#145, In Practice, Sept/Oct 2012

Marketing is a critical component of successful farming. Read about the many marketing techniques and distribution

channels that farmers are exploring, including farm debit cards,like this one from The Kitchen Garden, on page 7.

Development Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16From the CEO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Grapevine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Kids on the Land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Book Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Certified Educators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Marketplace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21N

ews & Network

Land & Livestock

FEAT

URE

STO

RIES

Nutrient Dense GrazingLISA MCCRORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Mob Grazing – A Tool to Improve PasturelandHEATHER SMITH THOMAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

~ i n S i D e T h i S i S S u e ~

Marketing

Using Social Media Effectively to Make the Most of Your Farm BusinessEMILY BROOKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2Introduction to Holistic Management—A New Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4Managing Quail HabitatFRANK ARAGONA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6Building Market Demand—The Kitchen GardenANN ADAMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7Market Your Farm Products EffectivelySANNE KURE-JENSEN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

W W W. H O L I S T I C M A N A G E M E N T. O R GN U M B E R 1 4 5S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 1 2

in Practicea publication of holistic Management international

From the Board Chair by Sallie Calhoun

Why it is Ethical to eat Meat

Eating meat produced by land stewards working to regenerate their landscapes and theearth is one of the most ethical choices that an eater can make in the 21st century. I am a cattle rancher in central California, and I know the local grasslands—the native

perennial bunch grasses and the annual grasses that arrived with the Spanish, the oakson the hills and in the valley bottoms, and the birds that frequent these trees. I continuously strive to understand this ecosystem and how the pieces fit together. This is a place where there is not a drop of rain between the middle of May and themiddle of October. It is not suitable for vegetables—the hills are too steep for irrigation orcultivation. This is a classic grassland, like others that cover approximately 40% of theearth's surface—a place where there is not enough moisture for a forest to grow, but aplace of spectacular, if less obvious, biodiversity and productivity.

Since I cannot grow vegetables or orchards on my land, there are two choices—fence it and ignore it, or use domesticated livestock to keep the grasslands healthy (andgrow protein as a by-product). The world's grasslands evolved with grazing animals, andwithout them inside the fence would be shrubs, bare ground, less biodiversity and lesslife. The soil and wildlife need disturbance, and inside the fence there would be little ofthat. Abandoning these grasslands now would be the final nail in their coffin, and wewould all pay the price with more floods, drought, carbon in the atmosphere, andextinctions, along with less food for 7 billion people.

With properly managed domestic livestock we see a completely different result. The perennial grasses thrive and over the course of their hundred-year lives huge rootsystems grow supporting uncounted soil organisms and sequestering carbon from theatmosphere. The wildflowers flourish every spring, supporting a myriad of butterflies andinsects for the birds. The rain soaks into the soil growing more grass rather than swellingstreams and rivers. The system functions as it evolved to with the help of a keystonespecies of the landscape—committed humans.

This land has been managed by humans since the native Americans arrivedapproximately 15,000 years ago. Since Europeans arrived we have introduced non-nativeplants, killed the wild herds, built fences, re-routed rivers, tilled, sprayed, and built, built,built. We displaced nature and took over the management and hence the responsibility forthis land. It would be supremely unethical to take the landscape, break it, and expect tohand it back to nature as if nothing had happened, all the while knowing the consequences.

Meat consumed by humans is part of a vast system involving domesticated animals,the ecosystems in which they live, and the economy. Thinking about the ethics of eatingmeat requires thinking about the whole system, not just one small part. The economicreality is that in order to have committed land stewards working with livestock every dayfor the sake of the ecosystem, they must be compensated, and selling meat is how thathappens today. Much as some people might wish otherwise, it is not possible to quicklyreturn to a landscape maintained by huge herds of wild herbivores. In order to support theworld's grasslands today and continue to benefit from the significant ecosystem servicesthey provide, humans need to eat beef that is raised responsibly on those grasslands.

This essay was originally submitted to the New York Times.

Have an essay or letter to the editor you’ve written that you’d like to share? Send to Ann Adams at [email protected].

2 IN PRACTICE � September / october 2012

Holistic Management International exists to educate people to manage land

for a sustainable future.

STaFF

Peter Holter . . . . . . . Chief Executive Officer

Kelly King . . . . . . . . . Chief Financial Officer

Ann Adams . . . . . . . . Managing Editor, IN PRACTICE and Director of Education

Sandy Langelier . . . . Director, Communications and Outreach

Frank Aragona . . . . . Director, Research andDevelopment

Matt Parrack . . . . . . . Director, Development

Peggy Sechrist. . . . . Development Advisor

Peggy Maddox . . . . . Director, Kids on the Land Program

Peggy Cole . . . . . . . . Project Manager, Texas

Mary Girsch-Bock . . Grants Manager

Carrie Nelson . . . . . . Store Manager /Customer Support

BoarD oF DireCTorS

Sallie Calhoun, ChairBen Bartlett, Past ChairClint Josey, Vice-ChairJim Shelton, Secretary

Ron Chapman, Treasurer

Gail Hammack Wayne KnightJudi Earl Zizi Fritz

Jim Parker Christopher PeckKelly Sidoryk

holiSTiC ManaGeMenT in Practice

(ISSN: 1098-8157) is published six times a year by:

Holistic Management International5941 Jefferson St. NE, Suite B

Albuquerque, NM 87109

505/842-5252, fax: 505/843-7900; email: [email protected].; website: www.holisticmanagement.org

Copyright © 2012

in Practicea publication of holistic Management international

Using Social Media Effectively to Make the Most of Your Farm Businessby eMily BrookS

introduction to inbound Marketing

Inbound Marketing is marketing with amagnet, not a sledgehammer — marketingbased on content that attracts and nurturesprospects, not spam that interrupts them.

There are three stages: Get Found, Convertand Analyze.

Inbound marketing is marketing that's useful.It means acquiring customers by attracting andnurturing prospects with exceptional content,data and customer service, not interruptingthem with spam. It means pulling prospects inwith a magnet, not beating them over the headwith a sledgehammer.

Inbound marketing tactics tend to becheaper than traditional marketing tactics.Companies that focus on inbound tactics have a62% lower cost-per-lead than companies thatfocus on outbound tactics.

Inbound marketing includes a variety of toolsthat allows customers to come to you and askfor more information. Whether you are providingyour own material or linking to material of valueon someone else’s website, content is the key.

how it Works

Think of your sales and marketing processas a funnel. Fresh prospects come in at the topof the funnel, happy customers go out thebottom. As a marketer, your goal is to maximizeboth the number of people you attract at the topof your funnel as website visitors and thenumber that come out the bottom as customers.

Inbound marketers use three types of tactics todo this:

Get Found — Tactics like blogging andsearch engine optimization that aim to attractquality prospects to your website.

Convert — Tactics like landing pages andlead nurturing that aim to convert websitevisitors to leads and long-term customers.

Analyze — Tactics that aim to improve theefficiency of the entire process — to get more ofthe right people in the top and out the bottom.

Get Found TacticsGet Found tactics help you attract visitors

to your website (prospects to the top of yourfunnel). They're the most important inboundmarketing tactics because they're like abuilding's foundation: You can't build anythingwithout them. If you don’t have any websitevisitors, you can't generate leads.

Blogging — Inbound marketing starts withblogging. A blog is the single best way to attractnew visitors to your website. Businesses thatblog get 55% more leads than those who don't.In order to get found by prospective customers,you need to have content that attracts them.Your blog is the home of this magnetic content.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) —Your customers begin their buying processonline, usually at a search engine. So you needto make sure you're listed prominently whenthey search. To get there, you need to carefully,analytically pick keywords, optimize your pages,create content and build links.

Social Media — When people go online

Inbound Marketing

today they're interacting with friends, askingquestions, answering questions, sharingcontent and discussing an infinite range oftopics. As a marketer, you want your content tobe a central part of the discussion in yourindustry. If your content is a part of thatconversion, it can help you pull people back toyour site and to the top of your marketing andsales funnel.

Content Marketing — Content marketing isanother Get Found tactic. Like blogging, itmeans publishing content that will attract peopleto your website. Unlike blogging, ContentMarketing is not restricted to a specific channel— it's the general idea of using content toattract people to your site. It can also includevideos, white papers, webinars, and othercontent. For example, one of the BeginningWomen Farmer participants who sells pork,uses a report about Confined Animal FarmingOperations (CAFO) to provide content on herwebsite as well as move visitors to leads.

Convert Tactics

Convert tactics help you take the visitorsyou attracted to your site with blogging, socialmedia, and search engine optimization andconvert them into paying customers. You cangenerate a lot of activity on your website withoutconvert tactics, but you won't generate anyrevenue.

Calls to Action — How do you begin toengage website visitors and engage them in asales process? You encourage them to takeactions — maybe download a white paper,maybe signup for a webinar.

Calls to action are buttons or links thatencourage your visitors to take action, eg"Download a Whitepaper", or "Attend aWebinar". If you don't have enough calls toaction or your calls to action aren't enticingenough, you won't generate any leads.

Landing Pages — When a website visitorclicks on a call to action they should be sent toa landing page. The landing page is where theoffer in the call to action is fulfilled, and wherethe prospect submits information that your salesteam can use to begin a conversation.

For example, if you offer a whitepaperdownload in your call to action, the landingpage is the page where visitors submit theinformation required to download thewhitepaper. When website visitors fill out formson landing pages, they typically become leads.

Email Marketing — What do you do if avisitor clicks on your call to action, fills out alanding page, downloads your whitepaper, butstill isn’t ready to become a customer?

You need to nurture a longer-termrelationship with that lead. Email marketing is

one way to do this. A series of emails focusedon useful, relevant content can build trust with aprospect and get them ready to buy.

Lead Nurturing — Lead nurturing refers toemail marketing structured in a series of emailscontaining sequential content. Lead nurturingemails (campaigns) are often triggered byspecific landing pages. Because of their specifictriggers and sequence, lead nurturingcampaigns can be more relevant, and thusmore likely to engage prospects.

Marketing Automation — MarketingAutomation refers to email marketing and leadnurturing where the email sequence andcontent is based on data the recipient hasallowed you to collect. For example, if a visitordownloaded a whitepaper, you might want tosend them a series of related emails, but if theyfollow you on Twitter and visited specific pageson your website, you might want to change themessaging.

analyze Tactics

Analysis is the critical third category ofinbound marketing tactics. Once you startattracting people to your site with blogging,social media and SEO, and once you startconverting those new website visitors into leadsand customers, you need to begin analyzingyour sales and marketing funnel and figure outways to make it more efficient.

Key Metrics — Most inbound marketers usethe sales and marketing funnel to frame theiranalysis. They look at the following funnelmetrics:

Website Visitors — A measure of the top ofyour sales and marketing funnel; these arepeople who found your site. They need to beconverted to leads and then customers.

Leads — A measure of the middle of yourfunnel. These are people who visited your siteand did something (usually filled out a form) toidentify themselves. Once website visitorsidentify themselves and become leads, you canbegin the conversation needed to turn them intocustomers.

Customers — The bottom of your funnel —the goal!

Conversion Rates — A conversion rate isthe percentage of people who move from onestage of your funnel to the next. If 2% of yourwebsite visitors become leads, your visitor-to-lead conversion rate is 2%.

Benchmarks — Benchmarks are data frompeers for any metric you track. For example,conversion rate benchmarks allow you to seehow your own conversion rates compare tothose of similar businesses.

Content Performance — Each type ofcontent you produce should be trackedindependently. You want to see how well eachtype of content is attracting people to yourwebsite, and how frequently specific pieces andtypes of content are used in the process ofconverting leads to customers.

Method of Analysis — Inbound marketinganalysis should begin with a series of questionsdesigned to pinpoint the place where you havethe most leverage as a marketer — the placewhere you have the greatest opportunity tomake changes that could result in increasedsales. Here’s the series of questions you wantto start with:

• How do your website visitor numberscompare to your peers? (Use yourbenchmarks to determine this.) If you’re behindyour competitors, you know you need toimprove the top of the funnel (get more traffic); if you’re ahead of your competition, move to the next question.

• Are you getting as many leads as yourcompetitors? How does your visitor-to-leadconversion rate compare? If you’re below yourbenchmarks for leads and visitor-to-leadconversion, you should dive into your middle-of-the-funnel Convert process, and figure out howto improve your results.

• Are you happy with your lead volume,but not your sales numbers? In that case,examine your sales process (the bottom of yourfunnel). What can you do to improve your leadnurturing and sales techniques to make more ofyour leads convert?

