...we run Bison; we run about 1200 breeding cows — we've got about 53,000 acres that the Bison graze... we're trying to simulate the way it was 300 years ago, with the Bison herds roaming: there were large, very large herds, and there were predators... and they (the Bison and the predators) functioned jointly, the predators helping to keep the Buffalo in tighter groups, affecting the ground differently — they would keep the animals moving from place to place...

—John Flocchini, Ranch Manager
Durham Ranch, Gilette, Wyoming

 

 

...we think about the needs of the animal (but also the needs of) our resource, the land, the grasses, and we try to improve that... we show people how to look at their grassland, identify what grass species they have, how are those species doing, at what time of the year does a certain species grow better than another time of the year?
Then, by managing the livestock through the seasons of the year, when the grasses are growing their best in certain parts of their pasture, they're able to move their livestock to take advantage of the grasses, not allowing the grasses to be eaten down too short...

—Terry Wallen, DVM
Heifer International, United States

 

 

There are a series of planning stages ... this is a grazing chart, which is planning the movements of the animals to benefit the land, to regenerate the land, protect the grass plants that are growing daily... because they're living things and we need to protect them, so we need to have restricted times than animals are in the company of those plants, and plan to have enough forage to last our animals through a given period.

—George Gundry, Rancher
Willaroo Ranch, Australia

 

 

 

 

Fundamentals of Holistic Management

Learning how to manage land, animals and water in ways that mimic nature.

When land is under Holistic Management, land managers manage the relationships between land, grazing animals, and water in ways that mimic nature. The first step in managing holistically is the establishment of a clear, encompassing goal that embraces all desired outcomes and expresses the will and commitment of those who will be involved in achieving it. Every significant planning and monitoring decision is tested against this holisticgoal.

The cornerstones of managing holistically are:

1. Financial Planning.
2. Grazing Planning.
3. Land Planning.
4. Biological Monitoring.

Making a Healthy Profit: Holistic Management Financial Planning

Holistic Management Financial Planning enables land managers to:

1. Plan for and produce a profit.
2. Determine what enterprises to run.
3. Know what to spend money on and when.
4. Meet financial challenges effectively.
5. Coordinate the build up of both livestock and infrastructure while remaining profitable.

Getting Animals to the Right Place at the Right Time for the Right Reasons: Holistic Management Grazing Planning

Holistic Management Grazing Planning enables land managers to:

1. Simultaneously maximize stocking rate and improve land health and productivity.
2. Use livestock to improve the health of land and increase profit.
3. Coordinate three primary land management tools (rest, grazing, animal impact) to grow more pasture.
4. Maximize the harvest of sunlight by managing stocking rate, time, stock density and herd effect
5. Make the best plan for the season ahead.
6. Meet grazing and pasture production challenges effectively

Assessing Land Health & Productivity: Holistic Management Biological Monitoring

Holistic Management Biological Monitoring shows land managers:

1. Simple and effective monitoring techniques.
2. How to cultivate an awareness of the four ecosystem processes.
3. How to predict changes and trends on the land.
4. How to monitor plant growth rates, water supplies, unfavorable grazing patterns.
5. The importance of monitoring the land’s performance along with animal performance.
6. Why to assume our actions on the ecosystem processes could be wrong.
7. What criteria to monitor that will give the earliest warnings of adverse change.

Designing the Ideal Property Plan: Holistic Management Land Planning

Holistic Management Land Planning enables land managers to:

1. How to design infrastructure to control animal movement across the land and manage the role of time in grazing and trampling .
2. How land planning (along with financial and grazing planning) advances your holisticgoal.
3. How to design an ideal land plan.
4. How financial planning and grazing planning determine the order and timing of infrastructure development.

30 million acres of land worldwide currently benefit from Holistic Management practices.