HMI’s Whole Farm/Ranch Land Management® Course took place in Willits, CA in February and March of 2016.
The series of three 2-day workshops took place at the Grange Farm School in cooperation with the Ridgewood Ranch in Willits, California. Long-time Holistic Management Certified Educator Richard King was the instructor. The classes were attended by a diverse group of land managers. 52 percent of participants were cattle raisers, followed by chickens (38%), pigs (24%) sheep (34%), and goats (34%). 38 percent of class participants grew vegetables, 21 percent fruit, and 10 percent flowers.
The series of workshops included the Introduction to the Holistic Management® framework for decision-making, Biological Monitoring, Planned Grazing, and Land Planning.
In the Biological Monitoring class, participants learned a variety of monitoring techniques to determine whether planning decisions were moving them toward the future landscape described in their holistic goal.
In the Planned Grazing workshop, everyone learned comprehensive grazing planning and how to use the planning chart. Animal days per acre were taught outdoors in a rainstorm, but everyone seemed to enjoy the experience.
The Land Planning workshop focused on covering the processes described in the Holistic Management® Handbook. Holistic Management worksheets were emphasized as a way to help develop an ideal land plan. The importance and techniques of brainstorming when creating the ideal land plan were covered as well.
In the end, the participants learned a great deal about managing their own unique situations with more ease, so that they could become more successful.
Here are some of the participant comments:
- I will finally have a way to measure our progress in improving the land.
- I learned the difference between annuals & perennials and the importance of monitoring. Also, I learned that monitoring soil carbon is very important.
- I liked the outdoor activities and small group work. Videos are a great tool.
- I am very happy with this course.
- It was really very good.
- Most useful training in assessing the amount of forage in a pasture, quality of feed and type of feed, what to look for in manure piles, how to create a plan, and monitor that plan.
- The whole discussion of rotation, timing, assessment, and management was pertinent and very useful.
- The financial considerations were good & the brainstorming was enlightening.
Here are some of the results of the training:
Session 1 – Holistic Management® Biological Monitoring – Results |
% |
Your ability to monitor your farm’s/ranch’s ecosystem health |
100% |
Understanding the indicators of a healthy farm/ranch ecosystem |
96% |
Ability to develop a whole farm/ranch goal |
96% |
Ability to identify needed systems and protocols to create a successful farm |
92% |
Ability to integrate social, economic, and environmental factors into decisions |
92% |
Session 2 – Holistic Management® Land Planning – Results |
% |
Ability to prioritize land or infrastructure improvements on your farm |
100% |
Intend to complete or modify a written land plan |
100% |
Understanding design strategies that can build resilient, diversified farm |
87% |
How to incorporate natural resources issues into your land planning |
87% |
Ability to incorporate farm natural resources issues into your land planning |
87% |
Session 3 – Holistic Management® Grazing Planning – Results |
% |
Ability to assess recovery periods |
100% |
Ability to determine grazing periods |
100% |
Overall excellent rating of course & instructor |
98% |
Ability to determine the number of animals your land can support for grazing |
96% |
Ability to assess quantity of forage in a pasture |
96% |
A special thank you to Sallie Calhoun and The Christiano Family Fund and The 11th Hour Project for their generous contributions which made this training possible. We’d also like to thank our collaborator – The Grange Farm School, as well as The Farmers Guild, and the Mendocino County Resource Conservation District, who helped with outreach and promotion.
April Cook says
I really like that you cover the importance of brainstorming when creating a land plan. Working with others and getting different points of view can help a lot when coming up with a plan. How often should people review and modify their land plan? Thanks for this information. These workshops sound interesting!
Carrie Stearns says
Thanks April! Managing the “whole” is what Holistic Management is all about, and that includes involving all stakeholders. Generally speaking, we suggest that all plans are reviewed at least annually and monitored regularly. We hope to see you in one of our courses! If not, we have great interactive online and individualized one-on-one distance learning courses available.