Goal Setting — Inbound marketing analysisallows businesses to set and track specific

number 145 � IN PRACTICE 3

ConTinueD on PaGe 16

The Principles

Holistic Management is based on two key principles:

1) Nature functions in wholes2) Understand your environment

The first principle focuses on the idea of holism, helping us to shift our paradigm tofocus on building symbiotic relationships in allour management decisions. We have to payattention to the relationships between thedifferent aspects of the whole. Anytime youchange one thing, it impacts other areas of your life. We keep that in mind with HolisticManagement by using a holistic goal to help us keep focused on the big picture and reduceunintended consequences.

The second principle is to help people focus on understanding that all tools do nothave the same effect in different environments.We must determine where the environment we are managing is on the brittleness scale (a scale linked to humidity and how quicklydead vegetation breaks down). In a rainforest (a 1 on the scale) there’s lots of humidity andvegetation decomposes quickly. In a desert (a 10 on the scale), there’s little humidity andvegetation decomposes slowly. With thisprinciple we remember that there are no onesize fits all solutions. What may be a “bestmanagement practice” in one area of the world could cause problems in another area.

The Practices

The six key steps to practicing HolisticManagement are:

1) Define what you manage

2) State what you want

3) Aim for healthy soil

4) Consider all tools

5) Test your decisions

6) Monitor your results

Practice one—Define what you manage

Define what you manage is looking at theinventory that you are managing. The two keyareas of that inventory to define are yourmanagement team (decision makers) and yourassets. When defining the management team youfocus on who is making management decisions atthe various levels of managements. Those peopleare the ones that should help create a holisticgoal and who must have ownership in it. All yourassets include what we used to refer to as your“resource base,” which include clients andvendors, tangible assets like buildings,equipment, and livestock, and money. Knowingwhat your inventory is then allows you to bettermanage it. This step can make you further awareof the influences impacting the inventory that youmanage and how you affect them.

Practice Two—State what you want

Working with your other decisions makerson your management team, begin the processof creating your holistic goal—describing the lifeyou want to live, based on your deepest values.To create your holistic goal, ask yourmanagement team to describe:

1) The quality of life desired (Quality of Life)2) What you need to create or produce to

live that life (Behaviors, Systems, &Processes)

3) What must exist to sustain that life in the future (Vision)

These three different pieces of a holistic goalhelp the team define the quality of life they wantright now which motivates them to managetoward the common ground articulated. It alsohelps them identify the behaviors, systems, andprocesses they must put in place to get there.Lastly, it helps them articulate their vision for thefuture with the legacy they want to leave inregards to their relationships with theircommunities and the land by describing:

1) How you have to behave2) The future landscape3) The future community

In this way the holistic goal providesguidance for both short and long-term decision-making.

If you are part of an organization,department, division, or other unit formed for a specific purpose, you will also need to createa mission statement that articulates and clarifiesthat purpose. Doing so will improve internalalignment and decision making. You mustanswer the question, “What were we formed to do?” Individuals and farm families do notneed to create a mission statement but maychoose to do so.

Practice Three—aim for healthy soil

This practice uses four fundamentalecosystem processes in Nature, so you canbegin to assess the health of your land andconsider it in your management decisions. Thefour ecosystem processes are:

1) Water Cycle2) Mineral Cycle3) Energy Flow4) Biological Community

The earliest indicator of ecosystem health issoil cover and soil health. If there is 100% soilcover, made up of living and decaying plantsand a great diversity of species, you likely havea healthy environment. You must have a goodunderstanding of ecosystem health to be able todo the next practice effectively.

Practice Four—Consider all tools available

The tools for managing ecosystemprocesses fall into six broad categories:

1) Human Creativity2) Technology3) Rest4) Fire5) Animals and Living Organisms6) Money and Labor

Human creativity and money and labor arerequired in using the other tools. In landmanagement, fire, rest, and technology are themost used tools to modify our ecosystem.However, animals and living organisms canhelp improve land health, water infiltration, andthe land’s ability to sequester carbon throughgrazing and the animal impact of many differentspecies.

Tools are neither good nor bad and should


introduction to holistic Management—A New Approach

As HMI works to make our curriculum even more accessible and useful to farmers andranchers, we’ve reworked the introductory curriculum with the help of an educationalconsultant. We surveyed Certified Educators and many different people we have beenteaching this material to over the years to see what they had found helpful and difficult

to understand and implement. While the framework remains essentially the same, the way wearticulate it has changed to make it easier to understand. We will be using this curriculum for HMI-sponsored Introduction to Holistic Management courses going forward. After doing some betatesting and getting feedback for fine tuning, we’d like to share with our network the revised HolisticManagement® Framework.

be managed within the context of yourmanagement inventory. Consider your holisticgoal and the degree of brittleness of theenvironment you manage, along with otherfactors before you decide whether or not aparticular tool is suitable.

Practice Five—Test your decisions

The seven Holistic Management testingquestions help us sift through the many factorsand complex variables to get to the heart of thematter and help improve decision-making.

Ultimately, we are looking at whether the actionor decision meets the triple bottom line youhave articulated in your holistic goal. Theseseven tests supplement other considerationswhen making a decision (research, intuition,cash flow, etc.). The seven tests are:

1) Root Cause—Does this action addressthe root cause of the problem?

2) Weak Linka. Social—Are there any social concerns

regarding this action?b. Biological—Does this action address the

weakest point in the life cycle of this organism?

c. Financial—Does this action address the weakest link in the chain of production? In my enterprise, what single thing will have the greatest positive impact on my chain of production?

3) Comparing Options—Which action getsthe “biggest bang for the buck” toward yourholistic goal? Where is your highest return?

4) Gross Profit Analysis—Whichenterprises contribute most to cover the fixedcosts (overhead) of the business?

5) Investment Analysis—Is the energy ormoney to be used in this action derived from themost appropriate source in terms of your holisticgoal? Will the way the energy or money is to beused lead toward your holistic goal?

6) Vision Analysis—Does this action leadtoward or away from the Vision articulated inyour holistic goal?

7) Gut Check—Considering all the testingquestions and your holistic goal, how do youfeel about this action or decision now?

You may test decisions individually on a day-to-day basis or you will make higher leveldecisions as part of your strategic plan that willbe based in your financial planning, biologicalmonitoring, land planning, or grazing planning(or other production planning you do).

Practice Six—Monitor your results

Before you begin to implement a decision,consider any unintended consequences thatcould arise from your actions. Determine theearliest warning signs that might say you’regoing off track. Monitor those indicatorscarefully; take action if things start to go wrong or circumstances change.

We hope these revisions have made the curriculum more inviting and easier tounderstand so that more farmers and rancherswill shift their thinking and behavior toward a more holistic approach to agriculture. We are working on developing an online course from this material as well, so look for an announcement in the nextIN PRACTICE and on our website to learn more when this will be offered.


Have questions?Like to share your feedbackregarding these changes to theframework? Send an email [email protected].

Holistic Management® Framework

� Food: Quail are omnivores; they will eat adiversity of plants and insects to meet their dailynutritional requirements. In terms of vegetation,quail rely heavily on forbs, herbaceousflowering plants that are not grasses. Forbs,therefore, are an excellent indicator of thesuitability of an area to support a healthy quail population. Insects are also agood food source for quail; therefore, it is criticalto have diverse vegetation, both in terms ofspecies diversity and geometric growth form, to support large numbers of insects that areaccessible to ground dwelling birds. Dr. Rollinsshowed us a brief field video that demonstratedthe great diversity of insects that are found in astrip of sunflowers that colonized an area thatwas disked for this purpose.

� Water: Water should be available at adistance of half a mile between water points.GIS maps can be used as a land planning toolto determine areas where water is scarce,which may help to make decisions as waterdevelopment progresses on the landscape.Many ranchers modify troughs and wateringpoints to accommodate ground dwelling birdslike quail. This is done by adding ramps both onthe exterior and interior of a trough. The exteriorramp allows the quail to get up to the trough toget a drink, and the interior ramp gives the birdsan exit if they should fall in or if they are unableto reach the water from the top.

� Cover: Quail also require cover, which they use for a number of differentpurposes: protection from predators, nesting,feeding, and sleeping. Here is where there aresome subtle but important differences betweenBobwhite and Scaled Quail. Scaled requirescattered brush cover, about the size of apickup truck, at 5 to 15% of the land area with a

distance of approximately every 50 yards.Bobwhites require the same sized brush, but at5 to 25% of the land area and at distance ofevery 25 yards. As a species that is restrictedprimarily to arid rangelands, Scaled Quail havelimited needs for dense grass cover. Sparsebunch grasses and forbs should providesufficient grass cover for Scaled Quail, butBobwhites require basketball sizedbunchgrasses and annual forbs at somewhathigher densities.

One key challenge for land managers in aridenvironments is maintaining adequate grasscover in grazed areas. Several strategies existto deal with this challenge. One simple strategyis to lower your stocking rate. And while this is a simple strategy, it is likely a big decision formost producers and should be approached withcareful deliberation. First and foremost, themanager must weigh the cost of doing so withthe potential gains from additional huntingrevenues. Grazing planning is another usefulway to manage grass cover. As most readersknow, one useful outcome of a well developedgrazing plan is the ability to control residualforage. Consider shortening your grazingperiods and/or lengthening your recoveryperiods to allow for full sufficient grass

coverage. Monitor the results of your planningon the landscape as you go.

In moist environments, grass cover canbecome too thick for quail, which can restrictmobility thereby decreasing habitat suitability. In this situation, it is much easier to use grazingand animal impact as a tool to improveecosystem geometry. Design your grazing planto allow for adequate residual cover, and alsomanage stock density such that some of theresidual cover is trampled to the ground, whichwill free up some space while improving thewater and mineral cycle.

� Home Range: Finally, be aware of thehabitat and range size of quail. In general, quailare less mobile than most other wildlife species.Quail have been known to move largedistances, sometimes as much as 20 miles orgreater; the reasons for this are unknown.Fortunately, quail generally like to stay in a fairlysmall home range. In the case of Bobwhite, thehome range is generally 20 to 50 acres in size,while the Scaled home range is between 80 and300 acres in size. If your ranch or farm issmaller than this yet still home to quailpopulations, consider including your neighborsin some of your planning exercises. What theydo will also affect the hunting and wildlife valueof your property. If your ranch is large enough toaccommodate quail, take a look at your landplan and consider if you are allowing forconnected corridors of habitat to allow quailpopulations to intermingle and move naturallyacross the landscape.

In conclusion, cows and quail can cohabitatethe same environment, and both can thrive. Inarid environments, managers must be careful notto damage the grass cover that quail require. Inhigher rainfall areas, cattle and other domesticlivestock are a useful tool for managing thelandscape towards the unique requirements ofground dwelling quail. As always, planaccordingly and monitor your results.


This is a quail-eye viewof the kind ofcover and food sourcethat makes up good quail habitat.

Managing Quail Habitat by Frank araGona

After HMI’s very successful and exciting Cows and Quail workshop in Van Horn Texas thisJuly, I’ve learned a lot about quail and their habitat requirements. Dr. Dale Rollins is aquail specialist and was a designated facilitator during the two-day workshop. Much ofthe information in this article comes directly from Dr. Rollins’ experience and expertise.

There are many quail species in North America, but for the purposes of the Cows and Quailworkshop we were primarily focused on two species: Bobwhite Quail and Scaled Quail. The NorthernBobwhite Quail is a species found throughout North America, and there are 21 recognized sub-species, the majority of which are found in the United States or Northern Mexico. Scaled Quail areconfined mostly to the Southwestern United States, with their range extending into Central Mexico.

A major focus of our workshop was learning about the varied habitat requirements of differentwildlife species. Along with the two species of quail described above, we also learned about thehabitat requirements of pronghorn, big horn sheep, and mule deer. In broad terms, many wildlifespecies require similar things to thrive. We chose to focus on the basics in our workshop: food,water, cover, and home range.

Market Focus

The Kitchen Garden has three primarymarkets: Farmer’s Markets, wholesale torestaurants and retail stores, and CommunitySupported Agriculture (CSA) shares. Whilethere is nothing unusual about that marketstrategy, her implementation certainly has acreative flair.

When the farm first began, Caroline was inthe field all the time. But when her children, Lilyand Oliver, came along she switched to themanagement and marketing side of the businessmore. In 2010, she participated in HMI’sBeginning Women Farmer program to continueto develop her business management skills.

