, and communities whoare practicing Holistic Management, sharing itwith others, and creating demonstrable results.As we identify these communities of practice,we will also identify who they are reaching and what resources they may need from us to increase the momentum they have alreadyestablished. In this way, we can build moresymbiotic relationships not only with thosewho are directly in our network, but also with those other like-mindedorganizations withwhom our membersare involved.

Lest you think thatwe are expanding ourfocus to the detrimentof our land roots, theother key componentof our strategic plan isrefocusing on ourmission of workingwith people to manageland regenerativelyand holistically inways that benefit thesocial, economic, andenvironmental healthof their communities. We believe that ourdistinction as an organization is offering aprocess that helps people take a holistic andmore effective approach to land managementfor results that are sustainable and evenregenerative. We will focus more oncollaborative efforts in the coming year with our network to expand our outreach to the public and government employees and officials.

We are at a “tipping point” in the combined effort to help people understand how nature functions and to recognize thecritical human role in ecosystem health. Whilemany people and organizations have made great inroads in getting people to change their

We believe that our distinction as an

organization is offering a process that helps people take a holistic and more

effective approach to landmanagement for results that are sustainable and

even regenerative.

Number 98 * IN PRACTICE 3

The Africa Centre—A Participant’s Perspectiveby Selinah Ndubiwa (with Jody Butterfield)

My brother said I should go tosecondary school but my father andstepmother said no—they wanted me

to get married so they could collect lobola[bride price]. But I didn’t want to get marrieduntil I was independent. I went to a mission andfinished secondary school there while I workedin the community cultivating fields to get moneyfor personal items like soap and clothes. And I also bought a cow. When I finished school Istarted a garden at my father’s place, and it wassuccessful and made money. My brother’s wifetaught me sewing and knitting and crocheting,and I made things and sold them. I had become independent.

I met my husband, Jabulani, at my uncle’shouse and I knew him three years before wemarried in 1971. We have no children of ourown, but we have raised many children—twofrom my younger sister whose husband died in an accident, two from my young mother-in-law after my father-in-law died, and we stillhave a few all of the time. We also feed AIDSorphans and also assist some elders with foodand clothing.

Village Based Trainer

I was selected by the Africa Centre as avillage-based trainer in 1997. I did the trainingbecause I was so eager about learning more.Different groups had tried a lot of projectsaround here but they hadn’t been successful. Ithought this one had promise. When I got theunderstanding of holistic—that we were lookingat the whole thing, not just the animals, or theboreholes [wells], or some of the people, but all

of it together, including the environment—then I knew it was worth exploring.

My work as a village-based trainer was hardat first because the people I was training thoughtHolistic Management was a political thing—it wasa white man (Allan Savory) who had brought it

to us. But I and the other trainers (there wereeight of us) kept on with the training, justteaching the people, and they gradually realizedthat we weren’t dwelling on politics but on theenvironment, on grazing, and on the welfare of the people.

The people really became interested whenthey realized it was people who were causingthe land to deteriorate, not the animals. Ifpeople were doing it then we could fix it, and so we are. Before we didn’t know what wecould do. We’d seen the land get worse andworse, the rivers stopped flowing, the grassstopped growing.

Our Holistic Goal

We have a family holistic goal—me, myhusband, and the children were involved informing it. This is what it’s about:• The Life we want: many stock, healthychildren and family, plenty of food and to live in harmony. • What we will produce: plenty types of food,good housing, covered ground, plenty of water,and so on.• Future Resource Base: to be wealthy, land tobe covered with grass, rivers flowing in the vlei[meadow] year round like long back, all theenvironment to be like it was.

We had the opportunity to get involved inseveral projects but after testing them all, ourpermaculture garden was best [see below].Another project that later passed was a dairyproject—we’re milking 10 to 12 cows.

Village Banking

I’ve been a member of the Kuvelenjani (“Howdid this come?”) bank since we formed it in 1999.I borrow mostly for seeds for my garden, but also to buy sugar and sweets [candy], or kapenta[fresh-water sardines] and mopane worms inbulk, which I then retail in the community. Likemost of the women, I use my profits to feed my family and send the children to school.

I became a bank officer a couple of yearsafter that, being responsible for six banks, one of which I started nearly 16 km (10 miles) away.I have to walk to each of the banks every twoweeks—and it has become difficult because oneof my legs gets sore and there are no tablets in the clinic for the pain.

Some of the women are illiterate, many arenot familiar with bookkeeping so that is what I teach them as a bank officer—how to enterfigures in the book, how to use a calculator. Igave training to all the bank treasurers [there arenow 27 banks serving over 500 women]. Beforewe started there were many women who didn’tknow what a bank was. They had seen themwhen they went to town, but didn’t know what went on there. Now they all know.

Why are the village banks so successful?Because they make you feel like you aresomebody. That’s why no one leaves—you wouldfeel like you were nothing then. You couldproduce nothing. If a woman dies we make sureher loan is paid up—which we can often do withwhat she has managed to put in savings. If thatisn’t enough, then we all chip in.

Selinah Ndubiwa in her permaculture garden.

The Savory Center launched the Africa Centre for Holistic Management in Zimbabwe in 1992.Several years later a 6,200-acre (2,520-hectare) property near the Victoria Falls was gifted to the twoorganizations to serve as a Holistic Management learning site and training center. In the mid 1990sthe Africa Centre expanded the learning site to include the nearby Wange community—creating acommunity-based conservation program that continues to this day. I was asked to give an overviewof this program, but it’s difficult to convey the scope of the activities and the remarkable peopleinvolved in a single article. So I’ve opted instead to describe the program through the eyes and words of Selinah Ndubiwa who has been involved in each of the program’s core activities: LandRestoration, as a village-based trainer; Village Banking, as a member and officer, and Permaculture Gardens, as a trainer and practitioner. This is her story. —Jody Butterfield

continued on page 4


Permaculture Gardens

All of us village-based trainers got sometraining in permaculture, which the AfricaCentre arranged. Our own garden is 2 hectares (5 acres) in size and was originally a project of10 of us in the community. Four have died soonly six of us are left—four women and twomen. Portions of the garden are also allocated toelders looking after orphans and to our childrenwho do all the work on their plots themselves. I taught them all what I knew aboutpermaculture. They are doing a good job. The

main garden is producing well and we have enough of a surplus to sell some vegetables to adistributor in town. The Africa Centre helpedarrange this market for us. The distributor comesto us each week and collects our vegetables,paying us Z$75,000 (US$15) to Z$80,000 (US$16)per week, which is a good profit for us. Thisyear I’m also growing merenga beans—high inprotein and oil—and Jatropher cucus [jojoba] so I can have oil to make soap, since no one canafford soap anymore.

This year we used chemicals for the first

time. We had a terrible infestation of begradabugs and aphids and feared losing everything. Interms of our holistic goal we didn’t want to usepoison, but we also knew we had to eat and thatwe needed vegetables to sell to others, so wedecided to do some tests on small plots. We usedcarbaryl, which is very expensive, on one testplot. It did kill the begrada bugs but didn’t affectthe aphids at all. We tried Lantana camara, anatural pesticide, but it did nothing to the aphidseither. Based on these test plots we finallydecided to remove all the rape [similar to collardgreens] from the crop mix and put it on its own, since that was the plant attracting all theaphids. It worked.

