Questions with the Speakers
CATEGORY: News From The Pasture | Permalink | Posted on: April 19th, 2016
Here is our sixth and final installment of our blog series “Questions with the Speakers†for the upcoming conference on April 27 and 28 in Perry, GA. In preparation for the conference, we asked these speakers a common set of questions concerning the future of grassfed production and the story of their experiences and insights that led to their leadership in our industry. This will be a short sampling of what you can learn and discuss while attending. If you have not signed up for the conference yet go
here. There is still early bird pricing through April 15th. Enjoy and get your questions ready! The last installment will be from one of our own Gabe Brown.
1. What do you see as the potential impact of regenerative grassland agriculture? The impact of regenerating grasslands will be seen on all facets of both society and our ecosystems. Healthy soil equates to clean air, clean water, healthy plants, animals and people. Simple as that.
2. What do you believe are the big strategies and behaviors required to move us toward this?In order to move this forward we must move away from the current production model and in order to do that it will take the consumers driving change through their spending dollar. It is not practical for us to believe that the government will change the current farm program.
3. Why are you doing things the way you are today?I farm and ranch the way I do because in my mind it is, without a doubt, the right thing to do. We must regenerate our resources in order for future generations to have the possibility of being sustainable.
4. What brought you to this point? Was there a defining moment that sparked a change?I got to this point by having four years in a row of hail and drought in the 1990’s. Financially, in order to make a profit I was forced to learn how to restore the carbon cycle, the water cycle, and the mineral cycle.
5. Where or to whom do you look for guidance and inspiration?I always look to my faith for inspiration.
6. What is an important lesson you learned from a mistake?One of the most important lessons I have learned is that a healthy ecosystem is all about balance. If I try and impose my will on nature I will throw it out of balance.
7. What do you think is the most important first step someone in your field can take to move in the right direction?The most important first step one can take is to learn how a healthy ecosystem functions. Very few producers understand this and yet the soil is the foundation of their operation.
8. What will be the # 1 take home message from people listening to you speak? The number one take home message will be that GROWING TOPSOIL IS A BIOLOGICAL PROCESS. One must understand how soil ecosystems function.
For more information and questions on the conference go to our
website. Hope to see you at the conference!
Announcing 2016 Grassfed Exchange
CATEGORY: News From The Pasture | Permalink | Posted on: April 12th, 2016
We are pleased to announce the winners of a new scholarship program for young farmers and ranchers to attend the 2016 Grassfed Exchange conference on April 27-29, 2016 in Perry, Georgia.
Due to a generous grant from the folks at “The Herd†– Cienega Capital, TomKat Foundation, Armonia, and the 11th Hour Project – we were able to grant a total of 30 scholarships to young daughters, sons, veterans and interns from 16 different US states and 1 Canadian province to attend the 2016 conference.
The Winners are:
Full Ride
•Lacey Barker (Waynoka, OK) – Daughter
•Sam Bass (Paden, OK) – Veteran
•Liz Cunningham (Jordan Valley, OR) – Daughter
•Sean Cunningham (Jordan Valley, OR) – Son
•James Doyle (Piedmont, SD) – Son
•Kevin Fray (Carlotta, CA) – Veteran
•Christina Giordani (Hailey, ID) – Intern
•Michelle Katuna (Palcines, CA) – Intern
•JC McDonald (Wilcox, AZ) – Son
•Kate Rasmussen (Bozeman, MT) – Daughter
•Jennifer Spaans (Belding, MI) – Daughter
•Kate Spaans (Belding, MI) – Daughter
•Ryan Sullivan (Manitowoc, WI) – Veteran
•Katelyn Tainsh (Saskatoon, SK) – Daughter
Tuition Only
•Dennis Atiyeh (Ithaca, NY) – Son
•Jesse Beiler (Narvon, PA) – Intern
•Sara Bronkema (Holland, MI) – Daughter
•Melissa Clark (Oklahoma City, OK) – Intern
•Jonny De Jong (Slocomb, AL) – Son
•Austin Effling (Britton, SD) – Son
•Loren Fisk (Cavour, SD) – Son
•Ty Hughston (McBain, MI) – Son
•Cathryn Jennings (The Plains, VA) – Daughter
•Christopher Jennings (The Plains, VA) – Son
•Nicole Jennings (The Plains, VA) – Daughter
•Jon Lee (Coon Valley, WI) – Veteran
•Jodie Oldham (Spokane, WA) – Intern
•Kyle Runkle (Lambertville, NJ) – Son
•Paige Stanley (Lansing, MI) – Intern
•Kyle Welch (Grant City, MO) – Son
We congratulate this next generation of farmers and ranchers, and invite you to come along and meet them in Perry, Georgia April 27-29.