One way to increase the sales at the fourfarmer’s markets they supply was to offer a pre-paid debit card, called a Market Share, thatpeople can buy food with as part of a gourmetCSA option. “People need to buy with the cardbefore December 31st,” says Caroline. “Thatway we have a clean slate going into thefollowing year and people buy the productsbefore the card expires.” Add to this flexibility ofpurchasing and diversity of offerings a robust

social media effort that includes blogs, electronicfarm journal, email list, spots on TV and radio,and you have a very active marketing campaign.

“Marketing is about consistentcommunication,” says Caroline. Getting acustomer’s email is critical to begin thatcommunication process. You can begin to havepre-season conversations to get them readyand interested in the growing season.

Part of that communication is visual, such as always showing greens fresh andkeeping them cool to look their best. “The moreyou know about your product, the more you areable to sell it,” says Caroline. “People needencouragement. Give out free samples and give them ideas of how to use theingredients.”

The farmer’s markets are a place to engage new customers as well as develop your relationship with current customers. Eachfarmer’s market is different, so there is athought process behind deciding which marketyou want to engage in. “Each market has verydistinct customers,” says Caroline. “Forexample, the Springfield market is very diverse.Some are there for a bargain and are looking forprice. Then there are the serious food loversthat want something new. Finally, there are themoms that buy food that their families will eat.We take that into account as we select andprepare for those markets.”

All that marketing doesn’t have to cost a lot of money, but it does require some thinkingto maximize marketing effort. Caroline says, “How you market your product makes a hugedifference in getting free advertising.” For example, The Kitchen Garden usesreusable plastic tote boxes with their logo on the side. The cost is $8/each and it’s part of the CSA cost. They not only serve totransport vegetables, but are free advertising as CSA members tote their food or leave thebox around their house.

Chef Demand

Caroline also spends a lot of timedeveloping successful relationships withrestaurants and the chefs who make thepurchasing decisions. She encourages farmersto talk with the chefs at restaurants to find outwhat they want and to see if they are willing tobuy smaller quantities if you don’t have a lot of aparticular item. She also suggested that youcan sell as little as 2 bunches of parsley and sixheads of lettuce if it works for you economically.

In fact, delivering these smaller amounts canbe a service differentiation. The key is to havesome personality, a story to tell that the chefcan in turn tell to his or her clients. It also paysto be organized and have an email list and pricelist so ordering is easy. Don’t wait for the chef tocall you. Call the chef. “Mention what theyhaven’t ordered,” suggests Caroline. “Check tosee if they are interested in other products. Eatout at the restaurants you sell to and checkabout the food preparation.

Caroline said that when you are buildingrelationships with restaurants to purchaseproduce, it’s critical to learn what the chef wants.You need to find out who has the authority andhow they prefer to be contacted and at whattime of day. If you have your product and pricelist, you are better prepared to know who to calland highlight certain items for certainrestaurants. The more you can get theserestaurants on schedules, the easier it is tomanage the product delivery.

Production & Marketing

Caroline found that the gross profit analysisis critical to determine what to grow. She hasfound bunched roots, lettuce, and herbs to beprofitable products for her farm. But her product


Building Market Demand—

The Kitchen Gardenby ann aDaMS

Caroline Pam originally went to culinary school and traveled abroad as part of her love forgood food. She also had a stint as a farm market manager where she met her husband,Tim Wilcox. Their common love of “Vegetables with Taste” (The Kitchen Garden’s tagline)led them to start The Kitchen Garden in Sunderland and Hadley, Massachusetts.

The Kitchen Garden’s primary focus is on food lovers—providing them with great healthy foodraised sustainably. Caroline wants people to realize how delicious the food is and how much flavorthere are in vegetables. She also shares with people how to cook the food to bring those flavorsout. Between radio, TV, newspaper, and web outreach, Caroline has spent considerable effort toshare her knowledge and story as well as her food. The Kitchen Garden started on one acre thengrew to 2 acres, then 4, then 7, and now is 20 acres, growing to supply market demand that is aresult of good marketing strategy and implementation.

ConTinueD on PaGe 8

Tim and Caroline with Lily and Oliver at The Kitchen Garden’s farmer market stand.

Having plastic tote boxes with The KitchenGarden logo on it works nicely for their CSA(reusable containers that keep on advertising).

mix has evolved based on what people are excited about. Certainly you need acritical quantity to garner interest and to make delivery financially feasible, but thatdoesn’t preclude offering some options and novelty items, or accepting requests. “Getwhat people are used to, but slightly different and cooler,” says Caroline. “If there aresome crops you just can’t give up, create a ‘pet’ garden for your pet projects, butphase them out of your production mix. For a successful business, you have to growwhat you can sell a lot of.”

When The Kitchen Garden moved to a very narrow farm, they had to reconsider if they wanted organic status because the buffer on both sides of her land meant verylittle would actually be considered organic. Many of the farm practices would fall intothe organic regulations, such as dealing with weeds with stale bedding and flameweeding, but instead of pushing for organic status, the marketing statement behindthe production decision is: “Are we organic? We only use products and techniquesthat have been approved for organic agriculture. But technically, we cannot callourselves organic because we have chosen not to certify with the USDA. We thinkthis is an unnecessary step because we have such a close relationship with ourcustomers. They know us and what we care about, and our vegetables speak for themselves.”

Pricing is a critical part of marketing that is directly related to cost of production.While there are many price reports to use when pricing your product, you can’t forgetyour cost of production and the type of product you are selling. “There’s a tendency towant to dump your product by reducing your price,” says Caroline. “It’s not a goodmove to make because you can’t talk people back up. It also is not good for otherfarmers. You really need to determine the right price, then find the right buyer. Sure, if you have seconds then you can price accordingly.”

To maximize production and profitability, The Kitchen Garden double crops. Thisintense growing season means they have three full-time employees, two to threeapprentices, and three summer workers. Now that they have high tunnel greenhouses,they have extended their season to year-round.

Gourmet CSa

The Kitchen Garden CSA is a little more involved than the average CSA. It’s really a hybrid of a buyer’s club and a CSA. Market Share is a new kind of CSA that offersmore choice and flexibility than a traditional farmshare. Customers can pick out whatthey want from any of The Kitchen Garden’s farmers' market stands in four locations.

Members can choose to join at the Small Share of $325 or Full Share levels at$550. Market Share members are also welcome to harvest herbs, cherry tomatoes,peas, beans and flowers from the pick-your-own garden in Hadley. There is also a“Fruit Share” which was developed with a partnership with local fruit producers.Likewise, there are Winter and Spring Shares available to keep customers loyalduring the off-seasons.

Marketing can be a lot of work and it helps to have one farm member focused onthat effort to make sure that it happens with the quality and consistency necessary. But if you are trying to maximize income from production, marketing is a critical pieceof selling the amount of product you want at the price you want. Caroline’s key adviceregarding marketing? “Know your numbers.” If you know what it cost to produce andwhat you need to make the profit you want, then you are more motivated and able todevelop and implement the marketing plan that will get you there.

For more marketing/pricing resources that Caroline suggested, go to her powerpointpresentation for the Beginning Women Farmer Conference at:http://holisticmanagement.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Farm-to-Restaurant.pdf.Caroline Pam can be reached at: [email protected].


The kitchen Garden continued from page sevenMarket Your FarmProducts Effectivelyby Sanne kure-JenSen

Most farmers focus on productionand don’t spend nearly enougheffort on marketing. As with anybusiness, this effort is critical to our

success. Sherry Simpson of Cranberry HillFarm shared her marketing experience at theBeginning Women Farmer Conference atUniversity of Massachusetts, Amherst,Massachusetts in March of this year. Her three-step approach was simple, inexpensive andsuccessful: Tell your story, Create a logo andAccessorize. Simpson’s consumer-focusedmarketing strategies help her run a successful,profitable farm in Ashford, Connecticut.

Holistic Management considers threeproduct phases: Resource conversion orgrowing, Product Conversion or harvest/processing and Marketing Conversion orselling. Marketing and selling are often theweakest links in the Farm to Eater process. As with any Whole Farm Managementapproach, Simpson recommended addressingthe weak link with a variety of low cost or freemarketing techniques.

Marketing

Everything the consumer experiences, from the way your phone is answered, yourbusiness card, Farmers’ Market display orwebsite, to a story in the paper is part of yourbusiness marketing. Make sure the messagesays what you want it to say.

Customers today want an “experience”rather than a “product.” If you aren’t interestedin working directly with customers, Simpsonsuggests you hire someone who is moreoutgoing or sell wholesale.

Today’s trendy restaurants promote menuswith “local” produce, greens and meats.Customers recognize the health benefits ofeating fresh, local produce and pastured orfree-range meats. Buyers support local farmersdirectly at Farmers’ Markets and Farm Stands,or indirectly where local farms’ products arefeatured in restaurants and grocery stores.

Tell your Story

“You are Local!” said Simpson. Be sure youremind customers and sell your farm and farmfamily. Tell what you grow and how; explain whyare you a farmer and when you started farming.Is it a multigenerational effort? Brag to yourcustomers if you use best management

practices, organics or integrated pestmanagement practices. Explain why you choseor didn’t choose heirloom varieties or breeds.Was it for disease resistance, flavor orconsistency of the crop, etc? Assume that yourcustomers are not home gardeners and willneed details.

Branding/logo

Design a logo and use it on everything.Make it simple and clear. It could just be asbasic as your farm name with an oval around it.The least expensive option is a one color logo.If you don’t feel creative, select a Clip Art imagefor free at microsoft.com or request a designerproposal at crowdspring.com.

Have this logo printed or sewn on shirts,coats, hats and/or aprons to wear at Farmers’Markets, Farm Stands, CSA pickups or duringdeliveries. See the “Displays” section below formore on Farmers’ Market and Farm Standsignage.

To improve your credibility, use everyappropriate partner logo on your brochures,fliers, website and Facebook page. Include yourstate department of agriculture logo, HarvestNew England and Slow Food USA. If you are amember of NOFA, a Chamber of Commerce orother associations, include their logo as well. Besure to request permission from theorganization and have them send you a highresolution image rather than just pulling it fromtheir websites. For member organizations, besure you keep your membership current.

accessorize—Print

Create business cards, product signs, tri-foldbrochures, rack cards and signs. Each spring,or for special events, print and mail post cards.

Simpson creates her promotional materials onher home computer. She supports a localprinter, Staples, OfficeMax or ordersinexpensively from Vista Print and uses freetemplates at Microsoft.com and Vistaprint.com.Be sure your rack cards have your farm logo,contact information, web site, directions andsomething unique about you. Always carrybusiness cards and rack cards. Bring rack cardsto your local library, your town hall, local stores,Chamber of Commerce, Visitors’ Bureau,garden centers and other relevant sites.

Place your Farmers’ Market or Farm Standhours in the free calendar listings in your localnewspaper, www.Patch.com and other onlinecalendars. Check with your local or stateVisitors’ Bureau, tourism office or Chamber ofCommerce to investigate their listing options.

accessorize—Web

Establish a presence on the internet. Takeadvantage of all the free listings you can: yourstate’s department of agriculture and anymember associations you belong to like alivestock association or Chamber of Commerce.Keep a list and be sure to update all theselistings if you change your hours or want topromote a special event.

You can get national/international exposurewith a free web page at LocalHarvest.org,Facebook.com or SmallFarmCentral.com. Yourpage should include a farm description, images,contact information, where you sell, farm orFarmers’ Market hours, directions or map, afarm story and special farming practices. Addyour farm and business associations, partners,product list, dates products available andcustomer reviews. For about $50/year you canbe a part of the www.eatwild.org site. You mayalso choose to invest in your own website.Facebook or a blog allows you to have aconversation with your customers.

You can see Cranberry Hill Farm’s listingsand websites at LocalHarvest.org,Facebook.com, farmfresh.org, and NEHBC.org.Search or Google your farm name frequentlyand see what is out there. You may wish to linkto a favorable story from your site. If there is anerror posted, get it corrected right away.

Displays

Use a simple long, one-color tablecloth overyour Farmers Market display table. Let yourproducts be the colorful focus. Use multileveldisplays between waist height and eye level.Always make bountiful displays. Refill thebaskets or bins from backups in coolers underthe tables, switch to smaller baskets or addsomething when you run low. Customers never


Art Talmadge and Sherry Simpson at theirfarmer’s market booth marketing their farmproducts.

buy the last of anything. Include somethingyellow for its eye-catching appeal.