April 2000. View of the veld (range) 10 months after we took over management.

April 2004. The same view six months later following the rains.

October 2003. The same view three years later after an extended dryseason that put us into our drought reserve. Harvester termites invadedand consumed every plant. But the cattle have broken the capping.

Transect II

Brussels Ranch—After the Fireby Dick and Judy Richardson

Editor’s Note: Dick & Judy Richardson own and manage Brussels Ranchnear Vryburg, South Africa. Dick is a Certified Educator and hastrained many agricultural producers and Certified Educatorsinternationally. They can be reached at [email protected].

The Africa Centre—A Participant’s Perspective continued from page 3


Household Nutrition Gardens

Last year the Africa Centre started a homenutrition garden program in the community[through a USAID-funded program—Linkages for Economic Advancement of theDisadvantaged/LEAD]. I was in charge ofidentifying orphans under 18 and vulnerablechildren under 14 who were living with an elder or relative, and then training these familieshow to use drip irrigation kits the Africa Centreprovided. The head of one of those families wasonly 18 and he had four younger brothers andsisters to look after—their parents died of AIDS.He serves as mother and father, and they have avery good garden going.

Each family had to make a 10 x 10 meter (27 x 27 foot) garden first and construct a stand,1.2 to 1.5 meters (3-1/2 – 4-1/2 feet) high, for theirrigation reservoir. When they had done that we gave them a drip kit, which included a large(33-gallon) plastic drum with a valve and hosesto lay in the garden. We installed just over 400 kits before the program ended this year. Itaught them about permaculture, and this yearthey will learn about Holistic Management. Thisis how we introduce Holistic Management tomore people.

It’s Been Good

I think Holistic Management has been good

for us because the environment is improving. Itbrought big knowledge to us. For instance, weused to kill all the birds because we only sawthem as pests and didn’t realize how importantthey were. Now we have thousands of dovescome in and drink and eat the insects. And nowwe have our animals in the garden to depositdung and urine instead of hauling manure to the garden by scotch cart.

In the village banks we now call each other by our first names. Traditionally we have alwayscalled ourselves Mrs. So and So or the Mother of Soand So—even when the child had died a womanwas still referred to as his or her mother. We wantto have our own names now until we die.

October 2000. View of the veld (range) 10 months afterwe took over management.

August 2002. The same view two years later one monthfollowing a fire that burned a large portion of the ranch.

April 2004. The same view two years later under plannedgrazing at the end of the growing season. Photo taken at the boundary fence in April, 2004. Neighbor

(left) had also been burned out and restocked with very fewanimals. We brought 500 head into the 40-hectare (100-acre)paddock on the right side of the fence and strip grazed it.

Transect IV


Fall 2001. We coveredthe seeds with oathay and brought inthe goats. The goatsate the seed heads of the oat hay and trampled and fertilized.

Twin Creek Ranch—The Beauty of Animal Impact

by Andrea Malmberg

Editor’s Note: Tony and Andrea Malmberg own and manage Twin Creek Ranchnear Lander, Wyoming. Twin Creek Ranch & Lodge is an eco-tourist lodge andworking ranch offering Country Cuisine Gatherings featuring locally grown foodand Twin Creek’s “beyond organic” beef. When Andrea arrived at Twin Creek,she knew that while Tony had done a great job improving the land around theranch headquarters, it was going to be her task to do some “landscaping” around headquarters. This photo essay chronicles that experience. Tony and Andrea are currently in The Savory Center’s Certified Educator InternationalTraining Program. Andrea can be reached at: [email protected].

We moved this cabin in October 2000. This is how the land looked in June 2001.

May 2004. Goats and horses eatingthistles, ducksand chickenseating insects—includingMosquitos!

May 2004. Here is the gardenplowed and planted. Notice

the Canada Thistle outbreak where we flooded out the

seeds (top left hand corner).Though unintentional, we left

a lot of bare ground leavingroom for the weeds along the

road to find a new home.

August 2002. This was our control site. We didnot have any goats here in 2001 and had quite alot of diversity in weeds the following summer.

After

August 2002.After our goattreatment at leastsomethinggrew, butthere were alot of weeds—primarilyCanadaThistle. We

used horses as a treatment for this—theylove the seed heads of Canada Thistle.

TheTreatment—the tool of

animalimpact

Before—the damage

After theinitial

treatment


This photo was taken in May 1989. The grass species is 70 percentWestern Wheatgrass in the springtime green-up stage.

This photo is taken one year after the animal impacttreatment in August 1989. The Western Wheatgrass has driedand turned yellow. This was the thickest stand of grass on theranch that year and the pasture was not grazed that year.

Right hand holds a plant dug from pasture one year after herd effectLeft hand holds thesame plant species—Western Wheatgrass—dug on the same day.This plant was fromthe same area, butfrom a fenced outexclosure (no grazingfor three years) near

Don’s cell center. The plants were growing in the same area some 30 feet apart. The exclosure was made on purpose to study long-termrest effect on his ranch by making a 50 foot loop in the electric fence.We built five of these “Test-Rest” exclosures.

This is the before herd effect photo taken in 1986. The plantsshow the pasture as we first started to build all the cell center fences. The shrubs are sage brush, which now have been stepped on and are gone!

This picture shows the cattle moving toward the gate after being calledwith a whistle. This is herd effect—excited animals moving fast towardthe reward of a new grass, in a new pasture. There are about 600cow-calf pairs which equates to 4,800 hoofs stepping on everything.

Monitoring in Montanaby Wayne Burleson

Wayne Burleson is a Holistic Management® Certified Educator and runs a range management consultation business, Pasture Management.He can be reached at: 406/328-6808 or [email protected].

This photo was taken August 1988 after 10 days of plannedgrazing during a severe drought – herd effect big time. Because of the all the herd effect, this pasture we re-named the MojaveDesert. Ranch owner Don Schaules is in the center.


Holistic Management in South Africa—Monitoring the Progress by Johan Blom

November1993

Springbuck Camp

This camp (paddock) was part of the mountain, but he fenced it off in 1990. The camp was very big, but now it is only 45 hectares (122 acres) big.

Before Holistic Management

April1999 Notice bigger patches of Cenchrus Cilliarus.

May2004 Water cycle much better even

with less rain than normal.

April1996 Aristida Congesta still the dominant grass.

February2001 The camp is now small and the bare

areas are becoming smaller.

May2004 This photo is to show what the potential

of the veld (range) can be.

Kriegerskraal, Graaff-Reinet—Trenly and Wilmari Spence

Trenly wanted to cover the soils with good plants, be it palatablegrass or karoo shrubs. He had ± 15-20 cattle, 700 mutton sheep and 500 goats. He is currently running 120 cattle, 900 mutton and 600 goats.

Rainfall is 320 mm (12.8 in), in the Karoo lower veld with mountain parts.Trenly participated in a Holistic Management course in 1995 and beganchanging his management then.