Questions with the Speakers
CATEGORY: News From The Pasture | Permalink | Posted on: April 7th, 2016
Here is our fifth installment of our blog series “Questions with the Speakers†for the upcoming conference on April 27 and 28 in Perry, GA. In preparation for the conference, we asked these speakers a common set of questions concerning the future of grassfed production and the story of their experiences and insights that led to their leadership in our industry. This will be a short sampling of what you can learn and discuss while attending. If you have not signed up for the conference yet go here. There is still early bird pricing through April 15th. Enjoy and get your questions ready! In the weeks to come, we will share their answers here. This installment will feature Teddy Gentry and Burke Teichert.
1. What do you see as the potential impact of regenerative grassland agriculture? I think it is an incredible opportunity to take non-productive farmland and to regenerate it with the proper livestock systems like mob grazing. People can use hogs to regenerate rough areas of the farms. There is a lot of land that can be productive, not just sustainable, but to regenerate it where it is productive.
2. What do you believe are the big strategies and behaviors required to move us toward this?The first thing would be education. Educating people not just about the systems, but genetics that work best in your system.
3. Why are you doing things the way you are today?Not to just be sustainable, but to actually build more quality soil the longer I am doing it.
4. What brought you to this point? Was there a defining moment that sparked a change?I think it was more of a slow education over a period of time. One thing led to another. Being introduced to rotational grazing in 1986 by a friend from New Zealand was probably my first step.
5. Where or to whom do you look for guidance and inspiration?I learned from a lot of different people. From everyone that was doing anything related to low input and more natural approach to livestock production. Not just about the genetics, but about the forages, the soil, and how to make the soil healthier.
6. What is an important lesson you learned from a mistake?When I first started rotational grazing, I made a lot of mistakes. I ate grass too short. My regraze period was too short. My genetics were not adapted to the system.
7. What do you think is the most important first step someone in your field can take to move in the right direction?Education. Research what you are going to get into. Study successful people. Educate yourself before you jump in with both feet. Read “Before You Have a Cow”!
8. What will be the # 1 take home message from people listening to you speak? That it is okay to make a profit off your farm. The genetics and the systems are available today to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to make a profit. The cattle business is not as complicated as some people make it out to be.
1. What do you see as the potential impact of regenerative grassland agriculture? Yields of pasture lands and crops will be, at least, maintained or in many cases significantly increased. The flow of carbon from land to atmosphere will be reversed in a dramatic way. Evaporation will be reduced, water infiltration will increase, water quality will improve and erosion will be dramatically reduced. Biodiversity will increase.
2. What do you believe are the big strategies and behaviors required to move us toward this?No-till farming combined with cover crops and planned, time controlled, adaptive grazing.
3. Why are you doing things the way you are today?I am consulting and speaking with the end goal of persuading with good information, reason, and personal experience to, as many people as I can that there is much room to improve their economic situation and simultaneously improve the land on which they operate.
4. What brought you to this point? Was there a defining moment that sparked a change?If there was a defining moment, it was meeting Alan Savory in the late 70s. That opened my mind to the power of good grazing management. Since then I have been blessed with a rapid succession of teachers and mentors who have helped me learn and understand “systems†and holistic thought and apply it to cattle breeding and range management.
5. Where or to whom do you look for guidance and inspiration?God, first. Then there are too many others to mention, but Gabe Brown has helped me understand that the principles of soil management that I was learning and using for cattle and range management could also be used for farming and that farming would be better with the integration of livestock.
6. What is an important lesson you learned from a mistake?Don’t wait to begin to destock in times of lower rainfall. When the plants are screaming for longer recovery times, provide longer recovery. If you have been providing, through feeding and supplementation, a pampered environment for you livestock and want to change that, either take that slowly to avoid a horrendous cull rate or trade out your cows for some that are already adapted to your natural environment.
7. What do you think is the most important first step someone in your field can take to move in the right direction?Open your mind, listen and learn! I could tell some good stories.
8. What will be the # 1 take home message from people listening to you speak?Learn, even memorize, some basic principles. Find good examples as close to home as possible. Move forward.
For more information and questions on the conference go to our
website. See you back here for the next installment.
Questions with the Speakers
CATEGORY: News From The Pasture | Permalink | Posted on: March 29th, 2016
Here is our fourth installment of our blog series “Questions with the Speakers†for the upcoming conference on April 27 and 28 in Perry, GA. In preparation for the conference, we asked these speakers a common set of questions concerning the future of grassfed production and the story of their experiences and insights that led to their leadership in our industry. This will be a short sampling of what you can learn and discuss while attending. If you have not signed up for the conference yet go
here. There is still early bird pricing through March 31st. Enjoy and get your questions ready! In the weeks to come, we will share their answers here. This installment will feature Blaine Hitzfield and Dr. Douglas Woodford.