Label everything at Farmers’ Markets and atFarm Stands. Print up 4 by 6 cards with yourfarm logo and your various product names andlaminate them. You can use a wax pencil ormarker to write in your prices. Post these uphigh in your tent. Make another set of cards withtwo or three brief, interesting facts about eachitem such as: especially sweet, long keeper,heirloom variety, organically grown, Italian seed,great with ___ and include a cooking or recipesuggestion. Put these near the products.Consider offering recipe cards (with your logo,website and contact information) for customersto take with them.

Be Profitable

Be sure you evaluate your real productioncosts. Your time is valuable. Set your prices tomake a reasonable profit. Educate yourcustomers that you deserve a living wage justas they do. Do not look around at otherFarmers’ Market vendors and match orundercut their prices. This approach makeseveryone lose money on their efforts andproducts. You will do better to offer a qualityproduct, display it in an attractive manner andact courteously.

Get The Word out

Simpson urged farmers to stay in touch withyour State’s Department of Agriculture, TourismOffice and Visitors Bureau to learn aboutregional and local events. Participate in everyrelevant event you can for exposure tocustomers and to get your name out. Somestates have a state-wide farm weekend; if yoursite and insurance can support it, participate inthat tour. Encourage farm visitors (on specificdays and times) through your mailings rackcards and website.

Get media coverage whenever you can.Invite local and regional reporters to join youremail and postcard mailing list. Includetelevision, print and online contacts. Contactthem directly when you have a photo op or writeand send press releases yourself.

To learn more about Cranberry Hill Farm, goto http://www.localharvest.org/cranberry-hill-farm-M20409 or visit the farm's Facebook pageat www.facebook.com/cranberryhillfarm. If youhave questions on marketing, contact SherrySimpson at [email protected] or 860-429-3923. A similar story appeared in the June11, 2012 New England issue of Country Folksand was posted at examiner.com.

Nutrient Dense Grazingby liSa McCrory

After completing a course in 2011 on Nutrient Dense Farming(www.realfoodcampaign.org), Lisa was inspired to use this new-found information and apply it to her pastures and gardens. Taking a close look at her soil tests, she gained a deeper understanding of the soil’s excesses and deficiencies, and came up with a strategy toincrease the biological activity in her soil, the health of her plants and, the nutritional quality in the pastures and gardens. This article will take you through the process of what has been done on Earthwise Farmand Forest, the economics behind it, some observations from the 2011growing season, and thoughts and plans for 2012.

Earthwise Farm and Forest consists of 158 acres of which 125 acres are actively managed forest and 8 acres is currentlyopen and used for pasture and vegetable crops. An additional 16 acres are leased and used for pasture.

Much of the leased land has come under our management over thepast 4-8 years and prior to that had been over grazed or neglected. Wehave been making improvements on these pieces by employingManagement Intensive Grazing and holistic planned grazing, andproviding water in the paddocks for more efficient grazing and morecontrol over where the manure is deposited. We also drag the pastures inthe spring and clip pastures at least once a year, or when necessary.

It was clear from the animal productivity, plant species, and total drymatter harvested each season that our grazing management was makinga difference, but there was a lot of room for improvement. We know that if our land is more productive, that we would be able to harvest some ofthe surplus feed for winter feeding. I knew that we could make incrediblestrides if we were to take some soil tests and address some of the acutedeficiencies and imbalances.

In 2011, I enrolled in the Nutrient Dense Farming class, offered by the Real Food Campaign (www.realfoodcampaign.org) and taught by DanKittredge. This course helped me develop a deeper understanding of whatit means to have healthy balanced soils and how that impacts: 1) feed andfood quality; 2) disease resistance; 3) pest resistance; and 4) the volumeof the feed and food produced. I used the knowledge gleaned from thisclass in addressing deficiencies in our pastures and gardens and wouldlike to share with you some of our activities and plans for the future.

Soil Tests

Reading and understanding the soil test was the first step. By readingthe soil test I could identify the deficiencies and imbalances in our

pastures and gardens, and then determine which organically approvedfertilizers I wanted to apply to address those deficiencies. Then I wouldneed to calculate the volume (lbs/acre) of each amendment that would beneeded to bring the soil to perfect balance.

Finances

With limited cash reserves, we needed to look at what was needed,calculate the costs, determine what we could afford, and then cut theamendments to a volume that was practical within our budget. We alsocreated a wish list of additional amendments that we would add if timeand resources became available.

logistics

Knowing what to add wasactually the easiest part to thisproject. Finding out where to getthe amendments, getting areasonable price, anddetermining how it was going tobe delivered and applied wasalmost more challenging.

Our farm is relatively smalland almost all of the fieldsneeding attention do not haveeasy access, nor do we have a

10 � September / october 2012Land & Livestock

&liVeSToCk

Percentages of Nutrients in various mined mineralsMagnesium Sulfate (epsom salts) = 20% Mg, 30% SGypsum = 23% Ca, 19% S

Sul-Po-Mag = 22%S, 22% K, 11% Mg Soft Rock Phosphate = 22% P, 20% Ca Hi Cal Lime = 38-40% Ca

Dolomitic Lime = 30% Ca, 10% Mg P2O5: 75 ppm P x 4.6 = 350 #/acre P2O5

Bazel spending some time with his chickens in their chicken tractor.

good location for amendments to be dropped off (volume loads) and thenspread. Our methods of application were: 1) lime spreader, pulled by ourhorses, 2) backpack sprayer (liquid application), 3) spreading by handfrom a wheel barrow (micro nutrients).

Grazing Management

In order to plan our grazing season we need to write down a number of factors including:

1) Animal groups grazing on our farm: Draft Horses(2), Dairy Cow and Calves (3), Steers (5), Turkeys (50), Meat Birds (50), Layers(30), Layer Replacements (15), Sows and piglet s (6-8)

2) Identifying which animals can move large distances and which ones stick to a particular piece of ground. We also will start our pigs in a different location each year.

3) How often we plan to move various groups. A new paddock is given every 12-48 hours, with the exception of the pigs, who work larger sections of land for weeks at a time.

4) Planning for clipping, reseeding, dragging, possible hay harvest for 2012

5) Making sure that there is water in each paddock6) Time to do some biological monitoring over the

grazing season: Making note of pre and post grazing height, palatability, milk production, plant species, plant density, regrowth time, etc.

Monitoring and evaluating

For 2011 and 2012, we have been keeping track of the pounds of drymatter harvested per acre over the growing season on each of our fields.One of the record keeping forms we used was HMI’s Grazing Planningand Control Chart. Since we were not harvesting any feed mechanically in2011, we calculated the volume of dry matter harvested by grazing, plusany feed that was mowed and left as feed for the plants. Since we havenot had sufficient quantity or quality of surplus feed, we have chosen to‘clip and mulch’ if pasture gets a little ahead of us as a way of addingextra nutrients to those pastures, encourage grass and legume speciesand discourage unwanted weed species.

We also took forage samples in August, 2011 and plan to continuemonitoring plant regrowth and quality year after year—taking note of theparticular growing season (hot/wet/dry/cold…), determine impact ofmanagement, applications and the growing season in general.

2011 nutrients and Cost

Taking the Nutrient Dense Farming Course, I becamemore appreciative of a broad spectrum of nutrients(beyond the N, P, and K), and their importance inproducing food that is more nutritious and resistant todisease and pest infestations. I have enjoyed using the soiltesting services provided by Logan Laboratories, as theyprovide clear information on many of the macro and micronutrients, and provide ‘ideal’ and ‘actual’ readings so that Ican identify deficiencies and excesses and use thisinformation in my fertilizer amendment plans.

Based upon the soil test results of our primary grazingacreage (10 acres), the pastures were low in Potassium, Phosphorous,Sulfur, Calcium, Magnesium, Boron, Manganese, Zinc, and Cobalt. The pHfor all the fields ranged from 5.4 to 5.9. It was not my intention to addamendments on the fields to bring them to their ‘optimum’ condition for afew reasons:

1) Too much at once could shock the system, and we were not turningover the sod; this would all be applied as a broadcast on the pastures,

2) I was more interested in seeing a gradual improvement so that Icould see how the biological system would respond; my theory is that asthe conditions become more favorable for soil microbes, earthworms andthe like, that their increased activity will also contribute to soil nutrientsbeing more available to the plants, and

3) We did not have the financial resources to address 100% of theneeds; we applied about 50% or what was suggested.

number 145 � 11Land & Livestock

Trace ElementsSolubor = 20% Boron

Borax = 11% Boron

Cobalt Sulfate = 27% copper

Manganese Sulfate = 32% Manganese

Important Conversion ValuesPPM = Parts per million PPA = Pounds per Acre PPA = 2(PPM)

There are 2 million lbs of soil in the top 6 inches of soil

500 lbs per acre = 11. 5 lbs per 1000 sq feet100 lbs per acre = 2.3 lbs per 1000 sq feet20 lbs per acre = .46 lbs per 1000 sq feet5 lbs per acre = 2 ounces per 1000 sq feet

These Belgian cross gelding (left) and Belgian mare (right) are used for draft power at Earthwise Farm and Forest.


Tamworth/Berkshire crosses are the heritage hogs for sale at Earthwise.

Potassium: Ideal balance = 3-5% base saturation(780 CEC x % saturation %200 = ppm), Ca:K ratio 10:1Best Sources: Potassium sulfate, Bio-calNote: Excessive levels of potassium can crowd outcalcium and magnesium, resulting in deficiencies ofthese cations. In dairy cattle low Mg and Ca and high Kcan lead to ‘grass tetany’ (hypomagnesemia) and milkfever (hypocalcemia).

Benefits:1) Stalk strength, lodging resist ance2) Improves winter hardiness3) Disease resistance4) Protein production5) Carbohydrate production; sugar translocation6) Enzyme function7) Cell division

Magnesium: Ideal balance = 12-15% saturation (240 CEC x % saturation % 200 = ppm, Ca:Mg ratio 5:1Best Sources: Magnesium sulfate, Sul-Po-MagBenefits:1) Key element in chlorophyll2) Protein production3) Enzyme functions4) Energy release in cells5) Aids in phosphorous uptake6) Oil formation7) Starch translocation

Calcium: Ideal balance = 70-80% saturation (400 CEC x % saturation % 200 = ppm), Ca:K ratio 10:1, Ca:Mg ratio 5:1Best sources = Bio-Cal, Calcium Sulfate (gypsum),High Calcium Lime (low Mg), Ida-PhosBenefits:1) Improves soil structure2) Stimulates soil microbes and earthworms3) Mobilizes nutrient s into plant4) Increases Nitrogen utilization, protein content5) Root & leaf growth6) Cell division7) Builds cell walls8) Enzyme functions9) Increases sugar content of plant10) Promotes overall plant health11) High quality grain or fruit

Phosphorous: Ideal Balance = P1 (available): 25-50 ppm, P2 (reserve): 50-100 ppmBest sources: Monoammonium phosphate, Idahophosphate (Ida-phos), N.Carolina phosphateBenefits:1) Fast & vigorous growth2) Good & early root growth3) Grain development and quality4) Hastens maturity5) Increased N uptake6) Increased mineral content7) Higher sugar in plant8) Energy release in cells9) Cell division & enlargement10) Photosynthesis11) Contained in cells’ DNA

Sulfur: Ideal Balance = 50 ppm or 100 #/acreBest sources: Bio-Cal, Annomium sulfate, calcium sulfate (gypsum), potassium sulfateBenefits:1) More useable protein (high quality,

complete)2) Makes soil nitrogen more available3) Loosens, aerates soil4) Reduces excess soil magnesium5) Lowers soil pH6) Energy release in cells7) Part of vitamin B1 and biotin

Zinc: Ideal balance = 5+ ppm or 10#/areBest sources: zinc sulfateBenefits:1) Contributes to test weight2) Increases ear size of corn3) Promotes silking in corn4) Hastens maturity5) Chlorophyll formation6) Enzyme functions7) Regulates plant growth

Manganese: Ideal balance = 20 ppm or 40#/acre – Mn/Fe ratio should be 1:1Best sources: Manganese sulfate, 28%Benefits:1) Normal growth and photosynthesis2) Oil Production3) Energy release in cells4) Enzyme function

Iron: Ideal Balance = 20 ppm or 40#/acreHigh iron ties up phosphorousBenefits:1) Chlorophyll production2) Energy release in cells3) Needed by nitrogen-fixing bacteria

Copper: Ideal Balance = 2+ ppm or 4#/acreBest sources = copper sulfate, 25%Benefits:1) Controls mold and fungi2) Photosynthesis3) Releases energy in cells4) Enzyme functions5) Normal leaf growth6) Increases st alk strength7) Animal health

Boron: Ideal Balance = 2+ ppm or 4#/acreBest sources = calcium borateBenefits:1) Promotes flowering and pollen

(silk & tassel in corn)2) Seed development3) Root and leaf growth4) Cell wall formation5) Protein production6) Sugar translocation7) Energy release in cells8) Improves quality9) Increases calcium uptake


Macro and Micro Nutrients

On the 10 acres of primary pasture (andpotential hay ground),we applied (on a peracre basis) 1 ton dolomitic lime, 200#gypsum, 200# Sulpomag, 10# Solubor, 10#Zinc Sulphate, 15# Manganese Sulfate.This came to an investment of $237/acre.The micro nutrients were applied in the fallmixed 1:1 with humates, one of thepastures did not get the micronutrients lastfall (ran out of time), but we will apply themthis year. This may give us an opportunityto compare the untreated field to the oneadjacent that did have micronutrientsapplied. We will be able to compare forageproduction, plant species, and perhaps feedquality.

ruminations and observations

The 2011 growing season wasparticularly wet and rainy with a noticeablelack of sunny days, which had a directimpact on feed quality and regrowth. It wasa hard year to bring in quality feed, but wasa good year for grazing as the pace of theregrowth was perfect for us; it didn’t seemto slow down even in the hottest parts ofthe summer (late June and July). The 2012growing season is proving to be much morefavorable with an early spring, lots of hotsunny days, and ample rainfall. As a result,our pastures are growing incredibly well. I am estimating that forage production is at least 50% greater this year than it was in 2011.