Editor’s Note: Johan Blom is a Holistic Management® Certified Educatorin Graaff-Reinet, South Africa. He collected these photographs from

various South African practitioners, some of whom have been managingholistically for 25 years. He can be reached at [email protected]


September1983

The Kroons moved to Watervlei in 1994. Norman changed hismanagement and ran big flocks of wool sheep and cattle together.

Springbuck 4

BeforeHolisticManagement.

August1992

Drought

April 2000

February1998 One year after plow, seeds, and animal impact.

April2000 Two years after strip grazing the plowed veld.

May2004

Watervlei, Graaff-Reinet— Norman and Jenny Kroon

Aberdeen Flats

He also did some stripgrazing during the year, but only when he feltthere was a need for it. These clay soils need drastic impact to step up,be it strip grazing or a bit of plow work. Check the costs! This is LowerKaroo veld with 300 mm (12 in) rainfall.

May2004 Dry season. Not grazed for 100 days,

but will be grazed in June 2004. continued on page 10


October1991

Klipdrift— Sholto and Ann-mari KroonDuiker #11

Signs of cattle activity around the post.

1980The Kroons were putting in a new center.

1990Mostly ChlorisVirgata. Left corner, SporobolusFimbriatus. Green patch next to first dropperright of fence is Cenchrus Ciliarus.

April2000 Panicum Maximum seeded via cattle

rubbing against the post.

1986One flock was allocated for that center for thewhole year, densities too low and back to soon.

February2002 Only 20mm (.8 in) of rain that season.

Camp already grazed.

Vrijsfontein—Cattle As Management Tool to Seed Grass

April 1998 Seeds were deposited by cattle.

Holistic Management in South Africa—Monitoring the Progresscontinued from page 9


Eatinger Cattle CompanyWayne & Roxanne Eatinger

What changes have occurred since 1984

when you first attended the Holistic

Management course?

In 1984, I was 30 years old and stilldoing the rodeo circuit. My dad (Byron)was running the business, and I was ahired hand on the ranch. Attending theHolistic Management course in 1984,catapulted me into management. HolisticManagement provided me with theskills to treat the ranch as a business,and we continue to be successful today.In 1998, I bought Eatinger CattleCompany from my parents.

As a result of attending this course, Ifound myself moving from hired hand to owner.I wanted to participate in the planning anddecisions being made. Allan Savory in that firstcourse instilled in me that if things were goingto go right, it was by my own doing. Conversely,if things where going to go wrong, it was myown damn fault. No excuses! You must takeresponsibility. I learned you can hire anemployee, but you can’t hire somebody to do the management for you.

What are some of the biggest challenges you have

faced in the last 20 years?

just didn’t favor continuing togrow crops on this marginal land.

In 1991, Jim (long-timeemployee) quit and for six yearswe had employees who didn’t fitour operation. In May of 1997,Dennis Drews began working forEatinger Cattle Company andcontinues to work for us today.I’ve come to realize that cows andland can’t make money, onlypeople can. Over the last twentyyears, the community respectswhat we are doing and thedirection we’ve taken.

So where is Eatinger Cattle

Company today?

We operate on approximately 16,000 acres(6,426 ha). We own approximately 1,200 cowsand take in 1,200 yearlings for 110 days. In 1984we were removing approximately 21 ADA’s(animal days/acre). Today, we are removingapproximately 33-36 ADA’s. In 1984, EatingerCattle Company had a net worth ofapproximately $400,000. Today our net worth is$1.3 million. Eatinger Cattle Company only owns500 acres; we lease most of the land we operateon. Most of the last 20 years, we have made a

Never Underestimate Changeby Roland R.H. Kroos

Wayne Eatinger (left) and Dennis Drew showing the fence line contrastbetween the Eatinger Cattle Company property and their neighbor’sproperty. The Eatingers have grazed this paddock twice during the growingseason, the last time less than two weeks before this photo was taken.

n the last day of August, I turned 50 years old. As hard as thatfact is to bear, I can’t believe I have been involved in Holistic

Management for 20 years. I was first introduced to the concepts ofHolistic Management back in 1983, when I was asked to guide AllanSavory around Washington State. I learned more in that day and halfthan I did in several of my college classes. I watched Allan put on a two-day introductory conference, and I was hooked on the concepts of Holistic Management.

When I meet Allan Savory, I was working for the Natural ResourcesConservation Service (NRCS-USDA) on projects associated with the Mt. St.Helen’s disaster. Shortly thereafter, I moved back to Nebraska and was asked to organize a similar two-day event in North Platte, with Allan. I had no ideahow this event in early 1984 would profoundly affect not only my life, but the lives of so many people in Nebraska.. In those two days, over 200 peopleattended this introductory workshop. Within the year, a number of ranchers Iworked with traveled down to Albuquerque to attend a week-long course inHolistic Management. Not only that, but they put enough pressure on the NRCSfor technical assistance, that the NRCS sent me to my first course in 1984.

I realize now, how fortunate I was to work with a dozen ranchersimmediately following the first course. Though we made a lot of mistakes,together we were able to learn how to put into practice this managementprocess. In late 1985, I resigned from the NRCS and started to work for theCenter for Holistic Management. Following my training at the Center, Icontinued to work with some of these ranchers in a consultant/mentor typerole. With The Savory Center celebrating its 20th Anniversary and mequestioning what contributions I have made in 50 years, I though it would be agood idea to interview some of these ranchers that started practicing HolisticManagement in 1984. So on August 26 and 27, I interviewed four families andasked them to share how their lives have changed. You should know that it wastime that prevented me from following up with and visiting more ranchers inthe Nebraska Sandhills practicing Holistic Management. I hope you appreciatethe honesty and candor with which these people answered my questions.

Editor’s Note: Due to space constraints, we will only be able to print one of Roland’s interviews in this issue. The January issue will carry the rest of his interviews.

Long range planning, figuring out how to pass the ranch business onto the nextgeneration, and letting go. Dad was verysupportive and open minded to the HolisticManagement approach. Dad actually encouragedme to attend my first course. We had a numberof disagreements, but Dad was willing to trustme and allowed me to try a number of newideas. The greatest challenge occurred in 1995,when I decided to turn off two center pivotsand allow this cropland to revert back to grass.Initially, my dad said, “It never would happen.”The pivots were worn out and the economics continued on page 12

O


profit. Those years we lost money were becauseof the poor decisions we made. Today, most ofthe cows on the ranch are calving in June, andwe don’t feed hay to them in the winter time.Though they are calving late spring, this ranchhas experienced tremendous scour problemsfrom 1998–2003. In 2001, we lost five to sixpercent of the calves despite treating over 50 percent of the calves for scours. With advicefrom the veterinarian and creating a very

flexible grazing plan, we were able to almosteliminate most of the scours in 2004. Time willtell whether we have solved this problem or not.

Are you still using Holistic Management today?

We don’t refer to the Holistic Management®

model all the time if that is what you mean.However after 20 years, I believe we have theprocess figured out. I still do the financialplanning on worksheets and the grazingplanning. When you have over 60 paddocks, you need to use this planning process to keepeverything straight.

What has been your biggest discovery or

learning over the last 20 years?1) The power of communication and learning

how to negotiate; 2) Marketing—being moreimaginative; 3) Being open minded and a selflearner; 4) Holistic Management offers no magicbullets or quick solutions; Holistic Management is a process that you need to evolve with overtime; and 5) We live in the best country inwhich to conduct business.