1. What do you see as the potential impact of regenerative grassland agriculture? I believe that regenerative grassland agriculture has the potential to bring more people back to the land in the next 15-20 years compared to any other segment of agriculture. Not only do our lands desperately need regeneration but consumers are also grasping its importance. This is a timely combination that represents an exciting new era of opportunities for the family farm.
2. What do you believe are the big strategies and behaviors required to move us toward this?As consumer distrust continues to heighten, we as farmers and ranchers will no longer be able to ignore the social implications of our production choices. Those who are first to embrace both the environmental and social value of regenerative agriculture will be positioned for the greatest economic opportunity and long-term sustainability.
3. Why are you doing things the way you are today?It started off 16 years ago with a conviction to regenerate the land and thus provide better food to consumers.
4. What brought you to this point? Was there a defining moment that sparked a change?A family health crisis opened our eyes to a broken agriculture and food system of which we were active participants. The choice was clear: We could remain as part of the problem, or we could take a leap of faith and seek to become part of the solution.
5. Where or to whom do you look for guidance and inspiration?Our community of patrons has become one of our greatest sources of inspiration. Key training/educational resources: Grassfed Exchange, ACRES USA, SCORRE, Holistic Management International, Stockman Grass Farmer, Graze Magazine.
6. What is an important lesson you learned from a mistake?We spent a decade making big mistakes and going backwards economically. This was mostly due to stubbornly thinking, we could figure things out on our own. Lesson learned: Know what you know, know what you don’t know, and know who knows what you don’t.
7. What do you think is the most important first step someone in your field can take to move in the right direction?First take steps to evaluate and assemble your social/people resources and then let this guide your land management plan and economic strategy. Providing a fertile seedbed for human creativity and freedom of entrepreneurial expression has been the single most important step we have taken to increase the overall effectiveness of our family’s farming operation.
8. What will be the # 1 take home message from people listening to you speak? How to overcome the single greatest barrier to your farm’s untapped direct marketing potential.
1. What do you see as the potential impact of regenerative grassland agriculture? The production of nutrient dense food is dependent on healthy soil, both in meat and vegetable production. Animals properly managed are the key to soil health.
2. What do you believe are the big strategies and behaviors required to move us toward this?Reversing the mistaken belief that animal fats cause heart disease. It is well documented in the medical literature that there is no association between saturated fat intake and heart disease. Second, we need to educate people that how their beef is produced is the key to nutrient dense beef with healthy fat.
3. Why are you doing things the way you are today?Because the key to health is nutrient dense food. Only cows in their natural environment will contain the proper nutrition to promote human health.
4. What brought you to this point? Was there a defining moment that sparked a change?I was searching to correct my own health problems. The defining moment was understanding that food regulates gene expression and all common modern diseases. Diabetes, Hypertension, Heart Disease and Stroke are all nutritional diseases.
5. Where or to whom do you look for guidance and inspiration?A group of physicians like Eric Westman at Duke, Stephen Phinney at UC-Davis and Jeff Volek at University of Connecticut who were willing to study how high fat diets promote human health.
6. What is an important lesson you learned from a mistake?In starting our farm and grass-fed beef production, I did not initially take the time to research and purchase the breed of cows that can thrive in a grass fed system.
7. What do you think is the most important first step someone in your field can take to move in the right direction?For a medical doctor you have to get your mind out of the box and realize you know very little. You have to do your own research to find the truth.
8. What will be the # 1 take home message from people listening to you speak?That the diet that will provide healthy aging is a diet high in monounsaturated and saturated fat from healthy animals raised in their natural environment and that is also very low in sugar.
For more information and questions on the conference go to our
website. See you back here for the next installment.
Questions with the Speakers
CATEGORY: News From The Pasture | Permalink | Posted on: March 22nd, 2016
Here is our second installment of our blog series “Questions with the Speakers†for the upcoming conference on April 27 and 28 in Perry, GA. In preparation for the conference, we asked these speakers a common set of questions concerning the future of grassfed production and the story of their experiences and insights that led to their leadership in our industry. This will be a short sampling of what you can learn and discuss while attending. If you have not signed up for the conference yet go here. There is still early bird pricing through March 31st. Enjoy and get your questions ready! In the weeks to come, we will share their answers here. This installment is Dr. Joseph Mercola and Sid DeRouen.