It is hard to say how much credit goes to the nutrients applied and how much goesto a warmer, sunnier growing season.Perhaps it is a combination of the two. Myunderstanding is that it is in year 2 and 3after applying minerals/ nutrients to thepasture that we will see the greatestimprovements. In walking the pastures withmy husband in late June, we both notedhow the plant species have changedsignificantly over the years and perhapseven more so over the past 12 months. The population of ferns on the edge of oneof the fields has dwindled significantly, andthere is a much denser population of grassand legume species in the pasture. I thinkthat the grasses and legumes have beenable to compete better because weprovided the right environment for themboth above and below the ground.

nutrient Dense Grazingcontinued from page eleven


Doug and the Peterson crew before moving fence for their cattle. Farming is a family affair.

Mob Grazing –

A Tool to Improve Pasturelandby heaTher SMiTh ThoMaS

The term mob grazing is often used to describe short durationhigh-intensity grazing—with many cattle on a small area ofpasture, moved once a day or several times a day to a newsection of pasture. Doug Peterson, NRCS State Grassland

Conservationist in Missouri, says the term mob-grazing is somewhatvague and there are many interpretations.

Mob Grazing Defined

“Whenever someone tells me they are mob grazing, I want to knowwhat stock density they are using, in pounds. Are they using 100,000pounds per acre, or 10,000, or half a million pounds of animal weight?Stock density is determined by pounds per acre, so 100 thousand-poundcows per acre would be 100,000 pounds. The calculation of stock densitydoesn’t take into consideration how long you leave them there (one day,half a day or two days), that’s 100,000 pounds. If you put those same 100cows on a half acre, that’s 200,000 pounds of stock density. If the 100cows are on 10 acres, that’s 10,000 pounds of stock density. This figuretells me almost everything I want to know. It tells me their trampling rate,how often they will be moved, and to some extent what the pasture restperiod will be, and so on,” says Peterson.

“My primary experience with mob grazing comes from my ownoperation. We have a 200 cow-calf beef operation and run another 200contract cows on the side. I was a soil scientist with NRCS for a while andhave a strong interest in soils. I’ve been a student of Jim Gerrish’smanagement intensive grazing (MIG) and a student of HolisticManagement and Allan Savory. Savory taught me about the tool of animalimpact. We had several things happen in our own operation that led us tosee some of the things that animal impact and trampling could do. About5 years ago Ian Mitchell-Innes (from South Africa) and Chad Peterson inNebraska were both starting to get some folks following their ideas abouthigher density grazing, so we weren’t the first to do this, but were alwayswilling to try new things.”


Due to the incredible abundance of feed this year, wedecided to purchase a square baler and plan to harvest some feed in July on at least 5 of our 10 amended pastureacres. In the past (before we had our two cows and 3 steers)my husband would mow a few acres with his horses and storethe hay (loose, stacked) in our neighbor’s barn. In order tostore a greater amount of feed that is easier to handle andwith minimal financial investment, purchasing a used squarebaler ($1,200) made the most sense for our farm. We do nothave a tractor, so we also needed a piece of equipment thatour draft horses could pull.

The cost for the 2011 amendments were:

• 18 tons lime @ $52/ton delivered . . . . . . . . . . . . . $940

• 2 ton SulPo Mag/Gypsum @ $550/ton. . . . . . . . . $1100

• Micronutrients: Zinc Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Boron, Humates – applied at $75/acre . . $750

• Total amount invested on amendments for 2011 . $2,790

So have we recouped our investment from last year? Notyet, but if we manage to harvest even 150 square bales thisyear, that will be $600 that we will not be spending onpurchased feed and about 20% of our purchased feed needs.If we can hold steady with soil nutrients then we will pay offthe investment in 5 years. Moreover, this investment will alsobe moving us closer towards our goal of not having topurchase any winter forages. We plan to take another soil testin 2013 to see how things have changed and will decide thenwhether it would be prudent to apply any additional nutrients. I feel that with our Management Intensive Grazing and holisticplanned grazing, we are making gradual improvements yearafter year, and anticipate that our fields will not need anyadditional inputs. The soil test that we take next year will bevery interesting indeed and will help us assess the value andimpact that the amendments had on our pastures. We maypay off our investment sooner than we think.

Lisa McCrory is a mentor and instructor for HMI’sBeginning Women Farmer Program. She can be reached at:[email protected] or 802/234-5524.

At Earthwise, the Jersey cows are milked by hand out in the field.

a 4 to 5-foot tall canopy. I’ve seen some fields that have such a tallcanopy that the operators have to chop it down where the fences go, sothe cattle can see where the temporary fence is. There are sometremendous benefits when you can let it grow that high,” he says.

We have to take animal performance into consideration, and it shouldbe one of the things at the top of our list. But having grass that mature isnot a bad thing if you have some flexibility, using diverse species oflivestock or animals with different nutritional needs. “Our best livestocktool for trampling large amounts of material down is a dry cow, or a cow inlate lactation after breeding season is over. We can let the calves wanderunderneath a single wire electric fence into a pasture with less matureplants (more nutrients), wherever they need to go to meet their nutritionalneeds, while still concentrating the cows on the tall, mature piece to havean impact in a certain area,” he says.

“It’s not one-size-fits-all. The tool of animal impact and improving soilhealth is something we need to look at differently each year or evenduring the year. There are times when the market is right and we can

make a profit with a certain class of livestock,that we might want to graze grass a little shorterand take a little profit out of that land. There aretimes to build soil and put profit into that land—to store carbon in the soil—and there are timeswe can make a profit with a class of livestockthat needs a higher nutritional level, to take thatprofit back out.” You can take advantage ofsome of the gain you’ve made in the soil andgrass.

“I did a pasture walk here several monthsago, and Bob Salmon, the gentleman whose place we were looking at,had very good records on the number of cattle he’d been able to runevery year, doing a lot of custom grazing. It varied widely in differentyears, over the course of 10 years. He might get a really good grazingcontract one year or was running his own yearlings, and if he thought theprice was going to be really good he would stock a little heavier thatyear—taking the profit back out of the land, knowing that he would haveto rest it in the future. So the next year he might graze half as manyanimals, in an effort to restore the land and put carbon back into the soil,”explains Peterson.

This is where a good grazing plan comes into play, along with goodmonitoring of the land, the grass, animals, etc. “But for most of ourpastures and landscapes, we’ve been taking and taking for the past 150years. We haven’t tried to put it back. So there is some discussion aboutthe MIG systems allowing us to maximize our intake and utilization andmaintain plant health the way it is today, this year, but these systems don’tnecessarily build soil for the future. There are times when we might haveto give up a little profit. We need to leave a little more grass standingthere and tramp a little more down (rather than having cows eat it) in aneffort to restore and rebuild the soil,” he says.

“There are some good books that talk about this, and how everycivilization that failed in the history of the world failed when it destroyed itssoil. Are we in this country on the verge of failing because of our soildepletion? Maybe not, but I think we have abused and destroyed it fasterthan any other civilization in the history of the world, and we have done itbecause of the availability of technology,” he says.

We have to rethink our methods, and our definition of waste. Mostpeople feel that if they don’t completely use a pasture, they are beingpoor managers and wasting something. We need to think in terms of this“waste” as an investment in the future of the land. “If we want our land totruly be sustainable (a term that gets used too much), we need to rethinkthis; there is very little of our agriculture production system that is


Mob Grazing continued from page thirteen

Building Topsoil

He saw incredible results. “This is a phenomenal tool to heal and buildup our worn out and degraded soils. Our soils in this country are seriouslydegraded. Where I live, in northern Missouri, historically (pre-Europeansettlement) our soils were probably close to 8% organic matter. Now, dueto farming and continuous grazing, most soils are down to 2%. We havesucked organic matter out of these soils. Cropland is down to about 1.5%and well managed pastures about 2.5 to 3.5%. We have a long way to go,to correct this,” says Peterson.

“In my training, in agronomy and soil science, we were taught that ittakes hundreds of years to build or restore the soil. But we started seeingsome interesting things with our intensive grazing and trampling, addingcarbon to the surface of the soil, feeding the soil biology. We startedseeing things that didn’t jive with what we’d been taught. We now knowthat we can do this a lot quicker,” he explains.

“So I went on a quest, not just here at work,but also a personal quest to learn everything Icould about soil health, the water cycle, mineralcycle, soil biology, etc. and came across anumber of people who were doing the samething, and making incredible improvements insoil health. I recognized this as a tool to restorethe land and the productivity of the soil. Thereare many great examples of people who havedone that—here in Missouri and other placesas well,” says Peterson.

“Some producers have restored their soil organic matter to 6, 7 andeven 8% in just a few years. Along with that comes a tremendousincrease in productivity. It’s a higher level of management. The tramplingis a way to purposely feed the soil biology. We purposely feed our cowsbut we don’t always think about soil needs. Any time we do something toremove the soil’s food source (crops or haying), we have taken somethingaway. Even if we feed the hay back on the same land, we don’t get the fullbenefit. We might keep the minerals in the same field, but there’s no waywe can spread it across that field as uniformly as by grazing it, to feed allthe soil biology. If we don’t leave nutrients for the soil biology, we can’tkeep them functioning optimally,” he explains.

“Another thing we’ve seen, by keeping a much taller canopy through alonger portion of the year, we are keeping our soils much cooler. We areactually creating a microclimate from the surface of the soil upward (notjust down). We’ve taken soil temperatures in fields of tall grass, and rightacross the fence in a shorter pasture, we’ve seen as much as a 20-degree difference in soil temperature at 2 inch depth.”

“We’ve always known that soil cover was important, for waterinfiltration and to retard erosion, but I don’t think we realized howimportant the canopy height was. We might have a good layer of mulchon the surface but we didn’t realize how important having a 2 to 3-foot tallcanopy is, versus a 3 to 8-inch canopy in a typical MIG (managementintensive grazing) system,” says Peterson.

“There is a tremendous difference in evaporation and soil temperaturein the taller canopy, and in the air temperature above the ground. If there’sa 6-inch grass canopy in a MIG system the soil temperature will be similarto that of a 2-foot canopy on a piece that has been rested for a longerperiod of time, but the air temperature at 6-8 inches above the ground willnot be the same in the two different fields. We’re actually creating a micro-climate above the surface of the soil by having a 2 to 3-foot tall canopy,and in some cases some people give a longer rest period and might have

“Some producers have restored their soil organic

matter to 6, 7 and even 8% in just a few years.”

anywhere close to sustainable,” says Peterson.For anyone interested in mob grazing, he suggests finding a mentor.

“Talk to people who are already doing it. We talked to several people butwe also made some mistakes. I don’t know of many people who tried itearly on who didn’t make mistakes. We hurt animal performance a little,because when you have a lot of cows confined in a small area, you makethem incredibly aggressive grazers. You can make them eat the thatch offthe ground, even though it may kill them eventually (not enoughnutrients). They become extremely competitive for the forage, and eachtime they go into a new pasture they eat very aggressively,” he says.