If someone was just getting started in practicing

Holistic Management, what advice would you

give them today?

First, get a handle on your finances. Your

Never Underestimate Changecontinued from page 11

broke even over five years after “improving” a paddock. In fact, after the 1981 and 1994droughts, the lowest yielding paddocks were the sown paddocks.

In the early 1990s, Tim and Karen attendedHolistic Management and Grazing for Profitschools. Tim experimented with cell grazingbetween 1991-1993 and then began planned grazingin 1995. With planned grazing, stock numbersacross both “Lana” and “Kasamanca”—their 780-hectare (1,942-acre) property—have beenmaintained between 15,000- 20,000 DSE ever since,with only one-third the fertilizer inputs of the1980s. This includes years with rainfall as low as 400 mm (15.6 inches). At any given point 95 percent of the land is in recovery mode.

Planned Grazing

Tim has learned that sheep and cattle aregenerally best grazed separately. “We keep sheepand cattle separate to get the right balancebetween finance, livestock, and range condition.Cattle always do better if they are on their own.They also open up the pasture for the sheep andtake the worm burden out. Cattle and sheep don’tmix; they don’t like each other. Sheep are moreselective, and would otherwise take good feedaway from the cattle. The two together didn’twork in the first year,” Tim says.

For this reason, he employs a leader-followerapproach. “In a leader-follower system, cattle runtwo days ahead of the sheep. This solves theworm burden problem. For the leader-followersystem to work, you’ve got to have the same sizepaddocks, 15-17 hectares (37-42 acres) in my case,

Editor’s Note: This article is an excerpt from adraft case study farm publication, the researchfor which is funded by the Land, Water & WoolProgram—a joint initiative of Australian WoolInnovation and Land & Water Australia. Thearticle was written by Associate Professor NickReid, Ecosystem Management, University of NewEngland Armidale, and Karen Forge, SouthernNew England Landcare Ltd, Armidale. The fullarticle title is “Wool Production & BiodiversitySpin a Yarn for Tim & Karen Wright.” For furtherinformation about this publication, contact NickReid at 61-2-6773-2759 or [email protected].

Tim and Karen Wright’s property, “Lana,” is3,350 hectares (8,342 acres) in the GwydirRiver Catchment near Armidale, New

South Wales, Australia. Their average rainfall is 769 mm or 30 inches. They carry 7000 Merinosheep and 650 breeding cows and have dividedtheir land into 240 paddocks of approximately 10-25 hectares (25-62 acres). Each paddock is grazedan average of eight days per year (approximatelytwo days each season—fall, winter, spring, summer)with at least a 70-day recovery period. Their mainenterprise is easy-care, low-cost Merino sheep with an average adult micron of 17.5.

Resource Issues

In the 1960s, Tim’s father, Peter, began aeriallyseeding “Lana.” “Using pasture improvement likethis, we lifted our stock numbers from 7,000 DSE(Dry Sheep Equivalent) in 1980 to 20,000 in 1991,”says Tim. But the Wrights were losing money withthis form of management because they barely

so cattle get two days then sheep get two days so that the paddock experiences a four-day graze period,” says Tim.

For Tim and Karen, the number and type ofstock in each farmlet (cell) varies with country andclass of livestock. “A good number of ewes is about850 in a farmlet because you get less mismotheringthan with larger mobs. It’s also a better number interms of lamb marking and labor. You can mark700-800 lambs in a day,” says Tim.

Fencing & Water

Tim and Karen put in a lot of fencing andstock water development as part of their plannedgrazing effort. “I installed permanent fences—suspension fencing, four barbs, steels 15 meter (16.5 yards) apart, one dropper between and steelend assemblies—for AUS$800/km (US$928/mile)including labor,” says Tim.

“We made our own end assemblies. We coulddo one kilometer (.6 miles) per day, so it waspretty cheap. Each subdivision involved about 3/4 kilometer of fences (1/2 mile), so eightpaddocks meant seven to eight kilometers (4-5 miles) of fencing. We try to fence parallel tothe slope, on the contour, not up and down. Thatway you get stock to move nutrients off the oldcamps. Twelve months ago, we fenced the westernpaddock like this; we’ve seen a big change in 12 months already. A year ago, the pasture therelooked dead. Those areas are now running three to four times the stock they used to.

“In the first and second years at Tilses, thewater was already there in the creeks and dams.Since it was just the sheep and heifers, it wasn’t abig drain on the water supply. In the third orfourth year, we put in a tank system to water thenew paddocks. The dams were already here, butwe went to troughs. The cleaner the water, the

Lana Litter—Money in the Bankby Nick Reid & Karen Forge


general maintenance. We used to have two full-time employees on “Lana” up until the 1980s, thenone full-time after that. We also used to have a lotmore casual employees during the early 1980s. Wenow use contract labor only two days per week;we are not drenching as much; we are not sowingpastures or plowing anymore, and we are notspraying weeds as much. We’ve kept the chiselplow for bushfires only. The animals are now our farming tools.”

Interestingly, the least developed parts of theproperty have generated the best returns. They are producing at about the same rates as the moredeveloped parts of the property, and they involvethe least investment. Tim notes, “With plannedgrazing, I was able to leave the wethers in [theleast developed areas] for the whole year, and Idoubled the number of stock from 2 DSE/ha (.8 DSE/acre) to 5 DSE/ha (2 DSE/acre). We havespent AUS$40/ha (US$69/acre) on fencing andwater for more subdivision, and it was repaid in two years.”

The Land

“In 2002, we had 397.5 mm(15.6 in) of rain, the lowestrainfall on record. 1902 was the next lowest rainfall, yet the stock we have been able to carry has been phenomenal.And the biggest winner has been the land. There’smore groundcover in these old sown paddocksthan there was after sowing them. The sheepcamps used to be pinrush and thistle. Now thegrasses beat the weeds,” says Tim.

Dr. Christine Jones monitored the cell grazingtrial on “Lana” in the early 1990s and documented a shift in pasture composition from undesirable to desirable species. Tim explains, “In Christine’s

work, she recorded 30-50 species on transects.During the study period, more perennials appearedincluding cool-season perennials that we had neverseen before. These carried the stock through thelast drought.”

In monitoring they saw a rise of desirablespecies, such as Paddock lovegrass, from 200 kg/ha(177lb/acre) in control transects to 600 kg/ha (530 lb/acre) in planned grazing areas, a 300percent difference. Likewise, their Wheatgrasspasture biomass was approximately 10 kg/ha (8.8 lb/acre) in control transects versus 150kg/ha(133 lb/acre) in the planned grazing areas, over a 1400 percent difference.

In looking at the undesirable species, theWiregrass basal diameter changed within a 50-month time period from a common diameter of 1 to 1.25 in control transects to 0.1 in theplanned grazing areas. And the Pinrush shiftedwithin a 40-month period from a commondiameter of 1 to .5 in the controlled area to non-existent in the planned grazing areas.

