Holistic Management in the News
Recent Articles, Broadcasts, and Podcasts about Holistic Management
in practice around the world.
USDA Announces $17 Million in Grants
to Train Beginning Farmers and Ranchers
The USDA Website, Nov 2009
The USDA today announced the award of more than $17 million in grants to 29 institutions to address the needs of beginning farmers and ranchers and enhance the sustainability and competitiveness of U.S. agriculture. HMI was awarded $639,301.
"Beginning farmers and ranchers face unique challenges and need educational and training programs to enhance their profitability and long term sustainability," Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan said. "The training and education provided through these grants will help ensure the success of the next generation of farmers and ranchers... (Click here to read the full article)
Livestock Can Help Rangelands Recover from Fires
The USDA Agricultural Research Service Website, Nov 2009
A 14-year study by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists in Oregon found that rangelands that have been grazed by cattle recover from fires more effectively than rangelands that have been protected from livestock.
"These surprising findings could impact management strategies for native plant communities where ecological dynamics are shifting because of climate change, invasive weeds and other challenges... (Click here to read the full article)
Greener Diet Reduces Dairy Cows’ Methane Burps
The ABC News Website, July 2009
Greener cows: Farmers change their cows' diets to reduce burps, major source of greenhouse gas. The gas cows belch is the dairy industry's biggest greenhouse gas contributor, research shows, most of it emitted from the front and not the back end of the cow.
"I just figured a cow was a cow and they were going to do whatever they were going to do in terms of cow things for gas," said Dellert. "It was pretty shocking to me that just being organic wasn't enough... Now they're out grazing on grass in the pasture... and the farm's vet bills have gone down... (Click here to read the full article)
The Issue Is Factory Farming, Not Meat Eating
The Moderate Voice Website, October 2009
Several recent studies show that pasture and grassland areas used for livestock reduce global warming by acting as carbon sinks. Compared to cropland, perennial pastures used for grazing can decrease soil erosion by 80 percent and markedly improve water quality, Minnesota’s Land Stewardship Project research has found...
"In contrast to factory farming, well-managed, non-industrialized animal farming minimizes greenhouse gases and can even benefit the environment. For example, properly timed cattle grazing can increase vegetation by as much as 45 percent, North Dakota State University researchers have found... (Click here to read the full article)
Irish Grassland Sinks its Roots into Carbon Dioxide
The EcoSmart Blog (UK), October 2009
A recent study from University College Cork and Teagasc in Ireland found that Ireland’s southern grasslands alone can take heavy amounts of carbon dioxide from the air...
"Ireland has over 7 billion acres of managed grasslands. These grasslands are monitored by Ireland’s EPA and the farmers who live there. The grasslands were found to trap 11,000-18,000 kilograms (24,000 to 39,000 pounds) of carbon dioxide per every 2.47 acres a year...with proper management, the grasslands of Ireland could be one of the central fronts in the war on global warming... (Click here to read the full article)
The Other Inconvenient Truth: The Crisis in Global Land Use
The Yale Edu Website, October 2009
As the international community focuses on climate change as the great challenge of our era, it is ignoring another looming problem — the global crisis in land use.
"With agricultural practices already causing massive ecological impact, the world must now find new ways to feed its burgeoning population and launch a "Greener" Revolution...
(Click here to read the full article)
Livestock vital in fight against climate change
The Farmer's Guardian Website (UK), Sept. 2009
A LEADING scientist has issued a robust rebuttal to those who claim livestock are the biggest contributors to climate change. Dr David Garwes, an independent livestock scientist, said grassland farmers made a considerable contribution to food security while continuing to reduce their environmental impact.
"More than 60 per cent of British agricultural land is grassland and much of it, particularly the hills and uplands, is unsuitable for other crops. Semi-permanent rough grazing and improved grasslands play a vital role in locking up carbon dioxide and regulating the flow of rain into water courses...
(Click here to read the full article)
Healthy Soil Bacteria Absorb More Methane Per Day
Than a Cow Produces in an Entire Year
The Australian Broadcasting Company Website
Flatulent cows may now graze in peace as agricultural science has found the greenhouse gas methane can be absorbed by soil ...research on native grasslands has found healthy soil bacteria absorb more methane per day than a cow produces in an entire year.
"We have a good news story and the farming community needs good news stories," says Professor Mark Adams, agricultural sustainability researcher and Dean of Agriculture at Sydney University... (Click here to read the full article)
Eating Meat for the Environment
The Utne Reader Website, July 2009
"Not all meat is created equal", Lisa Hamilton writes for Audubon. Some methane production is unavoidable (file this fact under “cow burps”), but “animals reared on organic pasture have a different climate equation from those raised in confinement on imported feed.”