“I tell people to not get hung up on achieving a certain stock densityfigure. They need to figure that out for their own situation. The first thing todecide is how often they want to move the cows—once a day, twice a day,or whatever they are willing to do. Then, theyhave to make sure the cows have enoughforage and only eat the part of the plant thatmeets the nutritional needs for that particularclass of livestock. If it’s dry cows, they canprobably eat 60 to 70% of the plant. If it’slactating cows or young stockers, maybe onlythe top 30 to 40% will meet their needs,” heexplains.

The next thing to look at is the tramplingeffect. “Did you get enough of that material onthe ground to protect the soil and to feed the soil organisms? What wasthe animal impact like? If you didn’t get the impact you wanted, your onlychoice is to get a higher stock density, which means you need to givethem a smaller area, which then means moving them more times per day”he says.

Managing for Plant Diversity

“The other thing that’s important is plant diversity, for nutritional needsof the cows as well as mineral cycling. The more diverse the plants, themore resilient the pasture in withstanding stress like drought—as whenyou have both cool and warm season grasses, and broadleaf plants aswell as grasses in the mix. If we have all four groups (cool season, warmseason, forbs and grass) we’ll have a diverse mixture. This is importantfor plant growth and for soil biology and mineral cycling,” he says.

“There are different organisms in the soil that break down andmineralize different types of plants. Thus the more types of plants youhave, the more types of soil biology you have, as well,” he says.

“We also need diversity in our management. If I pick a place and giveit long rest periods and use high stock density for several years,eventually the only plants growing on that place will be plants that cantolerate that high density rate and long rest periods. This will favor certainspecies, and won’t favor the clovers, for instance. So I believe that weneed diversity in our management—some periods of very long rest,accompanied by high density grazing, and there are times we need shortrest periods, to stimulate the plants that do well under those conditions,”says Peterson.

The problem for most stockmen is that they’ve been favoring plantsthat need a short rest period—whether with continuous grazing or a MIGsystem with a short rest period. “Some of the 3 and 4 pasture systems inthe West won’t fall into that category (especially on rangeland), but in ourpart of the country most of our MIG systems favor plants that only need ashort rest period, such as clovers, some of the cool season grasses, etc.What we are trying to do now in our operation is favor plants that needlonger rest periods. These are the forbs and native grasses that we don’thave a lot of ,” he says.

“We needed to get some warm season components back into ourfields, and it’s working. We’re seeing a lot of sunflowers, coneflowers, etc.that you almost never see anymore in pastures. In some cases we aresacrificing some grazing days in the short run in order to get more plantdiversity in the long run. There’s no doubt that some of our cool seasongrasses are completely recovered sooner, but if we are tying to promotesome of the native forbs, our rest periods have to be based on what’sneeded for those species—for all the plants we want to have. Even if theyaren’t there now, if we don’t give the pastures these rest periods, they’llnever be there,” he explains.

“We have to manage for what we want, rather than what we have now.I tell people that grazing management is not rocket science. It’s harder.You have animal nutrition and performance to consider, along with climate

and rainfall, soil biology, etc.” You must wearmany hats. Grazing management is an art aswell as a science, and it takes a bit of work tofigure it out.

“The thing we all should be looking at,however, is improving soil health. Jay Fuhrer,with NRCS in Bismark, North Dakota, is one ofthe leaders in the country regarding soil health.He does a lot of work with cropland and covercrops, diverse mixtures, etc. and also a lot ofwork with pasture improvement. Jay has a

phenomenal team with NRCS, ARS and private individuals, working onthese issues,” says Peterson.

necessary Changes

High stock density grazing has helped many producers cut costsenough to stay in business. Peterson tells of a Missouri producer, MarkBrownlee, who was faced with a difficult decision a few years ago whenfertilizer costs dramatically increased. He was also short of help becauseboth his sons left the farm for other jobs. “His back was against the walland he made this change. He did a presentation last year at the AmericanForage and Grasslands Council meeting and impressed a lot of peoplewith his story about how this turned things around for his place andtransformed it.”

Peterson says that in Missouri there’s a wide mix of producers. “Wehave some very advanced grass managers and many who are still doingcontinuous grazing and baling hay. By contrast, many of the ranchers I’vetalked with in Canada are very sharp managers who really know theircosts. They’ve made changes because they had to, in order to stay inbusiness.” After BSE hit, they had to change or get out.

“Most people won’t change until they have no other choice—and thenthey realize there are some other options. The Canadians had thatdefining moment.” As hay costs, fuel costs, and other inputs keep rising,more and more of us here in this country may come to realize that thereare better ways to manage our land and cattle.

Our industry has also gotten a lot of bad press from environmentalgroups. “I tell everyone that cows and grass are going to save the world.Raising livestock on pasture is a way to grow food that is good for thenatural resources and good for us. And if there is such a thing as man-caused climate change, the fastest way to reverse this is to improve thesoil with cows and grass.” Cattle are the best tool to create healthygrassland ecology.

Doug Peterson works for the USDA-NRCS in Gallatin, Missouri. He can be reached at: 660/663-3703 ext 124 [email protected].


“We have to manage for what we want, rather than what we have now.”

Future Farms— upper Piedmont, Virginia

HMI organized a Future Farms Town HallMeeting on May 31st in Sperryville,

Virginia. The main feature was the nine farmerswho participated in the 2011 Future Farms pilotprogram for Rappahannock County. They did agreat job of describing their programexperiences and successes while fieldingquestions from an interested audience of 80.

HMI was pleased at the collaboration withthis program group. They wanted to continue todeepen their Holistic Management practice, sothey partnered with HMI to develop this public

event to recruit more participants to extend thetraining into a second year. They will serve asmentors for the new group and their team spiritin supporting the event and recruitingneighboring farmers is greatly appreciated.

Thanks to hearty recommendations by ourpanelists, several additional farms have signedon to participate in the 2012 Future Farms—Upper Piedmont Program. Twenty-five farms gathered in Sperryville July 26 to begin the2012-2013 series of trainings in HMI’s WholeFarm Planning process.

HMI would like to extend our deep thanksand appreciation to Flavor Magazine,Culpepper Soil & Water Conservation District,

The Piedmont Environmental Council, CliffMiller, Dick McNear, Michael Sands & BetsyDietel, and Erin Pearson for their donations tothe program. We are grateful for all theindividuals and organizations committed to thisvibrant agricultural community.

Beginning Women Farmers Program

HMI successfully completed its 3-yearprogram whole farm planning training

program for Beginning Women Farmers in theNortheast, funded in 2009 by the USDA/NIFABeginning Farmer & Rancher DevelopmentProgram. Program Evaluator Seth Wilnerprovided HMI with a variety of evaluation toolsto measure key knowledge and behaviorchange as well as data to help HMI look atlonger term impacts.

Program data shows that HMI far exceededthe goals of 25% change in behavior and 25%increase in revenue that we had in the originalproposal. Based on the evaluation of knowledgechange in the following table, we are also wellover our 50% of participants achievingknowledge change.

HMI would like to express its appreciation forall the hard work of our collaborators in theNortheast, including: University of Vermont,Women’s Agricultural Network—Maine, Smalland Beginning Farmers of New Hampshire,Northeast Organic Farming Association—Connecticut, Central New York RC&D, andCommunity Involved in Sustaining Agriculture.

(See data on page 17.)

Cows & Quail Workshop

Participants were asked to think like a quail,eat like an antelope, and see like a 4-inch

tall chick. We searched for forbs with niceseeds, learned where the bugs live, looked forways to outsmart coyotes and appreciated landopen enough for pronghorn to flee at speeds upto 63 mph. To many of the 40 participants inHMI’s recent Cows & Quail Workshop, held July13-14 in the desert landscape of far west Texasat Chris and Laura Gill’s Circle Ranch, this wasa real shift in perspective from the viewpoint ofcattle ranching. Those ranchers manage over


marketing goals. Once you’ve identified your key metrics and done your inbound marketinganalysis, there are several simple steps you can take to set concrete business goals:

• Set Your Sales and Lead Goals — What are your goals for the next quarter? The next year?

• What is the marketing program needed to achieve those goals? — Given current conversion rates, how many leads do you need to hit your sales goals?

• How many website visitors do you need to get? — What are the things you need to do to get that website traffic? Or what are the things you need to do to improve your conversion rates?

Does inbound marketing work? Businesses that have followed these guidelines,consistently have the capability of creating customers from leads. One farmer whom I’ve worked with said she no longer is doing farmer’s market because all her product isalready sold. That’s a nice problem to have. If marketing is your weak link, considerexploring how you can build an inbound marketing plan.

Emily Brooks is a business and social media consultant for Edibles Advocate Allianceand mentor for HMI’s Beginning Women Farmer in Connecticut. She can be reached [email protected] or you can visit www.ediblesadvocatealliance.org.This article is an adaptation of her presentation for the Beginning Women Farmerconference HMI held in Amherst, Massachusetts in March 2012.

using Social Media continued from page three

D E V E LO PM EN T CO R N E R

Panel of ninegraduates from 2011 FutureFarms UpperPiedmontProgram. Photo byMolly Peterson,MollyMPeterson.com

Participant Behavior Change

536,000 acres so the effects of theirmanagement is far reaching.

Quail expert Dale Rollins asked participants to decide how much camouflagewas in their cowboy hats as they define theirfuture landscape description somewhere on the continuum of ideal for cattle or ideal forquail/wildlife, as the two are not the same. The challenge at this workshop was to modifygrazing planning so that ranchers are takinggood care of the cattle, yet sculpting the habitatthat leaves tall bunch grasses for nesting, forbsfor food and brushy cover for protection fromraptors.

Steve Nelle of the Texas NRCS also talkedabout how ungulates need cover for hiding theirfawns, yet not so much cover that predators canapproach undetected. Thick swards of grass orevenly grazed short grasses are morehindrance than help for these prey animals thatrely on forbs and brushy browse for food. Thelow stock density patch grazing might be justthe ticket where wildlife is number one.

The second day of the workshop wasdevoted to an understanding of HolisticManagement principles and how to use thegrazing planning chart to move cattle and otherlivestock through each individual’s ownlandscape in a manner consistent with desiredoutcomes. Instructors for this portion of theprogram included HMI’s Frank Aragona andCertified Educators Guy Glosson and OwenHablutzel. Evaluations showed the workshopwas a hit, and more are planned for Texas andbeyond.

HMI would like to extend our thanks to Chrisand Laura Gill for the use of their spectacularCircle Ranch in West Texas for the program,and to Chris & Laura Gill, the Gill Family, theNegley Family, and the San Antonio Chapterof Quails Forever for their donations to theprogram. We also want to thank the Hotel ElCapitan for their support of the program.


This type of shrub is quail heaven. Discussingthis habitat (left to right) Steve Nelle, Host ranchowner Chris Gill, and Dale Rollins.

Year One Participant Statistics*

Total Gross Revenue Before Training $310,000

Total Gross Revenue After Training $431,000

Difference $121,000 39% increase

Average gross revenue /participant before training $10,690

Average gross revenue/participant after training $14,862

No. of participants that experienced gross revenue change 35%

*BASED ON 29 RESPONDENTS

Percentage of Participants Experiencing Change in Knowledge

Course Year One Year Two Year Three

Soil Fertility 80 100 80

Leadership & Communication 100 100 89

Whole Farm Goal 94 97 100

Time Management 97 97 98

Financial Planning 71 95 98

On-farm Decision making 94 85 100

Planned Grazing 47 56 54

Marketing 19 50 88

Business Planning 84 37 93

Land Planning 71 33 80

BWF Participant Aggregated Highest % AchievedBehavior Change Percentage in One Year

Holistic Goal/Whole Farm Plan 93% 97%

Financial Plan 82% 88%

Business Plan 78% 86%

Marketing Plan 68% 74%

Land Plan 60% 62%

Biological Monitoring 57% 60%

Grazing Plan 43% 51%

Increased Network 92% 96%

Experienced Increased Net Income 57%

Experienced Gross Revenue Increase 35%

Beginning Women Farmers Program Data

There are 3 main reasons:1) People are hungry2) They need food 3) They need jobsLet’s look at some statistics:1. Globally, we need to double total food

production by 2050 to meet the world’s needs—farmers and farm rangeland are needed to growthat food—in the world, hunger kills more peoplethan aids, malaria, and tuberculosis combined.

2. In the U.S., 49 million Americans live infood insecure households—meaning they don’tknow where their next meal is coming from—New Mexico is dead last on that list. One in sixAmericans struggle with hunger. 36% ofhouseholds defined as food insecure have atleast one working adult, and only 10% of foodinsecure households are homeless.