Livestock Needs

Tim has saved money on purchased feed inrecent years. He fed no hay or grain during the2002 drought, although all stock had access tominerals and Tim provided cotton seed mealpellets for cattle and supplementary nuts for theewes. “We took the cattle through on about $25-30

weakest link probably isn’t land management,though it might be the most exciting and sexy towork with. You need to look at the whole andresist the temptation to manage only parts ofyour operation. Be willing to change what needsto be changed. You can build all the fence youwant; it probably isn’t going to change thebottom-line of any enterprise.

Roland’s Final Thought

I remember at the end of the first HolisticManagement course Allan challenging us with this statement: “You may not agree witheverything that I presented to you this past

week, but I don’t believe you can approach themanagement of your ranch (resources) in thesame light before you attended this course. Inone fashion or another, you will change howyou manage your resources.” Just this summer, I had a client request my assistance to helpfacilitate a family meeting for the first time. Hebought a ranch in South Dakota in 1995 andthe success this person has had in the last nineyears is remarkable. He attended that firstworkshop in North Platte in 1984 andremembers meeting me. In the first 11 years, he thought about what it meant to practiceHolistic Management and attended a couple

of Holistic Management courses taught by othereducators. Even though neither Allan nor I have had direct contact with this person in thelast 20 years, the change occurred. So to all you Holistic Management educators andpractitioners out there, never underestimate theimpact you might be having on someone’s life.

Roland Kroos is a Holistic Management®

Certified Educator and owner of Crossroads &Company, a range management consultingbusiness. He lives in Bozeman, Montana and can be reached at: 406/522-3862 [email protected].

better. There’s proof (from Nebraska feedlotresearch) that cattle do better on cleaner water.Stock can lose 0.5 kg/day (1 lb/day) on muddywater in a dam.

“The stock tend to draw to the troughs. Wedon’t need troughs in wet seasons, but they are agood drought standby. A mix of dams and troughsgives us the best of both worlds. Trough are alsogood for the leader-follower system when the cattlemuck up the dam water. Dams on granite soil don’tpug up as much as on the other soil types.”

Financial Advantages

Tim and Karen see many advantages toHolistic Management® planned grazing. Tim hasnoticed the quality of his wool clippings improve.The wool yield in the 1980s was only 73-74percent, now its 78-80 percent. Tim has also seenplanned grazing reduce the amount of Wiregrass(Aristida ramosa) and vegetable matter in thewool during the last 15 years, a phenomenon mostnoticeable in the skirtings in the drought yearswhen the sheep are forced to graze the Wiregrass.In the drought year of 1982 the vegetable matterpercentage was almost 10 percent. In the droughtyear of 1994 the percentage was down to threepercent. By the drought year of 2002 it was downto less than two percent. The reduction ofvegetable matter has enabled Tim and Karen todecrease the amount of skirting. “The ratio ofskirtings to main lines has gone from 1 :3 to 1 :5over time, and since the skirtings are worth onlyhalf the value of the main fleece lines, the valueof the overall wool clip has increased,” says Tim.

While wool income has increased, cost ofproduction has decreased when compared to costof production during pasture improvement for theWrights. “We operate a low-input system now. Ourmain inputs are fencing and the labor involved in

Change in Plant CommunitiesDesirable Plants

Species Control Area Planned Grazing Areas DifferencePaddock lovegrass 200 kg/ha (117 lb/acre) 600 kg/ha (530 lb/acre) 300% +Wheatgrass 10 kg/ha (8.8 lb/acre) 150 kg/ha (133 lb/acre) 1400%+

continued on page 14


per cow-calf unit over the whole of the drought,and supplementation of the sheep cost about 80 cents/sheep, including labor. The regularmovement stimulates the animals to eat. Duringthe drought, they didn’t need bulk—that was therein the pasture. Lactating animals just needed addedprotein and minerals for a month or so.”

Ecological Principles

Through the Grazing for Profit and HolisticManagement courses Tim learned how to read hisland and recognize healthy water, mineral andenergy cycles, and the different pasture and otherplant species. Tim appreciates that a lot of theprimary production in his pastures returns to thesoil as litter. “Litter is money in the bank—it’s not awaste of pasture. It provides a good microclimatefor fungi and bacteria. Last autumn, there werethousands of mushrooms and toadstools. Fungilike lots of litter.

“We are not interested in sowing exotics ornatives in the traditional sense of sowing. Whatwe’ve got is what we’re meant to have. In about1993, I sold most of my farming gear, and spentthe money on fences. Subclover is an exotic andwas abundant in 2003, but this was the first yearin ten that we have had clover to this extent. We usually only get small amounts.”

Because the grass species composition of the pastures has been changing for the better,sewing subclover becomes less of an issue for the Wrights. “The stock are healthy without it.Fescue and clover hang on in swamps so they are valuable plants in those situations. There aremore native legumes than there used to be. Sheepprefer native legumes to many other plants.Having a range of pasture species means that youalways have something seeding. Cattle manure isfull of seed, so the seed gets transported aroundthe paddocks. Under set stocking of improvedpastures, phalaris and white clover drop out of the pasture—the natives out compete them.”

Another area where Tim and Karen have beenable to save money is fertilizer. “Christine Joneshelped us look at our mineral cycle in the grazingtrials in the 1990s,” says Tim. “She found a four tofive times increase in available phosphorus inareas that hadn’t been fertilized over a three yearperiod, along with increases in total nitrogen andpotassium. We asked ourselves “why?”

• The rest factor—the pasture roots grow deeper,drawing up the nutrients. Christine did some rootwork, looking at rooting depths, and found theroots went deeper than they had before.

• The pasture is in recovery phase 95 percent ofthe time, meaning more litter is being laid down,enriching the topsoil with organic matter.

• The transfer of nutrientsoff the sheep camps. A lot of this comes back to fencing design and grazingmanagement to transfernutrients away from thesheep camps. It takes 10 days for nutrients to

pass through the animals. If you are moving sheepevery two days, you are moving nutrients frompaddocks with sheep camps into the next fourpaddocks without.

“It’s challenging, but the fact is you can make nutrients; if you are building soil, you areincreasing nutrient levels in the topsoil. Thesethree factors make a big difference to the fertilizer bill. We’ve been able to reduce fertilizerapplications by 70 percent.”

Timber & Riparian Areas

Tim and Karen are especially pleased about thenatural regeneration occurring across “Lana” becausethe lack of forest and woodland regeneration onfarms is a major conservation concern elsewhere insouthern Australia. Stock pressure is managed tocontrol “problem” species. Tim explains, “ ‘Time-controlled grazing’ is not a bad name for it [animalimpact and grazing] because I have controlled lotsof eucalypt regeneration with an extra half day orovernight period of high density grazing. The extra

grazing has allowed me to bring a potential woodyweed problem under control.

“The important thing is the rest that theriparian zone gets most of the time. Even thoughwe run high stock densities, the planned grazingis helping the riparian zone recover, allowingvegetation to grow back, erosion to heal andwater quality to improve.” With improved habitatcomes more wildlife with platypus in Roumallaand Basin Creeks. The Wrights also haveabundant birdlife, some koalas, and a fewwallabies up in the hills, as well as brush-tailedpossums, straw-necked ibis and some wedge-tailed eagles, with plenty of snakes, echnidnas,bats, frogs, and lizards.