In large-scale farming confinement systems, manure flows into (disgusting) lagoons, where its decomposition releases millions of tons of methane and nitrous oxide into the air every year. “On pasture, that same manure is simply assimilated back into the soil with a carbon cost close to zero.” (Click here to read the full article)
Unconventional Farmers: Let Them Eat Meat
Audubon.org Website, July 2009
Much of livestock’s emissions come as a result of dismantling the natural farm system and replacing it with an artificial environment. Some would argue that pasture-raised animals are just the lesser of two evils ... but for a sustainable farm system, animals are essential.
... by his carbon calculation the best option is to return that fertility by using livestock, particularly cows. They do more than keep his soil rich. When managed properly, cattle can boost soil’s ability to sequester carbon.” (Click here to read the full article)
In Defense of the Cow: How Eating Meat
Could Help Slow Climate Change
The treehugger.com Website, July 2009
Should we be eating more beef in order to slow global warming?
It sounds counterintuitive, but it may be so: Cattle could be part of the whole ecological equation to solving climate change and restoring healthy, bio-diverse ecosystems. Cows can help more than harm if they are sustainably raised.
"When the first plows turned the rich soils of the Midwest grasslands, some soils were 20% carbon. Now, after years of chemical farming and cultivation, many soils are 5% carbon or even less. As a result, that “lost” carbon now lives in our atmosphere as carbon dioxide. Prior to our cultivation of the Midwest, (grazing animals) played an important role in healthy soil ecology..." (Click here to read the full article)
The Amazing Benefits of Grass-Fed Meat
The Mother Earth News Website, June 2009
Converting cropland to perennial pastures produces healthier meat. Managed, intensive grazing builds fertile soil and combats climate change by using grass to pump carbon back into the soil where it belongs.
"A diverse collection of pioneers across the nation is raising not bison, but mostly grass-fed beef and dairy — an enterprise that can scale up quickly.
We could convert millions of acres of ravaged industrial grain fields to permanent pastures and see no decline in beef and dairy production... (Click here to read the full article)
Climate bill won't work without farm role: USDA
The Reuters News Website, June 2009
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The climate change bill being drafted in the U.S. Senate is unlikely to succeed unless it gives farmers and ranchers a role in locking carbon into the land, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said on Tuesday.
"A carbon-offset program will need the support of thousands of farmers to reduce greenhouse gases by meaningful amounts ... U.S. farm and forest land absorbs more carbon than emitted by agricultural operations ... A successful U.S. carbon-offset program would show the world how agriculture can help control emissions... (Click here to read the full article)
The benefits of grazing
The California Country Magazine Website, June 2009
Cattle grazing, and other good range management practices, can add greatly to the health and vitality of California's native landscape. Through a variety of wildlife management techniques, the Work Family Ranch has more than 300 different species thriving there, including tule elk, which at one time were nearly extinct. Along with that, there are several hundred head of beef cattle and a small herd of horses.
" ... the family manages the ranch using techniques very different than the ones employed by early California ranchers. These days the Works focus on a “whole system approach” that takes into consideration the needs of a complex environment... (Click here to read the full article)
Greening the Herds: A New Diet to Cap Gas
The New York Times Website, 2009
HIGHGATE, Vt. — Chewing her cud on a recent sunny morning, Libby, a 1,400-pound Holstein, paused to do her part in the battle against global warming, emitting a fragrant burp. Libby and the 74 other dairy cows on Guy Choiniere’s farm here are at the heart of an experiment to determine whether a change in diet will help them belch less methane...
" ... cows at 15 farms across Vermont have had their grain feed adjusted to include more plants like alfalfa and flaxseed — substances that, unlike corn or soy, mimic the spring grasses that the animals evolved long ago to eat ... the methane output of Mr. Choiniere’s herd had dropped 18 percent. Meanwhile, milk production has held its own. (Click here to read the full article)
Durham Ranch: Saving the Earth through Cattle Management
The Peninsula Food News Website, 2009
“We would only have to improve carbon percentage by 1% on our 450 million hectares of agricultural soil in Australia and we could sequester all of the planet’s legacy load of carbon,” states Christine Jones, PhD. ...
" ... You can think of soils as a bank account that has the capacity to really build up very large quantities of capital moving into the future.” James Hansen, PhD, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies adds, “Our agricultural practices could be modified to bring CO2 back down much more quickly ... (Click here to read the full article)
Partner Profile: Holistic Management International
The Land Report: Magazine of the American Landowner Website,
May 2009
Peter Holter and the fine folks at Holistic Management International (HMI) are valuable partners of The Land Report. We believe in their mission, and once you learn more about them we think you will be supportive as well ...