3. Rural counties are disproportionately highin food insecurity and hunger

4. In New Mexico, only about 3% of foodgrown in state reaches the mouths of in-stateconsumers.

5. Of the $2.5 billion received by NewMexican farmers each year, 80% is earnedeither from exports of dairy products and cattleor from sales of the grains to support theseanimals. Most of the remaining agricultural

products in the state, such as pecans, onions,and chile, are exported as well.

Food localization means New Mexicans,while continuing their food-export industries,would consume more of the raw foodstuffsgrown or raised in the state.

Residents also would purchase moreprocessed foods from local manufacturer, buy more of all kinds of food from local grocerystores, and eat out more selectively in localrestaurants.

Why does that matter? It’s the ripple effect,and there are extensive studies. One simpleexample: New Mexicans spend $124 million on fresh vegetables, but well over 90% of allvegetables grown in the state are exported.Expanding the vegetable sector by 90% to meetlocal demand, while continuing to produce forexport, would create 700 additional jobs.

I’m not here today to argue food localizationvs. large, so called “industrialized” agriculture,although many people question thesustainability of that industrialized food system—pointing to:

• It consumes vast quantities of naturalresources

• It is heavily dependent on fossil fuel toproduce synthetic fertilizer and process

package and transport food• It consumes huge volumes of water• It degrades soilMany of my best friends are big ranchers

and farmers, currently enjoying recordfarm/ranch income and one of the strongestagriculture markets in decades. The big farmingand ranching folks are happy right now—andthey are nervous.

Talking to a big rancher just yesterday hefeels the “bubble”—the money won’t last, thedrought is driving people out business, madcow, pink slime, tagging and other regulationsmake it challenging—in addition to the cost oftransport to feedlots and the challenges of abeef diet—it goes on and on.

That said—realistically—big production isnot going away anytime soon. It may changeand adapt—but it will be there as part of theagricultural landscape, in one form or another.

With the smaller and medium sized guys,however the question is one of sustainability,not just of the land or cattle—but of the people.

The average American farmer is 58 yearsold. The average cattleman is 61 years old.

And, oh, by the way, according to Beef USA,90% of all U.S. cow herds have less than 100cows. So there is a declining population ofpeople, with small herds, with growingchallenges—and despite the current bubble—a disincentive to carry the ranch forwardanother generation, in the face of hunger and a growing demand for food.

That is why U.S. Secretary of AgricultureVilsack says we need 100,000 new farmers and ranchers in the next 5 years. We have ashrinking supply of production, that isfarmers/ranchers—with a growing demand foroutput—that is, food.

The good news is there is a new generationcoming on that wants to farm and ranch. Theyare exploring new paradigms—problem is theyoften can’t afford the land. Luckily, there areprograms with land trusts, USDA and others toassist. They also desperately want training—notonly in production but management to run asmaller, efficient, profitable healthy enterprise.And interestingly many are doing it. Many ofthem are women—30% of the 3 million farmsare operated by women. Today, women aretwice as likely to take over an existingenterprise or start a new one than men.

Whether it is in New Mexico, the greaterU.S., or internationally in food insecure nations—smaller, local, sustainable agriculture can—and should—be a major contributor to the localeconomy, to solving the local hunger problemwith more planet friendly approaches to theland. It is not just a nice idea, it is a critical partof the world’s future.


N EW S F R O M H O L I S T I C M A N AG E M E N T I N T E R N AT I O N A L

peopleprogramsprojects

� �

From the CeoWhy we need 100,000 new farmers/ranchersby PeTer holTer

north Dakota Producer Wins award

Gabe Brown of Brown Ranch in North Dakota won the Natural Resources Defense Council(NRDC) 2012 Growing Green Award in the food producer category. “These vanguards are

serving up a food system with generous portions of workplace justice, economic viability andecological integrity,” said Jonathan Kaplan, Director of Food and Agriculture at NRDC. “They areliving proof that we can grow and eat food that is good for us, our communities and the planet.”

For over 15 years, North Dakota rancher Gabe Brown has merged back-to-basics agrarianpractices with innovative science-based sustainable farming techniques on his 5,400 acre diversifiedfamily ranch. For Brown, healthy soil is the renewable resource that sustains all. By making use of a100 percent zero-till cropping system, holistic planned grazing, and polyculture cover crop andpolyculture cash crop rotations, he has successfully transformed conventional grazing and croppingoperations into models of regenerative agriculture. Brown's Ranch also integrates its cow-calf andgrass finished livestock operations with a highly diverse cropping rotation, which includes over 25different cash and cover crops resulting in high yields and strong net profits.

“Being recognized shines the spotlight on the need to practice Holistic Management andregenerate our resources,” said Brown. “It's the only sustainable way we can ensure safe, healthyfood production for generations to come.”

kids on the land at Richards Ranch

Once again the Hackley family of Jacksboro, Texas, hosted aKids On the Land (KOL) program for students from JacksboroElementary. This was the first year for 3rd graders toparticipate and the second year for 4th and 5th grades. While

the 3rd graders completed a day-long program called, “Let’s Talk AboutInsects,” 4th graders experienced working as naturalists, and 5th gradersinvestigated the importance of soil cover and a healthy water cycle.

Nineteen volunteers assisted Peggy Maddox, Director of HMI’s KOLprogram at the Richards Ranch headquarters. Activities for the 3rdgraders included an insect lab, creating insect life cycle wheels, and afterlearning about insect adaptations for how they eat, move, see andcommunicate, they participated in relay races as insects. The day alsoincluded a lady bug release as students learned the value of beneficialinsects in our environment. The 4th graders learned all about thevegetation found on the ranch which is located in the Western Cross-Timbers eco-region of North Texas. Management of the ranch livestockwas part of 5th graders day as they learned how planned grazing helpscreate covered soil and a healthy water cycle for the Trinity and BrazosRivers water catchment areas.

Richards Ranch, owned by the Hackley family, is an award winningoperation that has practiced Holistic Management for over twenty years.Kids and volunteers enjoy the facilities, and being on the ranch providesall a great opportunity for outdoor, experiential learning. All members ofthe Hackley family, including John, his son, Brent and his wife, Cindy,daughter Mary Kay, and even 12 year old, Hunter Hackley, who providedhis grazing project to be displayed for the students during the plannedgrazing simulation, were involved in teaching the students. John’sgranddaughter, Hallie, was a 4th grade participant. John’s sister, MarthaSalmon, was the volunteer coordinator for the local volunteers. Thanksalso to NRCS employees, Tony Dean, Ricky Linex, and Nathan Haile, andthe Texas Forest Service also. The continued support from regulars,Katherine Dickson, Dr. Paul Martin, and Bryon Haney, who have donatedtheir time and energy for KOL programs across Texas, helped make theKOL days successful.


Thinking about taking out a loan? Wondering if yourfarm business is sound? Want more ideas of howto set up record keeping systems? If you’veanswered yes to any of these questions, then

Fearless Farm Finances is the book for you. Published bythe Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Services(MOSES) and funded by USDA National Institute for Food & Agriculture’s Beginning Farmer and RancherDevelopment Program, this book was written byagricultural professionals and farmers to address one ofthe biggest stumbling blocks to success for sustainablefarmers (lack of a basic understanding of farm financialmanagement).

Fearless Farm Finances is written for the beginningagricultural producer as well as the experienced producerwho would like to get a better handle on the numbers sothere is something for everyone. A great deal of time isspent on show to set up good record keeping systems andRichard Wiswall’s book, The Organic Farmer’s BusinessHandbook, is mentioned frequently regarding the systemshe created. Likewise, there is a host of resourcesmentioned at the end of the book including differentfinancial planning software (although Quickbooks ismentioned most frequently).

The appendices are also quite helpful including how tocreate an Excel budget template from Quickbook and acomparison chart of the relationship between financialconcepts (like Net Worth) and the financial tool used (likeBalance Sheet). All the key topics are covered includingbookkeeping basics, how to organize financial information,enterprise analysis, and budgeting and monitoring.

While I think beginning farmers would get a lot of thisbook, they would definitely need to digest it in chunks.That’s all to say that the section on “Analysis and Decision-Making Using Your Numbers” should be of great interest to experienced farmers who actually have acouple years of farming numbers under their belt and wantto dig into the various ratios that will help them determineliquidity, solvency, and profitability.

Fearless Farm Finances is not light reading, although it has a nice layout that makes it user friendly. No matterhow many years you’ve been farming, if you want to takeyour financial management to the next level, Fearless FarmFinances will give you tools to do that. To order FearlessFarm Finances go to www.mosesorganic.org.

Book review by ann aDaMS

Fearless Farm Finances: Farm Financial Management

Demystified

Midwest organic & Sustainable education Services (MoSeS)

www.mosesorganic.org • 2012

Mary Kay Hackley

John Hackley

Photo credit: Peggy Cole


ARIZONA

* Tim McGafficP.O. Box 1903, Cave Creek, AZ 85331808/936-5749 • [email protected]

CALIFORNIAOwen Hablutzel4235 W. 63rd St., Los Angeles, CA 90043310/567-6862 • [email protected]

Richard KingPoppy Hill Farm, 1675 Adobe Rd., Petaluma, CA [email protected] • 707/217-2308 cell

� Rob RutherfordCA Polytechnic State UniversitySan Luis Obispo, CA 93407805/756-1475 • [email protected]

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

* Katie Miller22755 E. Garrett Rd.Calhan, CO 80808-9170970/310-0852 • [email protected]

GEORGIAConstance Neely1421 Rockinwood Dr., Athens, GA 30606 706/540-2878 • [email protected]

HAWAIITobey WilliamsonGeneral Delivery, Kamuela, HI [email protected]

IOWATorray & Erin Wilson4375 Pierce Ave., Paullina, IA 51046-7401712/448-3870 • [email protected]@gmail.com

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

MICHIGAN

* Larry Dyer1113 Klondike Ave, Petoskey, MI 49770231/347-7162 (h)231/881-2784 (c)[email protected]

MONTANARoland Kroos 4926 Itana CircleBozeman, MT 59715406/522-3862406/581-3038 (c)[email protected]

* Cliff MontagneP.O. Box 173120, Montana State University Department of Land Resources &Environmental Science, Bozeman, MT 59717406/[email protected]

NEBRASKAPaul Swanson5155 West 12th St., Hastings, NE 68901402/463-8507402/705-1241 (c)[email protected]

Ralph Tate1109 Timber Dr., Papillion, NE 68046402/932-3405 • [email protected]

NEW HAMPSHIRE� Seth Wilner24 Main StreetNewport, NH 03773603/863-4497 (h)603/863-9200 (w)[email protected]

NEW MEXICO� Ann AdamsHolistic Management International5941 Jefferson St. NE, Suite BAlbuquerque, NM 87109 • 505/[email protected]

Kirk GadziaP.O. Box 1100, Bernalillo, NM 87004505/867-4685 • 505/867-9952 (f)[email protected]

Jeff GoebelPO Box 7011, Albuquerque, NM 87194541/610-7084 • [email protected]

NEW YORKErica Frenay454 Old 76 Rd. • Brooktondale, NY 14817607/539-3246 • [email protected]

Phillip Metzger120 Thompson Creek Rd.Norwich, NY 13815607/316-4182 • [email protected]

NORTH DAKOTAJoshua Dukart2539 Clover Place, Bismarck, ND 58503701/870-1184 • [email protected]

PENNSYLVANIAJim Weaver428 Copp Hollow Rd., Wellsboro, PA 16901570/724-4955 • [email protected]

UN I T E D S TAT E S

UN I T E D S TAT E S

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

TEXASGuy Glosson6717 Hwy. 380, Snyder, TX 79549806/237-2554 • [email protected]

Peggy MaddoxP.O. Box 694, Ozona, TX 76943-0694325/392-2292 • 325/226-3042 (c)[email protected]

Peggy Sechrist106 Thunderbird Ranch Road,Fredericksburg, TX 78624830/456-5587 (c)[email protected]

WASHINGTONSandra Matheson228 E. Smith Rd., Bellingham, WA 98226360/220-5103 • [email protected]

� Don NelsonWashington State University121 Clark Hall, Pullman, WA 99164-6310509/335-2922 • [email protected]

Doug Warnock6684 E. Highway 124, Prescott, WA 99348509/629-1671 (c) • 509/849-2264 (h)[email protected]

WISCONSIN

* Laura PaineWisconsin DATCP N893 Kranz Rd., Columbus, WI 53925608/224-5120 (w) • 920/623-4407 (h)[email protected]

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

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

Certified EducatorsCertified Educators

� These educators provide HolisticManagement instruction on behalf of the institutions they represent.