1. What do you see as the potential impact of regenerative grassland agriculture? Regenerative agriculture is the most rational and responsible path forward to save our topsoil and water. The last known good configuration was to keep the herbivores on the grasslands and out of feedlots. Tearing up grasslands for corn and soy to haul off to herbivores in confined feedlots is one of the most foolish things we have done to the topsoil and our ability to grow nutrient dense food on a commercial scale.
2. What do you believe are the big strategies and behaviors required to move us toward this?I would focus on 3 strategies: Nutrient Dense Foods, Toxin Avoidance, and Promotion of Environmental Benefits. We need to publish studies and tests that prove these differences repeatedly. Antibiotics, added hormones, and pesticides are major concerns. The fact we can produce more nutrient dense, higher quality foods while avoiding toxins and improving our environment is win-win for everybody.
3. Why are you doing things the way you are today?I have always had a long term strategy and tend to ignore short term benefits that compromise those long term objectives. Additionally, you feel much better when you do what you think is right; doing what is right is not always what is easy.
4. What brought you to this point? Was there a defining moment that sparked a change?I’ve treated over 20,000 patients and I am convinced that any honest truth seeking health professional will reach the inevitable conclusion that the health of their patients is ultimately related to the health of the soil that can nourish them with nutrient dense real foods.
5. Where or to whom do you look for guidance and inspiration?There are many unheralded pioneers that inspire me, especially scientists, like Don Huber, Jonathan Latham, Judy Carmen, and David Lewis are just a few examples of those that had to quit their careers because they exposed corruption in industry and the government. Additionally we have over 10 million unique visitors to the website each month. They continue to comment and provide insights that are the reason behind our growth and success.
6. What is an important lesson you learned from a mistake?After you finish your formal education the university of life provides you with many lessons and many of those mistakes can be painful and very expensive. It is clear to learn not only from my mistakes so I seek to not make the same mistake twice.
7. What do you think is the most important first step someone in your field can take to move in the right direction?Keep an open mind; much of the education we receive is similar to what the media provides. It is information that is manipulated for a purpose, learning never ends. Seek out alternative media sources on the internet and trust your intuition it will guide you once you are exposed to broad based views on the topics you are seeking to understand.
8. What will be the # 1 take home message from people listening to you speak? You can take control of your health and one person can make a huge difference.
1. What do you see as the potential impact of regenerative grassland agriculture? If done correctly, positive. Use of hoofed animals, not overgrazing, recycling of nutrients and adding topsoil will result in regeneration.
2. What do you believe are the big strategies and behaviors required to move us toward this?Education. This includes demonstrations of “real world” regeneration successes showing the practices with timelines used to achieve this and having a commitment to mob grazing practices.
3. Why are you doing things the way you are today?I prefer to produce beef the way mother nature intended and that is on forages alone on pastures their entire lives. I feel I have gone “full-circle” with this concept. I once produced beef conventionally and now have gone back to the way my great-grandfather produced beef cattle.
4. What brought you to this point? Was there a defining moment that sparked a change?It was an evolving change in my philosophy to raising beef. In 2008 or 2009 I heard a colleague with the LSU AgCenter talk about a grass-fed beef research project he was working and then I visited with a couple of grass-fed producers in south Louisiana. As a result, in the fall of 2009 I “switched” to being a grass-fed producer.
5. Where or to whom do you look for guidance and inspiration?I look to my partners with our grass-fed business, my family, and my customers whom I meet with regularly with direct marketing. I am also inspired by the land, nature, and my cattle primarily my mamma cows. It is a lifestyle that I enjoy.
6. What is an important lesson you learned from a mistake?Try not to have that mistake happen again; utilize your experience. One other aspect is do not overreact to certain matters…sometimes the best decision is to not do anything and let nature do its “thing,” more times than not it works out. When I was younger, I would tend to over-react and intervene in certain situations.
7. What do you think is the most important first step someone in your field can take to move in the right direction?Have your forage/pasture program “in order.” Have your infrastructure, i.e., fencing, water system, working pens, etc. in place also. These two first steps are necessary before buying the first cow and getting off to a good start.
8. What will be the # 1 take home message from people listening to you speak?Do not expect to get rich from this business. You need to have a love and passion for this type of work. This business includes having some knowledge in management, science, and also art in trying to make all the components work in harmony. Expect disappointments, Mother Nature can be a challenge at times. Lastly, you will need to network with people in this niche but growing market.
For more information and questions on the conference go to our website. See you back here for the next installment.