Tim is an active member of the local Balala-Bushgrove Landcare Group, and “Lana” has hosted

many of the Group’s trials during the last 15 years.The Group won a Silver Landcare Award for theresearch they conducted during a five-year period.

Tim and Karen are achieving the triple bottomline. Through Holistic Management and plannedgrazing, they have more time for family, friends,and community; their business profitability isimproving; and, they are working with nature toenhance their farm ecosystem’s productivity andbiodiversity and restore its natural resource base.

Lana Litter—Money in the Bankcontinued from page 13

Molong Creek under holistic planned grazing and doubled stocking rate. Note the well-vegetateddrainage line, riparian zone and the regrowth red gum on the banks.

PH

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NIC

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From The Executive Director

s I read the recently published Limits toGrowth by Meadows, Randers andMeadows, I have been reminded about

the current level of ecological pressure we haveput on the planet, and how the time has comewhere we can no longer speak of sustainablepractices, but must actively pursue regenerativepractices. The authors note that such action bythe larger populace will only occur when thetriple bottom line is affected (i.e. when resourceshortages make us truly explore alternatives).

But those engaged in Holistic Managementand holistic practices are already thinking aboutmore long-term consequences and alternative,regenerative practices. With the work we havedone at The Savory Center in the past year to establish a strategic plan and refocus ourenergies, we have come to realize more deeply how many of you are impacting

farm and in your community that helps peoplerestore deteriorating land in ways that benefitthe social, economic, and environmental healthof their communities? We would like to hearfrom you. And if there are opportunities for us to support ideas and projects you are awareof, we would like to hear from you also. TheSavory Center is committed to supporting ourmembers and accomplishing our missionthrough not only sharing what we have learned,but listening, learning, and incorporating whatyou have learned. We are eager to participate ineven deeper levels of collaboration with all ofyou working to improve the health of the landand the communities that depend on it.

your communities in ways this internationalorganization could never do alone. The successes you are achieving are the ones wewould love to encourage, or even enhance orsupport if appropriate.

In the lead article of this issue, Ann Adamsdiscusses our strategic focus of collaboration withcommunities of practice as we begin a process ofre-branding and re-positioning The Savory Centerto have an even more substantial impact insupporting the grassroots effort toward improvedplanetary health. The exciting aspect for me,coming from agriculture, is that those of usinvolved in agriculture (both farming andranching) can be the leaders in making substantialchange in the ways we begin regeneration of theecological health of the soils and lands as well ascontributing greatly to the carbon remediationand water quality issues facing the globe.

What are you involved in at your ranch or

Tim LaSalle

(educators and practitioners) they will be able to access within their areas. Co-sponsors are theNortheast Green Pastures Association, NortheastSustainable Agriculture Research & Education(NE-SARE), and The Savory Center. Kelly Pasztor,The Savory Center’s Director of EducationalServices, will be on hand to co-facilitate theworkshop with Seth Wilner.

The Central New York ResourceConservation & Development Council (CNYRC&D), Cornell Small Farms Program, SustainableAgriculture Research & Education (SARE), andThe Savory Center are sponsoring the upcoming“Holistic Management Decision Making forAgency, Non-Profit Professionals and Farmers”workshop on November 4 & 5th, 2004 inNorwich, New York. This two-day workshopwill provide an opportunity for farm serviceproviders to gain an introduction to HolisticManagement from experienced practitioners and educators. Phil Metzger, CNY RC&D, andJohn Thurgood, Cornell Cooperative ExtensionDelaware County, are the organizers. Kelly

Pasztor from The Savory Center will co-facilitate the workshop.

International Food Communities Meeting

In October, Allan Savory and Jody Butterfieldled a delegation from The Savory Center to Terra Madre—“World Meeting of FoodCommunities” in Turin, Italy sponsored by SlowFood (www.slowfoodusa.org). Slow Food isprimarily dedicated to the promotion of worldwide ecologically sound food production and land stewardship practices. The Terra Madreforum (October 20-23) and Salone del Gusto(October 21-25) was expected to draw some 5,000producers from around the world. These eventswill allow producers to meet and share theirexperiences and knowledge of the production,promotion, and enjoyment of slow food.

The Savory Center delegates are: Ben and Denise Bartlett, Michigan; Mike Bonnheim, California;Juli and Kevin Brussell, Illinois; Bill and Kay

Burrows, California; Guy Glosson, Texas; Doc andConnie Hatfield, Oregon; Jim and Daniela Howell,Colorado; David and Kay James, Colorado; Andrea

and Katherine Malmberg, Wyoming; Sandra

Matheson and Lyle Galloway, Washington; Mike andCathy McNeil, Colorado; Teresa Maurer, Arkansas;John and Dorothy Priske, Wisconsin; Jim and Mary

Savory Center Member Wins Award

Rukin Jelks, Jr. of the Diamond C Ranch inElgin, Arizona won the 2004 Cattleman of theYear Award from the Arizona Cattle Grower'sAssociation. The press release noted that Jelk'soperation has been held up as an example ofsuccessful Holistic Management in spite ofdrought conditions. Rukin acknowledged in his acceptance speech at the conference howHolistic Management had helped his ranchoperation. Congratulations, Rukin!

NE Holistic Management Workshops

Seth Wilner of University of New HampshireCooperative Extension organized a HolisticManagement workshop on October 13-14 atLakeshore Farms in Notthingham, NewHampshire. At the request of CooperativeExtension Service professionals from around the New England region (County Agents andEducators), the workshop will be held todevelop capacity for Holistic Management within the Northeast extension service. Fiftyparticipants will receive proceedings and supportmaterial, including regional network resources

A

T h eGRAPEVINE

news f rom t he savo r y cen te r * peop le , p rog rams & p ro jec t s


Rickert, California; Jack and Zera Varian, California;George and Elaine Work, California.

On the Road with Allan Savory

The autumn has been busy for founder Allan

Savory. Late September found him participatingin the Ecoagriculture Conference in Nairobi, Kenya,where he served as moderator for a session on“Managing Ecoagriculture at a Landscape Scale,” in addition to participating in other organizeddiscussions and working groups.

On October 4-5, Allan was at the Idaho StateUniversity GIS Center’s 3rd Annual Integration of Geo-spatial and Range Sciences Conferencesponsored by NASA. Along with Keith T. Weber,Director of the ISU GIS Center, Allan led a field tripand rangeland viewing and delivered a lecture on“Thinking Holistically to Tackle Today’s Problems.”

Immediately following the mid-October TerraMadre forum in Italy, Allan headed down under to Melbourne, Australia to deliver a keynoteaddress and participate in a panel discussion at the2004 Inaugural Global Sustainable DevelopmentConference sponsored by the Minerals Council of Australia from October 25-29, 2004.

And, finally, looking ahead to early 2005,through the efforts of Certified Educator traineeAbe Collins, the Vermont Grass Farmers’ Association(VGFA) has invited Allan to keynote at theirannual conference on January 22, 2005. The themeof the meeting is “Thinking Globally, GrazingLocally.” While there, Allan will also lead aworkshop on Holistic Management.

The Pennsylvania Association for SustainableAgriculture (PASA) will host Allan Savory as heir keynote speaker and workshop leader onFebruary 4, 2005. The PASA “Farming for the Future Conference” will be held in State College, PA on February 3-5, 2005. Further details on theconference may be found on their website:www.pasafarming.org.