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

AUSTRALIAJudi Earl3843 Warialda Rd, Coolatai, NSW 2402 Australia61267296185 • 409151969 (c)[email protected]

Graeme Hand 150 Caroona Lane, Branxholme, VIC 330261-3-5578-6272 (h)61-4-1853-2130 (c)[email protected]

Dick Richardson Frogmore, Boorowa NSW 258661-0-263853217 (w)61-0-263856224 (h)61-0-429069001 (c)[email protected]

Brian WehlburgPine Scrub Creek, Kindee, NSW, [email protected]

CANADADon CampbellBox 817 Meadow Lake, S0X 1Y6306/[email protected]

Linda & Ralph CorcoranBox 36, Langbank, SK S0G 2X0306/[email protected]

* Allison GuichonBox 10, Quilchena, BC V0E 2R0250/[email protected]

Blain HjertaasBox 760, Redvers, Saskatchewan SOC 2HO306/[email protected]

Brian LuceRR #4, Ponoka, AB T4J 1R4403/[email protected]

Tony McQuail86016 Creek Line, RR#1, Lucknow, ON N0G 2H0519/[email protected]

Len PigottBox 222, Dysart, SK, SOH 1HO 306/[email protected]

Kelly SidorykP.O. Box 374, Lloydminster, AB S9V 0Y4780/875-9806 (h)780/875-4418 (c) [email protected]


T H E M A R K E T P L A C E

KENYAChristine C. JostInternational Livestock Research InstituteBox 30709, Nairobi 00100254-20-422-3000254-736-715-417 (c)[email protected]

* Belinda MackeyP.O. Box 15109, Langata, [email protected]

Constance Neely, [email protected]+254-724-522-617

NAMIBIAUsiel KandjiiP.O. Box 23319, [email protected]

Wiebke VolkmannP.O. Box 9285, Windhoek264-61-225183 or [email protected]

NEW ZEALAND

* John KingP.O. Box 12011Beckenham, Christchurch [email protected]

SOUTH AFRICAWayne KnightSolar AddictsPO Box 537, Mokopane, 0600South Africa 27-0-15-491-5286+27 15 491 3451 (h) +27 82 805 3274 (c)[email protected]

UNITED KINGDOM

* Philip Bubb32 Dart Close, St. Ives,Cambridge, PE27 3JB44-1480-496-2925 (h)+44 7837 405483 (w)[email protected]

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

For more information about or application forms for the HMI’s Certified Educator Training Programs, contact Ann Adams

or visit our website at: www.holisticmanagement.org.

HANDS-ON AGRONOMYBASIC SOIL FERTILITY GUIDELINES

For consulting or educational services contact:

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

Phone: 573/683-3880; Fax: 573/683-6227, [email protected] ACCEPT CREDIT CARD ORDERS (VISA, MC)

BUY THE DVD TODAY!Runs 80 minutes and covers the following topics:

• Feeding and Balancing the Soil • The Albrecht System• Soil Testing • Considering Soil Test Results • Sulfur

• Calcium, pH, and Liming • Potassium and Sodium• Nitrogen • Manures, Green Manures

Now Available on DVD

$30(postpaid toUS addresses)

$30(plus shipping)

(PAL orders add $5)

HMI provides skilled, objective facilitators to help you achieve your goals!

Holistic Goal Setting & Facilitation ServicesAre you ready to make the most out of yourresources?

Do you need help dealing with critical human resource issues?

Has change taken you by surprise?

To learn more, contact Frank Aragona

at 505/842-5252 or by email at

[email protected].

Benefits of holistic Management Facilitation include:• Elicits key motivators and values from the group for more effective group decision making

• Improves communication• Improves conflict resolution• Creates common ground from which to make management decisions and plans

• Creates a safe environment to have crucial conversations including generational transfer



By World Famous Dr. GrandinOriginator of Curved Ranch CorralsThe wide curved Lane makes filling

the crowding tub easy.

Includes detailed drawings for loading ramp, V chute, round crowd pen, dip vat, gates and hinges. Plus cell center layouts and

layouts compatible with electronic sorting systems. Articles on cattle behavior.

27 corral layouts. $55.Low Stress Cattle Handling Video $59.

Send checks/money order to:

GRANDINLIVESTOCK SYSTEMS

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

970/229-0703www.grandin.com

CORRAL DESIGNS

Achieve success with —

� People: Learn to differentiate between standard of living and quality of life

� Land: Leave a legacy, improve the land

� Finances: Make a profit every year

B-CRanch Inc.

Box 817, Meadow Lake SK S9x 1Y6306/236-6088 • [email protected]

********************

HolisticManagementFacilitators: DON & BEVCAMPBELL

Kirk L. Gadzia, Certified EducatorPO Box 1100Bernalillo, NM [email protected]

How can RMS, LLC help you? On-Site Consulting: All aspects of holistic management, including financial, ecological and human resources.

Training Events: Regularly scheduled and customized training sessions provided in a variety of locations.

Ongoing Support: Follow-up training sessions and access to continued learning opportunities and developments.

Land Health Monitoring: Biological monitoring of rangeland and riparian ecosystem health.

Property Assessment: Land health and productivity assessment with recommended solutions.

www.rmsgadzia.com

PastureScene

Investigation

Resource Management Services, LLC



Cindy Dvergsten, is a Holistic Management® Certified Educator, offering you over 15 years experience in training, mentoring, and facilitation; 30 years in natural resource management; and a lifetime of experience in diversified farming.

Offered By Whole New Concepts, LLC P.O. Box 218 Lewis CO 81327

See the Big Picture ~ Respond to Change ~ Be Sustainable

Get Started Today – Join Our

Holistic ManagementDistance Learning &Mentoring Program

Realize Immediate BenefitsSave money on education — and get more for your money with highly personalized training. All you need is a telephone, a computer is NOT needed. Learn at your own pace; apply what you

learn to your situation and get results now!

Don’t change your life to learn.Let your education change your life!

Visit: www.wholenewconcepts.comEmail: [email protected]

Call Cindy at 970/882-4222 for a free consultation!

Call 505/842-5252 or order online at www.holisticmanagement.org!

Holistic ManagementHandbook

Holistic ManagementHandbook

The Holistic Management Handbook gives you step-by-step guidance for managing a ranch or farm holistically. It is essential reading for anyone involved with land management and stewardship. Learn how to create healthy land and healthy profits.

ORDERTODAY!

$40$40

healthy land, healthy Profits

Managing Change Northwest Presents . . .

Allan SavoryCreator of HolisticManagement

November 7 and 8 Cattlemen’s College (in-depth training) Washington Cattlemen’s AssociationAnnual ConventionCLE ELUM, WASHINGTON

November 9 “Can How We Eat Help ReduceClimate Change?” SEATTLE, WASHINGTON

November 10 Tilth Producers of WashingtonAnnual ConventionPORT TOWNSEND, WASHINGTON

For more information go to MCN website: managingchangenorthwest.com

[email protected]

Managing Change Northwest Presents . . .

Allan SavoryCreator of HolisticManagement NOVEMBER, 2012

HOLISTIC MANAGEMENT TRAINING

Veld AssessmentsGrazing Planning

Combining Game and CattleHolistic Financial Planning

Effective Multi-generational BusinessesHolistic Land Planning

WayneKnight

Certified Educator and Rancher19 Years Experience

Limpopo Province, South Africa.

Contact Wayne at+27 15 491 3451

[email protected]

Certified EducatorGrazing PlanningClass

october 5-6, 2012Papillion, nebraska

Learn how to incorporate theHolistic Management GrazingPlanning Software into your grazing classes. Limited to 15 certified educators/trainees.

Lunch will be provided for both days.Opportunity to sell the grazing planning software upon successful completion of class.

— COST —$200/PERSON • SPOUSE $100

Registration deadline:September 15, 2012

Contact Ralph Tate at:[email protected]

Employment Wanted: Employment wanted on a livestock grazing operation. I have over 15 years experience in grazing management with cow/calf, stocker cattle, sheep and goats. Strong skills in animal health, nutrition and general ranch management. Student of Bud Williams stockmanship and marketing philosophies. I'm looking for achallenging position that will allow me to utilize and improve all of my skills. I have excellentprofessional and personal references. Please leave a message at (903) 253-4265.

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

Printed On Recycled Paper

Books and Multimedia

___ Holistic Management: A New Framework for Decision-Making,Second Edition, by Allan Savory with Jody Butterfield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $60

___ Spanish Version (soft) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $40

___ Holistic Management Handbook, by Butterfield, Bingham, Savory . . . $40

___ At Home With Holistic Management, by Ann Adams . . . . . . . . . . . . . $20

___ Holistic Management: A New Environmental Intelligence . . . . . . . . $10

___ How to Not Grow Broke Ranchingby Walt Davis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $30

___ Improving Whole Farm Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $13

___ Video: Creating a Sustainable Civilization—An Introduction to HolisticDecision-Making, based on a lecture given by Allan Savory (DVD) . . . $30

___ Stockmanship, by Steve Cote . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $35

___ The Grassfed Gourmet Cookbook, by Shannon Hayes . . . . . . . . . . . $25

___ The Oglin, by Dick Richardson & Rio de la Vista. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $25

___ Gardeners of Eden, by Dan Dagget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $25

___ Video: Healing the Land Through Multi-Species Grazing (DVD) . . . $30

___ PBS Video: The First Millimeter: Healing the Earth (DVD) . . . . . . . . $25

TO ORDER: Questions? 505/842-5252 or [email protected]

Subscribe to in PraCTiCe, a bimonthly journal for holistic Management practicioners

___ One-year Subscription . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $35 U.S. ($40 International)

___ Two-year Subscription . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $65 U.S. ($70 International)

___ Three-year Subscription. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $95 U.S. ($105 International)

___ Gift Subscription . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Same Prices As Above)

___ Special Edition: An Introduction to Holistic Management . . . . . . . . $5

FREE DOWNLOADS of many of HMI’s educational materials are now available on HMI’s website, http://www.holisticmanagement.org.

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

up to $15: add $ 5 $16 to $35: add $ 6 $36 to $50: add $ 8 $51 to $70: add $ 9 $71 to $90: add $10 over $91: add $12

Shipping & Handling

� Indicate quantity on line next to item, make sure your shipping address is correct, mail this page (or a copy) and yourcheck or money order payable in U.S. funds from a U.S. bank, OR your credit card number and expiration dateto: Holistic Management International, 5941 Jefferson St. NE, Suite B, Albuquerque, NM 87109.

� You can also call in or fax credit card orders. Place phone calls to 505/842-5252, or fax to 505/843-7900.For online ordering, visit our secure website at: www.holisticmanagement.org.

Shipping and handling costs arefor U.S. media mail only.

Call 505/842-5252 for all other

shipping rates.

Holistic Management Mail Order Emporium

Software

___ Grazing Planning Software (single-user license) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $100

___ Upgrade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . electronic $30, hardcopy $45

Pocket Cards___ Holistic Management® Framework and

Testing Questions, March 2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $4

Planning and Monitoring Guides ___ Policy/Project Analysis & Design, August 2008, 61 pages. . . . . . . . . $17

___ Introduction to Holistic Management, August 2007, 128 pages . . . . $25

___ Financial Planning, August 2007, 58 pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $17

___ Aide Memoire for Grazing Planning, August 2007, 63 pages. . . . . . . $17

___ Early Warning Biological Monitoring—Croplands April 2000, 26 pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $15

___ Early Warning Biological Monitoring—Rangelands and Grasslands, August 2007, 59 pages. . . . . . . . . . . . . $17

___ Land Planning—For The Rancher or Farmer Running Livestock, August 2007, 31 pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $15

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

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

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

___ Grazing Plan & Control Chart, padded, 25 sheets/pad . . . . . . . . . . . . $17

i would like to make a Tax Deductible Donation

In the amount of $_____________. Please designate the program you would like

us to apply contribution toward ________________________________________

a publication of Holistic Management International5941 Jefferson St. NE, Suite BAlbuquerque, NM 87109USA

return service requested

NON-PROFITORGANIZATION

U.S. POSTAGE PAIDALBUQUERQUE, NM

PERMIT NO 880

#145, In Practice, Sept/Oct 2012

Documents

Transcript of #145, In Practice, Sept/Oct 2012