Questions with the Speakers
CATEGORY: News From The Pasture | Permalink | Posted on: March 14th, 2016
Here is our second installment of our blog series “Questions with the Speakers†for the upcoming conference on April 27 and 28 in Perry, GA. In preparation for the conference, we asked these speakers a common set of questions concerning the future of grassfed production and the story of their experiences and insights that led to their leadership in our industry. This will be a short sampling of what you can learn and discuss while attending. If you have not signed up for the conference yet go here. There is still early bird pricing through March 31st. Enjoy and get your questions ready! In the weeks to come, we will share their answers here. This installment is Ray Archuleta and Fred Provenza.
1. What do you see as the potential impact of regenerative grassland agriculture? This type of agriculture will positively impact all biotic, climatic, aquatic, and economic health. At the same time redistribute humans and animals on the landscape which will restructure society has a whole.
.
2. What do you believe are the big strategies and behaviors required to move us toward this?Regenerating agriculture is a social and psychological issue: The transformation of the human mind and heart is required. An “eco-consciousness” that teaches all humans that they are part of the natural system. We need an awareness that nurtures and respects all life- by emulating it. “You cannot build ecology integrity without human integrity”.
3. Why are you doing things the way you are today?Humans learn through progressive revelation. In other words, we learn in steps (progression) within time and space. This time of learning takes time, like botanical growth, it is very slow and un-noticeable, but eventually evident. With the proper experiences, exposure to the right people, good books, and the proper contextual knowledge. I was able to formulate the correct premise which helped me better understand agriculture- mimic natural ecosystems to improve soil function. Don’t force it-understand it!
4. What brought you to this point? Was there a defining moment that sparked a change?Failure brought me to this point! I found a humbling awareness that I was not helping the land or the people. As a NRCS/ USDA employee, I was wrapped in a web of governmental process and tools that masked symptoms (economic failing farms, unclean water, erosion), yet no real healing of the soil was occurring.
5. Where or to whom do you look for guidance and inspiration?I look to Jesus Christ for encouragement and hope- a perfect example of true leadership. His words help me understand CONTEXT; my relationship between God, creation, and my fellow men.
6. What is an important lesson you learned from a mistake?One of the most powerful teaching tools for us humans…is mistakes. Mistakes are misconceptions, defective knowledge/judgment, and a miss-understanding. My understanding of agriculture was built on a flawed premise: nature is a machine, a chemistry set, it is not alive! Control it with our tools (pesticides, tillage and etc.,)! My misconceptions-masked symptoms and facilitated no healing for the land or the people. “A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools. Douglas Adams”.
7. What do you think is the most important first step someone in your field can take to move in the right direction?Understand Context: You must have the proper psychological, social, and spiritual context if you are going help regenerate agriculture. Without it, you’re lost. You cannot understand the proper conditions or the circumstances without it.
8. What will be the # 1 take home message from people listening to you speak? If you build your agricultural understanding on the correct foundation: mimic nature through systems thinking and don’t focus on the tools or process, you will improve soil health and function. This correct premise will impact all life on earth…especially yours.
1. What do you see as the potential impact of regenerative grassland agriculture? I think the health of nations is built from the ground up and regenerative grassland agriculture is essential for that.
2. What do you believe are the big strategies and behaviors required to move us toward this?I think it has to happen from the ground up. I don’t have much faith at all in top-down (e.g., political) approaches. How do we get the 98% of folks not involved in agriculture to realize that our health is linked with the health of soil, plants, and animals that inhabit the landscape communities where we live too? Education through articles, books, and films for the general public (e.g., documentaries like Fed Up), getting folks to grow gardens — all ways to get people to realize that our health depends on the health of the landscape communities we inhabit.
3. Why are you doing things the way you are today?All the experiences I’ve had: training in in wildlife biology; working for many years on the ranch in Colorado; the many years as a teacher and researcher at Utah State University studying how behavior links soil and plants with herbivores and human beings; the last six years living in the backwoods of Colorado pondering the mysteries and wonders of existence.
4. What brought you to this point? Was there a defining moment that sparked a change?The trials I’ve experienced along the way have caused me to make profound changes in how I view life.
5. Where or to whom do you look for guidance and inspiration?I use quiet time in nature for guidance and inspiration. I like to read broadly about all facets of life in the here-and-now and the hereafter. I like to write as a way to reflect on all of this.
6. What is an important lesson you learned from a mistake?
Mistakes are never mistakes when I’m trying my best, just another chance to learn and move on…
7. What do you think is the most important first step someone in your field can take to move in the right direction?Take time to ponder and follow your heart. There’s something in each one of us that knows when we are ‘on the beam or off the bean.’ Find that and follow it wherever it leads you and you will never go wrong.
8. What will be the # 1 take home message from people listening to you speak?You are the artist who is painting the canvas of your own life.
