Holistic Management Certified Educator Judi Earl, owner/operator of Glen Orton, leads a discussion on forage assessment, utilization and grazing planning
A tour of Glen Orton
Sixty four hardy souls braved the coldest day in Coolatai, New South Wales in many years to attend HMI’s Australian Open Gate held at Glen Orton on July 17th. Although some registrants weren’t able to attend because they were unexpectedly ‘snowed in’, many people traveled long distances from Queensland, the northern rivers and New England tablelands regions, and the diversity of the audience was a feature of the day. The presentations, open fires and great food provided the catalyst for the start of many interesting conversations.
Glenn Morris shares about livestock management at Fig Trees Organics
Judi Earl, Holistic Management Certified Educator and Glen Orton owner/operator shared how she has applied the principles of Holistic Management to regenerate the land and ultimately improve pasture and livestock production. Since 2011, Judi has been using cattle at Glen Orton to manage Coolatai grass, the dominant low-quality forage in the area. There was a lively discussion about how she has increased the productivity of her land in spite of 4 years of drought, and how her holistic goal has impacted decisions about health care for her livestock.
Other highlights of the day included:
Organic beef pies, compliments of Glenn Morris and Fig Trees Organics
- Glenn Morris, manager of Fig Trees Organic Farms, passionately presenting on creating a culture of honesty and respect for the land and society in our food production systems. He shared how they use Holistic Management and organic farming to regenerate ecosystem processes, enhance health and stimulate the economy, and how this creates strength in their marketing.
A great lineup of presenters: Phillipa Morris, Judi Earl, Glenn Morris, and Alex Dudley
- Philippa Morris of Peach Trees, discussing how micro-producers can use good environmental management and good livestock handling practices to help market their animals.
- A delicious lunch featuring Glenn Morris’ organic meat pies.
Alex Dudley, the biodiversity ‘bug man’ is also a wildlife photographer
- Zoologist Alex Dudley inspiring and entertaining with his passionate discussion of biodiversity, and how we are all part of the ecosystem and dependent on biodiversity.
Warm fires and great discussion
- A tour of Glen Orton looking at residual herbage and soil surface condition of a number of paddocks recently grazed as well as ones the animals were about to enter.
- Judi leading an exercise and discussion to assess available feed, plan grazing days, and determine and increase stock density.
- Gathering around campfires for tea and more discussions
- Alex pointing out important features of biodiversity in the landscape, and what can be done to retain and create habitat for diverse creatures
- A good group of participants staying afterwards for a BBQ, drinks and more conversation which eventually wound up around 9pm
Here are some of the comments from participants:
Fantastic
It was a good day despite the cold. Loved Alex the bug man and his knowledge.
Very social, very informative, very helpful to me personally, and the food was GREAT! Please thank the food providers for me. The pies were delicious, and the salads very special.
Very worthwhile
Thank you for an excellent day at your lovely property on Friday. I’m so glad I ignored every obstacle and continued on my mission to attend.(Everything was leaning against me!!!!!)
Well put together, very informative, thanks for sharing your knowledge
Very interesting
Lots of interesting talk among people
Very good!
Both of us really appreciate how generous you are with your knowledge and the networking with other producers implementing sustainable and planned grazing and farming practices was encouraging and useful. Higher stock density and more water to our “POMP = paddock of much potential” are priorities.
Thanks for an interesting and worthwhile open day at Glen Orton. The good food and fires were a bonus.
Networking – very good
It was great to see your comprehensive plant list. It is always amazing to see how widespread a lot of species are.
Well done (great food)
Here’s what the evaluations showed:
| Outcome | % Participants |
|---|---|
| Overall Satisfaction of this event (rated good to excellent): | 97% |
| Facilitator's Effectiveness (rated good to excellent): | 97% |
| Venue (rated good to excellent): | 84% |
| Intent to change management practices/apply ideas you learned in this event? | 70% |
| Intent to complete biological monitoring on your land as a result of today's event? | 60% |
| Expanded network today by meeting new people or learning about resources available to you? | 97% |
| Would recommend this event to others: | 100% |
Adelene is a resident of Arkansas and loves exploring the state’s natural trails. Her passion for education and technology led her to earn a master’s in learning systems technology from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. With her professional experience managing student/client databases and instructional design, Adelene will bring skill and understanding to her role as Office Manager & Instructional Designer at HMI. Her focus on making education more accessible to diverse communities is evident through her volunteer work as an board member for a scholarship program. Adelene is devoted to creating educational opportunities that align with HMI’s mission to promote healthy, resilient lands and thriving communities.
Seth Wilner has been a Holistic Management International Certified Educator since 2005. For 22 years he has worked as an agent educator with University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension where he specializes in farm business management with an emphasis on whole farm planning.
Dana was first introduced to Holistic Management in the 1990s while working in the Texas Hill Country. She strongly believes that Holistic Management can positively impact families that are on the land, the communities they are a part of, and larger landscape resource regeneration efforts.
Sarah Robertson grew up in Taos, New Mexico and has always been passionate about land stewardship, growing things, and nurturing others. After completing a BA in Communication from the University of New Mexico and working with local non-profits, she started her journey as a first-generation farmer. Since 2015, she has been learning and growing alongside her husband on various leased properties in Albuquerque, NM and running a small market farm with goats, chickens, and a CSA. In her role as Programs Assistant at HMI, Sarah brings her enthusiasm for regenerative agriculture, devotion to supporting others, and drive for lifelong learning and growing.
Jozua Lambrecht is from South Africa and divides his time between their home in Somerset West and their family farm in Sutherland, one of the coldest places in South Africa, where they farm with sheep. He is married to his wife Therese and they have two daughters.
Alejandro Carrillo is a fourth-generation rancher, and he is quite familiar with the challenges of running a profitable cattle ranch in the Chihuahuan desert. Because annual precipitation seldom exceeds nine inches, every drop counts when it comes to growing more grasses. Grazing year-round with only sea salt as an input, he is not willing to waste any water in such a brittle environment.
Jared L Talley was born and raised in Southwestern Idaho and now seeks to help rural communities adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing world. He is an Assistant Professor in the School of Public Service at Boise State University, earning his PhD in Philosophy from Michigan State University and his MPA in Environmental Policy and Natural Resource Management from Boise State University. An environmental philosopher by training and an interdisciplinary scholar in practice, he seeks to better understand how communities relate to the land and how this relationship poses obstacles and opportunities for collaboration and governance. In doing so, he studies the role of science in collaborative policy, the role of place in environmental identity, and the role of the imagination in mediating both. Specifically, he studies grazing management and public land permitting, community-led conservation programs, rural education and entrepreneurship, place-based environmental governance, and the imaginative experience of our natural and built environments — all in the contexts of the intermountain American West.
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