" ... I was anti-cattle and thought desert grasslands could best be restored by de-stocking..." That changed when he learned about Holistic Planned Grazing “it's all about getting animals to the right place at the right time for the right reason.” ... (Click here to read the full article)
Articles from 2008 and earlier
Marketwire on-line Journal, June 2008
"Our Defining Moment" on Climate Change: Pay Attention to Soil Health
Business Wire, April 2008: “Re-populating Rural America: Blessing or Curse?”
Reuters on-line Journal, January 2008
Holistic Management International Awarded USAID Funding to Address Drought
Disaster
Albuquerque
Tribune Commentary, November 2007
Using Goats in Wild Lands, Urban Areas will Aid Environment, Reduce Wildfire
Risk
EON, November 2007
Holistic Management International Says Goats Help Prevent Fire
Desert
Journal, November 2007
How Many Times Must we watch the West Burn?
New
Mexico Business Weekly, November 2007
Chew on This: Four-Legged Firefighters
Highlights for the International Gathering 2007
Kate
Manchester's Kitchen Sync Podcast, October 2007
Healthy Land: Sustainable Future
Drovers on-line Journal, October 2007
Livestock's Long Shadow?
New Mexico Business Weekly,
October 2007
Planting Seeds: Group works to enrich soil, grass
New
West Unfiltered, August 2007:
Holistic Management International COO Peter Holter Reacts to
Recent News Reports about Rising Prices
Albuquerque
Tribune Commentary, August 2007
Grazing the grasslands could help the environment, economy
HMI makes it big in Times Square- again!
All Things
Considered, August 2007
Radio Commentary: Rising Prices for Corn and Corn Products (MP3)
Click here to listen to the MP3 | Click here for a text PDF of this radio commentary
Yahoo!
News, July 2007
Cut Meat and Dairy Consumption to Reduce Our Carbon Footprint?
Not Necessarily, Says Holistic Management International COO
GreenMoney
Journal, Summer 2007
Moving the World towards Sustainability
Colorado
College News and Events, March 2007
Allan Savory Speaks at Colorado College (MP3)
PRWeb Interview,
January 2007
Organic Food Producers face challenges going "mass market" (MP3)
Albuquerque
Tribune, January 2007
Alternative Fuels: Animals are the Key
Durango Herald, November
2006
Finding Common Ground with Maasai Ranchers (PDF)
Stockman
Grassfarmer, June 2006
Fight global warming by increasing organic matter in the soil (PDF)
Wyoming Game and Fish
Department
Response of Prairie Stream Riparian Buffers to Livestock Exclusion and
Short-Duration Grazing in Northeast Wyoming-A Pre-and Post-Photographic
Comparison (PDF)
Flood and drought: two sides of the same coin? (PDF)
Other features
Public Affairs Friday, December 15, 2006, KUNM-FM/ 8am-8:30am– Sunny Moyo with of the Africa Center for Holistic Management – encouraging news from Africa: improving food and livestock production, restoration of communal lands, and watershed rejuvenation. With host Ron Chapman.
Morning Edition and All Things Considered Friday, December 1, 2006, KUNM-FM/ – Peter Holter: Commentary on Holistic Management’s positive impact on Organic Food – a response to Business Week Magazine.
SmallBiz America with David Wolf (Syndicated) Saturday, November 11, 2006, 10 a.m., 1350-AM. Actual segment: 10:12-10:30 a.m.
All Things Considered Friday, September 29, 2006, KUNM / NPR
Commentary on drought and flooding by Peter Holter.
Conscious Talk Radio Friday, September 15, 2006 8:30
Seattle-based syndicated series dealing with issues of human dimensions,
decision making, and sustainability.
KSFR-FM / Santa Fe Tuesday, August 22, 2006, 4 p.m.
“Journey Home: Sustainability Tuesday” with Diego Mulligan.
Women’s Focus Show Saturday, September 9, 2006 Noon, KUNM-FM: with Carol Boss.
Holistic Management® International has launched an aggressive effort to let the world know more about HM practices, and to establish HMI as a recognized leader in the realm of improving land health.
We have forged relationships with PR Newswire, and are distributing relevant news stories to 4200 media points, and news outlets in 135 countries. We have also signed on with PRWebDirect, which gives us access to the on-line YAHOO! News system, as well as a network of journalists who opt-in for information on the environment.
A regular stream of commentary, op-ed, and media updates will be released through these channels, as well as to local and regional news sources in New Mexico and throughout the Rocky Mountain region.
Please bookmark this page and visit again for updates and events.
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