For more information and questions on the conference go to our website. See you back here for the next installment.
Announcing 2016 “Herd Fellows†Scholarship Program
CATEGORY: News From The Pasture | Permalink | Posted on: March 14th, 2016
We are thrilled to announce a new scholarship program for young farmers and ranchers to attend the 2016 Grassfed Exchange conference on April 27-29, 2016 in Perry, Georgia.
Due to a generous grant from the folks at “The Herd†– Cienega Capital, TomKat Foundation, Armonia, and the 11th Hour Project – we are now accepting applications for young daughters, sons, veterans and interns to attend the 2016 conference under a scholarship program. The purpose of this program is to inspire and educate the next generation of young people to become regenerative grassland farmers and ranchers.
On April 1, we will award 12 “full ride†and 20 tuition-only scholarships aimed at increasing opportunities for the next generation of people who will feed the world:
The scholarships will include:
Full Ride (12 Total) – Includes travel (at cost from point of origin), on-site accommodations (at cost); meals (paid as supplement of $200), and registration (includes on-site meals).
Tuition Only (20 Total) – Registration (includes on-site meals)
Required Qualifications
• Currently active or seeking employment in grassland agriculture
• Daughters and Sons – 30 or under years of age
• Veterans – 45 or under years of age and former active duty
• Interns – 30 or under years of age and active or hired intern for 2016 season
Applicants are required to fill out a one page application form (below) and submit by midnight on March 26 to
[email protected].
Questions with the Speakers
CATEGORY: News From The Pasture | Permalink | Posted on: March 8th, 2016
We are excited to have our first installment of our blog series “Questions with the Speakers†for the upcoming conference on April 27 and 28 in Perry, GA. In preparation for the conference, we asked these speakers a common set of questions concerning the future of grassfed production and the story of their experiences and insights that led to their leadership in our industry. This will be a short sampling of what you can learn and discuss while attending. If you have not signed up for the conference yet go
here. There is still early bird pricing through March 31st. Enjoy and get your questions ready! In the weeks to come, we will share their answers here. We begin with Will Harris and Randall Hastings.
1. What do you see as the potential impact of regenerative grassland agriculture?Regenerative grassland agriculture offer the opportunity for livestock producers to mitigate the environmental damage done by industrialized farming practices, while producing great foods and offering promising careers to people who are interested in humane and sustainable livestock production.
2. What do you believe are the big strategies and behaviors required to move us toward this?We need increased focus, by consumers, on climate change, health, food safety, animal welfare, etc.
3. Why are you doing things the way you are today?I became disgusted with the excesses of monocultural industrial centralized animal production.
4. What brought you to this point? Was there a defining moment that sparked a change?No defining moment, just a growing dissatisfaction with the excesses of the system that I was operating in.
5. Where or to whom do you look for guidance and inspiration?We are figuring it out as we go.
6. What is an important lesson you learned from a mistake?Producers must be careful to not put more value into a product than can be extracted from the market.
7. What do you think is the most important first step someone in your field can take to move in the right direction?Go and work with an established producer that you believe has a sound program that you would like to emulate.
8. What will be the # 1 take home message from people listening to you speak? That humane and regenerative agriculture can be scaled up to a point in which the farm can be successful, and a significant number of consumers can be fed.
1. What do you see as the potential impact of regenerative grassland agriculture? There is a tremendous potential ahead for grassland agriculture as the demand for grass fed livestock is growing faster than production. This means supply and demand will make especially grass finishing more profitable.
2. What do you believe are the big strategies and behaviors required to move us toward this?One of the main things that needs to happen is there is going to have to be more research on soil health and grass production as we use some of the old ways along with new technology to enhance grass production and soil health. There is going to have to be changes in the lending institutions to understand this type of farming especially to help young farmers. There is going to have to be changes in commercial applicators views to help with the application and availability of healthy soil amendments.
3. Why are you doing things the way you are today?Most of all, it’s the right thing to do for the earth, the animals, and the future generations. It has also made the farm more sustainable.
4. What brought you to this point? Was there a defining moment that sparked a change?I sold chemicals and commercial fertilizer for 25 years, but I was always amazed at how as I spread fertilizer in fields as I approached the end of the field and looked out into the forests it would be so green and growing with no help from commercial fertilization. Then one day about 15 years ago I watched a video of living, healthy soil. When they showed in 1 tablespoon of healthy soil there were more microbes than humans living on earth I began to look at soil as a lot more than something to hold the world together. I knew if I could get all of this microbial activity to go back to work on my farm maybe I could keep some of the “transfer of wealth†as they say to make our farm more sustainable.