Navajo Nation Presentation

Certified Educator Joel Benson presented anoverview of Holistic Management and Land

Regeneration to 98 Navajo Nation Grazing Officialson September 23rd. On the request of Ron Jones,Grazing Management Specialist for the NavajoNation Department of Agriculture, The SavoryCenter was invited to share information about

how effective land management can improve land health as part of the Department’s reservationwide orientation for grazing officials.

Ranch & Range Program Begins

Participants in The Savory Center’s 2004 Ranchand Range Manager Training Program met in

late August for their introductory training session at Jim and Daniela Howell’s The Blue Ranch. Theyenjoyed some much needed rain followed by clear blue western Colorado skies as they camped,learned, ate great food, and enjoyed getting to know each other. Lead instructor was HolisticManagement® Certified Educator Byron Shelton

with Director of Educational Services Kelly Pasztor assisting. As always, participants particularly enjoyed learning how to read the land as well as practicing testing decisions toward their holistic goals.

With some between session guidance fromByron and Kelly, they’ll come ready to the financial planning session in Lander, Wyoming atTony and Andrea Malmberg’s Twin Creek Ranch in October where they will work on their 2005 financial plan.

Book ReviewBy Ann Adams

The Oglin

By Dick Richardson with Rio de la Vistapp 432$24.95; © Savanna Press 2005

Have you ever wished that someonewould take the principles of HolisticManagement and simplify them in a way

that even a child would understand? Well, DickRichardson and Rio de la Vista have done just thatin an intriguing cross of styles in which C.S. Lewismeets J.R.R. Tolkien on the African continent.

The epic journey chronicled in this novel isthe story of two Oglins (magical earth spirits ofAfrica), Baylin and Lafina. The Oglins live inharmony with nature, but they are not immuneto the increasing environmental problems thatsurround their lands. Chosen by their Great Spirits,Baylin and Lafina must find the cause of theproblem and a solution. To do so, they must findclues on their journey as they talk to numerousanimals along the way.

For someone who has only experiencedAfrica in a few movies, novels, and TV shows, I found this book extremely entertaining andeducational. Our heroes cross an astoundingvariety of terrain and meet a cast of characters

including a duiker, a dung beetle, a talking tuft of grass, a gorilla, an eland, a “go-away” bird, andeven a Bushman family, while skirting theoccasional oblivious tourist.

Perhaps one of my favorite encounters waswhen the Oglins talk with Checha the Cheetahand inquire about her hunting strategy. Shereplies: “Well, you see, we cheetahs, have to judgethings very, very carefully. We only have acertain amount of energy to expend in a run. I’vegot to get myself into exactly the right position,to force one impala out into a different direction,so that I will be able to take a short cut and takeit from the best angle. It’s an art really. It’s an art

that a cheetah must master if oneis to survive! But you see, you

can only learn how to do itby always asking yourself

a specific question:Which move will give

me the mostadvantage for theleast effort? This

releases the mind from deeper concentration.”Sound familiar? It’s a whole different way

of explaining marginal reaction, and this is justone example of how the principles of HolisticManagement are interwoven throughout theadventure of the Oglins’ trek through Africa. Inthis way, whether you know a great deal about

Africa or Holistic Management or not, this storyoffers many opportunities for further learning and introspection.

I’ve had the privilege of hearing Dick tellstories in person. He is a vivid storyteller thatpaints the scene with wonderful detail. Hisknowledge of the African landscape comesthrough the prose of this novel and invites youinto a landscape that is both real and magical.Through a story that is both real and imaginary,we as the reader are better able to see thesacredness of nature, to look beyond the ordinaryand truly see and hear what the land is telling us.And the wildlife illustrations of South Africanwildlife illustrator Cathy Feek add even morefully to that feeling.

Both Dick and Rio have been involved in theHolistic Management movement for many yearsand have traveled extensively, talking withpractitioners far and wide. Their global andregional knowledge stand them in good stead as they craft a book that offers the averageadolescent or adult a new way of looking atnature while immersed in an adventure story.

For more information about how to order thisbook, see page 21. Dick and Rio will also offer abook signing at The Savory Center’s HolisticManagement Rendezvous in Albuquerque, New Mexico on January 12th and at the QuiviraCoalition’s Annual Conference on January 15th.


ARIZONA

Kelly Mulville2884 W. Hilltop, Portal, AZ [email protected]

CALIFORNIAMonte Bell 325 Meadowood Dr., Orland, CA 95963530/865-3246 • [email protected]

Julie Bohannon 652 Milo TerraceLos Angeles, CA 90042323/257-1915 • [email protected]

Bill Burrows12250 Colyear Springs Rd.Red Bluff, CA 96080530/529-1535 • [email protected]

Richard King1675 Adobe Rd., Petaluma, CA 94954707/769-1490 • 707/794-8692 (w)[email protected]

Tim McGaffic13592 Bora Bora Way #327Marina Del Rey, CA 90292310/741-0167 • [email protected]

Christopher PeckP.O. Box 2286, Sebastopol, CA 95472707/[email protected]

COLORADOJoel Benson P.O. Box 2036, Buena Vista, CO 81211719/395-2468 • [email protected]

Cindy Dvergsten17702 County Rd. 23, Dolores, CO 81323970/[email protected]

Rio de la VistaP.O. Box 777, Monte Vista, CO 81144 719/852-2211 • [email protected]

Daniela and Jim Howell P.O. Box 67, Cimarron, CO 81220-0067970/249-0353 • [email protected]

Chadwick McKellar16775 Southwood Dr.Colorado Springs, CO 80908719/495-4641 • [email protected]

* Cliff MontagneMontana State University Department of Land Resources &Environmental ScienceBozeman, MT 59717406/994-5079 • [email protected]

NEW MEXICO* Ann AdamsThe Savory Center1010 Tijeras NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102505/[email protected]

Amy Driggs1131 Los Tomases NWAlbuquerque, NM 87102505/[email protected]

Mark Duran58 Arroyo Salado #B, Santa Fe, NM 87508505/422-2280; [email protected]

Kirk GadziaP.O. Box 1100, Bernalillo, NM 87004505/867-4685 • fax: 505/[email protected]

Ken Jacobson12101 Menaul Blvd. NE, Ste AAlbuquerque, NM 87112; 505/[email protected]

* Kelly PasztorThe Savory Center1010 Tijeras NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102505/[email protected]

Sue ProbartP.O. Box 81827, Albuquerque, NM 87198505/265-4554 • [email protected]

David Trew369 Montezuma Ave. #243Santa Fe, NM 87501505/751-0471; [email protected]

Vicki Turpen03 El Nido Amado SWAlbuquerque, NM 87121505/873-0473 • [email protected]

NEW YORKKarl North3501 Hoxie Gorge Rd., Marathon, NY 13803607/849-3328 • [email protected]

NORTH CAROLINASam Bingham394 Vanderbilt Rd., Asheville, NC 28803828/274-1309 • [email protected]

NORTH DAKOTA* Wayne BerryUniversity of North Dakota—WillistonP.O. Box 1326, Williston, ND 58802 701/774-4269 or 701/[email protected]

