Good Luck but Not Good-Bye

Anyone who has been involved in Holistic Management in Texas is bound to know Peggy Cole.  She's been in charge of Texas Holistic Management programming for almost 30 years, starting out in 1989, and serving in numerous roles, including Executive Director of Holistic Resource Management (HRM) of Texas.   On February 24, 2018, we’ll be having a party honoring her contributions at Montesino Ranch in Wimberly, TX.  Mark your calendars now! Both Clint Josey, past HMI board chair and director of the Dixon Water Foundation, and HMI Professional Certified Educator Peggy Sechrist were instrumental in beginning HRM of Texas in 1986.  Clint Josey recalls, “I’ve known her since she first started with HRM of Texas. She is very dedicated – even passionate – about Holistic Management, and was really instrumental in HRM of Texas.”    Peggy Sechrist adds “Peggy and I have always agreed that it’s the mission and people that keep you going.  It wasn’t the easiest job, but we fell in love with the people – people who love the land and have hearts of gold.” Dr. Pat Richardson (fondly known as The Dung Beetle Lady) met Peggy Cole in 1993 when Pat first became involved in Holistic Management.  “She’s just remarkable to work with,” she said.  No matter what challenges they faced, “Peggy’s attitude was always ‘we’ll get this done and it’ll be fun!’  Peggy has been a blessing in my life,” said Pat. Ann Adams first met her at the Texas Rendezvous in Leo, Texas in 2003.  “I knew then what a valuable resource she was for the Holistic Management community,” said Ann.  “If I had a question about the Holistic Management community in Texas, the first person I’d call was Peggy.” Over the years Peggy helped transition HRM of Texas (an independent non-profit) to HMI of Texas, a formal branch of HMI, and then later to merge with HMI.  She led HMI’s highly successful Beginning Women Farmer program in Texas, starting in 2012, helping to create a strong network of women farmers and ranchers throughout Texas.  As HMI expanded programming, Peggy extended her program management skills to Virginia, California, Colorado, Oregon, Oklahoma, and New York, providing remote support to local coordinators there to expand on HMI’s high-quality training programs. As 2017 draws to a close, Peggy will be officially retiring from HMI so that she can dedicate more time to explore her many creative interests.  Fortunately for HMI and the Holistic Management community, Peggy will still do some program management for us on a contract basis. From all of us at HMI, we wish Peggy a fulfilling retirement and thank her for her many years of service to the Holistic Management community and the many farmers and ranchers influenced by the training programs she has managed.  We hope to see you February 24th to help us honor Peggy for her dedication and contributions. Peggy, we look forward to seeing more of your beautiful photographs, and hearing about your creative writing,  labradoodles and agility training adventures!