5. Where or to whom do you look for guidance and inspiration?I depend a lot on the school of hard knocks as we try different things that work on my farm because what works for one farmer may not work well for me. I look for guidance from a few “old timers†as there is a lot of wisdom with age, and some with current tech knowledge to help blend the old with the new. Some of my mentors have been my father and grandfather, Mr. Gerald Fry, Doug Gunnink, Mark Eagan, Dr. Steve Campbell, Gabe Brown, Doug Peterson and many more.
6. What is an important lesson you learned from a mistake?One of the biggest lessons I have learned is not to push the land as hard for high production by lowering the stocking rate, rotational grazing to rest the soil and using natural deep rooted plants to help with water retention by breaking the hard pan.
7. What do you think is the most important first step someone in your field can take to move in the right direction?The first step for someone wanting to start in this direction is having commitment. This is not easy because grass finishing is a very complicated event. When you look at all the aspects involved if you are not committed you will scratch your head and realize it is much easier to pick up the phone and call your local fertilizer and chemical dealer and tell them to take care of things and send the bill. The infrastructure for applying healthy soil amendments has not caught on yet from commercial applicators so you have to apply them yourself. The good thing is you don’t have the “transfer of wealth†but it does take commitment.
8. What will be the # 1 take home message from people listening to you speak?1-This is the right thing to do for the earth, the animals, and the health aspects for us and our future generations.
2-For people to think about how much there is being left on the table because we are not diversifying our farms, so a farmer can make a living and not “have a job in town†to support the farm.
3-Most meetings I have attended put on by “academia†have things geared for bigger farms. How do you make a living on a small farm being a full time farmer? I can help answer this question.
For more information and questions on the conference go to our
website. See you back here for the next installment.
If you want to raise food AND…
CATEGORY: News From The Pasture | Permalink | Posted on: February 9th, 2016
…improve the health of your soil – you need to integrate livestock and row cropping. Here is a terrific article that about one farmer’s journey to first start using covers, then starting grazing the covers, and the incredible results on soil health and overall profitability.
CLICK HERE to read article Interesting? Come to the 2016 Grass Fed Exchange April 27 – 29 in Perry, GA to hear more from Doug Peterson, (interviewed in the article) and one of the Grandfathers of cover grazing – Gabe Brown!
-Todd Churchill – Founder Thousand Hills Cattle Company
Founding Board Member Grass Fed Exchange
Wasting Sunlight
CATEGORY: News From The Pasture | Permalink | Posted on: February 3rd, 2016
by Russ ConserIn
my last post, I told the story of how grasses co-developed with grazing animals like cattle. This time, I want to give you a sense of the incredible amount of energy healthy grasslands actually capture, and the amount of energy that is wasted when sunshine falls on bare soil.
Let’s start with the bottom line – when sunlight falls on bare soil on US crop land alone, much of which is used to grow corn to feed cattle, the amount of energy wasted is equal to the total energy from coal, oil and natural gas that the US produces each year. In other words, we waste as much of today’s sunlight as we produce from yesterday’s sunlight. If you want to know more, read on…
This
NASA database will tell you the actual average amount of solar energy (‘insolation’) falling anywhere on the planet by month throughout the year. As it’s designed to help you plan things like solar panels for your house, it accounts for clouds and other factors that obscure sunlight. At my house in Texas, for the last 22 years, I’ve averaged 4.42 kWh/m2/day. I checked our friend Allen William’s place in Mississippi and he gets 4.36 kWh/m2/day, and our friends Gabe & Paul Brown in North Dakota gets 3.84 kWh/m2/day.
So for the sake of making a simple calculation, let’s just say we all get around 4 kWh/m2/day – that’s 120 kWh/m2/month, or 1,460 kWh/m2/year. First, to give you a sense of how big that number is, my house uses an average of about 1700 kWh/month (we have heavy air conditioning, and way too many
TV/computer screens!). So that means if I could capture 100% of that sunlight and directly put it to use, it would take 14.2 m2 or 152 ft2 to power my house, or about the size of a small 11’x14’ bedroom.
But neither man-made nor natural technology is able to make use of 100% of that solar energy. If I capture that with a solar panel of 15% efficiency, it would take about 1000 ft2 or a large fraction of my roof.
Biology is less efficient, but much cheaper to cover large areas. As you might recall from your understanding of rainbows, sunlight is made up of light from different frequencies. To start with, plants can only make use of about 49% of that light. A good chunk of what remains of that light is used in the machinery to make the sugars from input CO2 and water. When all is said and done, C3 plants could, in theory, capture 4.6% of incoming sunlight, and C4 plants 6.0% as shown in Figure 1, In reality, the highest actual reported efficiencies for C3’s and C4’s are 2.4% and 3.7% respectively (Ref: Zhu, et. al.).