OKLAHOMAKim BarkerRT 2, Box 67, Waynoka, OK 73860580/824-9011 • [email protected]

Byron Shelton33900 Surrey Lane, Buena Vista, CO 81211719/395-8157 • [email protected]

GEORGIAConstance Neely1160 Twelve Oaks CircleWatkinsville, GA 30677 • 706/[email protected]

IOWABill Casey1800 Grand Ave., Keokuk, IA 52632-2944319/524-5098 • [email protected]

LOUISIANATina Pilione P.O. 923, Eunice, LA 70535phone/fax: 337/580-0068 • [email protected]

MAINEVivianne Holmes239 E. Buckfield Rd. Buckfield, ME 04220-4209207/336-2484 • [email protected]

MASSACHUSETTS* Christine Jost Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine200 Westboro Rd.North Grafton, MA 01536508/887-4763 • [email protected]

MINNESOTATerri Goodfellow-Heyer4660 Cottonwood Lane NorthPlymouth, MN 55442763/559-0099 • [email protected]

MISSISSIPPI

Preston Sullivan610 Ed Sullivan Lane, NEMeadville, MS 39653601/384-5310 • 479/442-9824 (w) [email protected]

MONTANAWayne BurlesonRT 1, Box 2780, Absarokee, MT 59001406/328-6808 • [email protected]

Roland Kroos4926 Itana Circle, Bozeman, MT 59715406/522-3862 • [email protected]

Certified Educators

U N I T E D S T A T E S

* These educators provide Holistic Management instruction on behalf of the institutions they represent.

To our knowledge, Certified Educators are the best qualified individuals to help others learn topractice Holistic Management and to provide them with technical assistance when necessary. On ayearly basis, Certified Educators renew their agreement to be affiliated with the Center. Thisagreement requires their commitment to practice Holistic Management in their own lives, to seek outopportunities for staying current with the latest developments in Holistic Management and tomaintain a high standard of ethical conduct in their work. For more information about or application forms for the U.S., Africa, or International Certified EducatorTraining Programs, contact Kelly Pasztor at the Savory Center or visit our website atwww.holisticmanagement.org/wwo_certed.cfm?

Certified Educators


PENNSYLVANIAJim Weaver428 Copp Hollow Rd.Wellsboro, PA 16901-8976570/724-7788 • [email protected]

TEXAS

Christina Allday-Bondy2703 Grennock Dr., Austin, TX 78745512/441-2019 • [email protected]

Guy Glosson 6717 Hwy 380, Snyder, TX 79549806/237-2554 • [email protected]

Jennifer Hamre602 W. St. Johns Ave., Austin, TX 78752512/374-0104; [email protected]* R.H. (Dick) Richardson University of Texas at Austin Department of Integrative BiologyAustin, TX 78712512/471-4128 • [email protected]

Peggy Sechrist 25 Thunderbird Rd.Fredericksburg, TX 78624830/990-2529 • [email protected]

Liz Williams 4106 Avenue BAustin, TX 78751-4220512/323-2858 • [email protected]

WASHINGTONCraig MadsenP.O. Box 107, Edwall, WA 99008509/[email protected]

Sandra Matheson228 E. Smith Rd.Bellingham, WA 98226360/398-7866 • [email protected]

* Don NelsonWashington State University P.O. Box 646310, Pullman, WA 99164509/335-2922 • [email protected]

Maurice RobinetteS. 16102 Wolfe Rd., Cheney, WA 99004509/299-4942 • [email protected]

Doug Warnock151 Cedar Cove Rd., Ellensburg, WA 98926509/925-9127 • [email protected]

WISCONSINElizabeth BirdRoom 203 Hiram Smith Hall1545 Observatory Dr., Madison WI 53706608/265-3727 • [email protected]

Larry JohnsonW886 State Road 92, Brooklyn, WI 53521608/455-1685 • [email protected]

WYOMINGTim MorrisonP.O. Box 536, Meeteese, WY 82433307/868-2354 • [email protected]

AUSTRALIA

Helen Carrell“Hillside” 25 Weewondilla Rd.Glennie Heights, Warwick, QLD 437061-4-1878-5285 • 61-7-4661-7383 [email protected] Hailstone5 Lampert Rd., Crafers, SA [email protected] Hand“Inverary”Caroona Lane, Branxholme, VIC 330261-3-5578-6272 • [email protected] Mark GardnerP.O. Box 1395, Dubbo, NSW [email protected] Marshall“Lucella”; Nundle, NSW 234061-2-6769 8226 • fax: 61-2-6769 [email protected] WardP.O. Box 103, Milsons Pt., NSW 156561-2-9929-5568 • fax: [email protected] Wehlburgc/o “Sunnyholt”, Injue, QLD 445461-7-4626-7187 • [email protected]

CANADA

Don and Randee HalladayBox 2, Site 2, RR 1, Rocky MountainHouse, AB, T0M 1T0403/729-2472 • [email protected] McNaughton5704-144 St., Edmondton, AB, T6H 4H4s780/432-5492 • [email protected] PigottBox 222, Dysart, SK, SOH 1HO 306/432-4583 • [email protected] SidorykBox 374, Lloydminster, AB, S9V 0Y4403/875-4418 • [email protected]

MEXICOIvan AguirreLa InmaculadaApdo. Postal 304, Hermosillo, Sonora 83000tel/fax: [email protected]

Elco Blanco-Madrid Cristobal de Olid #307 Chihuahua Chih., 3124052-614-415-3497 • fax: [email protected] Casas-PerezCalle Amarguva No. 61, Lomas Herradura Huixquilucan, Mexico City CP 5278552-558-291-3934 • 52-588-992-0220 (w)[email protected]

Jose Ramon “Moncho” VillarAv. Las Americas #1178Fracc. Cumbres, Saltillo, Coahuila 2527052-844-415-1542 • [email protected]

NAMIBIA

Gero Diekmann P.O. Box 363, Okahandja [email protected] Nott P.O. Box 11977, [email protected] Volkmann P.O. Box 182, Otavi, [email protected]

NEW ZEALAND

John King P.O. Box 3440, Richmond, [email protected]

SOUTH AFRICA

Sheldon BarnesP.O. Box 300, Kimberly 8300Johan BlomP.O. Box 568, Graaf-Reinet [email protected] Mitchell-Innes P.O. Box 52, Elandslaagte [email protected] Neave P.O. Box 69, Mtubatuba 393527-084-2452/[email protected] Richardson P.O. Box 1806, Vryburg 8600tel/fax: 27-53-927-4367 [email protected] ToddP.O. Box 21, Hoedspruit 138027-82-335-3901 (cell)[email protected]

ZIMBABWEMutizwa MukutePELUM Association Regional DeskP.O. Box MP 1059Mount Pleasant, Harare263-4-74470/744117 • fax: [email protected] Mabhena Spring CabinetP.O. Box 853, Harare263-4-210021/2 • 263-4-210577/8fax: 263-4-210273Elias NcubeP. Bag 5950, Victoria [email protected]

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

For a list of our affiliate networks, please visit our website at:www.holisticmanagement.org/asc_net.cfm

#098, in practice, nov/dec 2004

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