So let’s do some simple calculations to get a rough sense about how much energy that adds up to, and how much is wasted if we don’t catch it as well as we could.
Again to keep things simple, let’s say a good mixed grassland pasture captures 2% of the total sunlight falling on it or 1460 kWh/m2/year. In the lower 48 US States, there are 335 million acres of cropland and 775 million acres of grazing land (Ref: Nickerson et. al.). There are 4046.8 m2 in an acre, so that means if we made use of all the capturable sunlight on US agricultural we get some whopping large numbers…
• Cropland – 39,585,797,600,000 kWh or 39,586 TWh (“Tera†Watt-hours)
• Grazing Land – 91,579084,000,000 kWh or 91,579 TWh
• Total Crop & Grazing – 131,164,881,600,000 kWh or 131,165 TWh
The numbers are so big, it’s hard to grasp what they mean, so let’s compare to our current US energy production.
The
US DOE tracks energy production in common but obscure units of “quadrillion BTU†but these can be easily converted to TWh’s, too (Table 1). Referring back to numbers above, that means that on combined crop and grazing land in the US, when working well (i.e. 131,165 TWh @2% of solar energy capture), our total farm system could capture 5 times the energy of all the energy produced in our economy. Or if we count coal, oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids (20,335 TWh) as sunlight from ancient yesterdays, we could capture 6.5 times the energy in plant biomass from today’s sunlight than all of the energy we dig up and reuse from yesterday’s sunlight!
OK, that’s an interesting comparison, but you’ll (rightly) say that those numbers aren’t really fair because you can’t power your kitchen lights with bails of hay. So let me tell you about what I see as the real tragedy – the very real effect of sunlight that’s wasted when it falls on bare soil. That’s real energy that really could have been put to good use.
The most common method of feeding cattle today involves growing corn and shipping it to a feedlot. For simplicity, let’s say these fields are fallow during half the year, and there’s plenty of bare soil between active plants during early growing periods such that over the course of the year, we only capture 50% of the sunlight that we could have captured on crop land. This means that on crop land alone, 19,793 TWh (19.8 ‘Peta’Wh) of energy that we could have used to grow a plant is wasted as heat just bouncing back into the air. This number compares almost exactly to the total annual energy production from all fossil fuel sources of 20,335 TWh (20.3 PWh). In other words, we waste as much energy by not capturing today’s sunlight on cropland as we produce from all of yesterday’s sunlight.
But wait, there’s more! The
agricultural sector uses a total of roughly 1.6 Quadrillion BTU’s (469 TWh) including both direct (e.g. fuel) and indirect (e.g. fertilizer) uses. In other words, we waste maybe 1% of usable sunlight growing crops to feed cattle, a number that’s as large as the total US coal, oil and natural gas production system, and then spend another ~2% of all of that coal, oil and natural gas energy to plug the hole we dug with wasted sunlight!
But wait, there’s even more!! Crop lands alone are not the only guilty party. We have plenty of bare soil wasting sunlight on many or even most of our grassland pastures as well. Assuming the same under-performance of 50%, that would mean we’re wasting 45.8 PWh on grasslands – or more than twice the total US production of US coal, oil and natural gas combined!
Fortunately, there is a better way, and as grassland farmers and ranchers, we’re sitting with the right tools and right places to make a very big difference in the US energy equation. By managing cattle directly on the grass in a way that captures the energy from the sun on all of the soil area for as much of the year as we can, we put the potential waste back to use, and cut the need to fill those gaps with yesterday’s sunlight.
Hopefully that was a fun exercise in helping you understand the enormous magnitude of energy we waste when we fail to capture sunlight year-round. To learn more about things you can do to capture more sunlight on your farm, I highly recommend that you watch
this video of Luke Linenbringer’s talk from the 2015 Grassfed Exchange conference in Michigan. And I hope to see y’all in Georgia where we can all learn even more cool tricks to capture more sunlight.
Russ Conser
Fulshear, TX
For more reading if interested:
1. Zhu, Xin-Guang, “What is the maximum efficiency with which photosynthesis can convert solar energy into biomass?†Current Opinion in Biotechnology (2008, 19:1-7).
2. Nickerson C., Ebel, R., Borchers, A., and Carraiazo, F., “Major Uses of Land in the United States, 2007†USDA Economic Research Service.
3. Beckman, J., Borchers, A, and Jones, C., “Agriculture’s Supply and Demand for Energy and Energy Products†USDA Economic Research Service (2013).
Herd Fellows Application 2016
