Managing Holistically
The big picture contains many small pieces.
Holistic means understanding that in nature, all the parts of anything and everything are interconnected, and understandable only in terms of the whole.
Management means the process of dealing with or controlling things or people.
At Pitchstone Waters Ranch, we look at the big picture and manage the resources in our care holistically.
In the 1960s, a Rhodesian soldier, parliamentarian, rancher, wildlife biologist, and range scientist named Allan Savory added his observations and experience to previously proven science, combining these into a simple yet radical understanding of nature. Savory's insight was that all of nature, not just predator and prey, is intertwined. Because any change in plants, animals, water, soil or sunlight reverberates throughout the entire ecosystem, decisions must be made with an awareness of all consequences, both intended and unintended.
Proceeding from this viewpoint, early in his work in Africa Savory concluded that the spread of deserts, the loss of wildlife, and the resulting human impoverishment were related to the reduced size and number of large grazing animal herds, and, even more importantly, the changed behavior of the few remaining herds. Applying these insights as a rancher and wildlife biologist, Savory determined that livestock could be substituted for natural herds to provide important benefits to plants, animals and soil life.
Well-managed grazing allows us to improve the four basic parts of an ecosystem: the water cycle, the mineral cycle (including reducing carbon in the atmosphere by storing it back in the soil), the flow of the sun’s energy which powers all life, and the relationship between all living things of whatever size or type. By managing holistically, we can use livestock production to achieve economic and environmental benefits to people, domestic and wild animals, and their habitat. These include cleaner water, cleaner air and wildfire suppression.
Our grazing methods, which we have adapted to our own operation and landscape, are based on four key principles identified by Savory:
- Nature functions as a holistic community in which people, animals, plants and the land are mutually dependent. If you remove or change the behavior of any keystone species like the large grazing herds, you have an unexpected and wide-ranging negative impact on other parts of the environment.
- It is crucial that any agricultural planning system must be flexible enough to adapt to nature’s complexity because all environments are different and have constantly changing local conditions.
- Animal husbandry using domestic species can be used as a substitute for lost keystone species. Thus when managed properly in a way that mimics nature, agriculture can heal the land and even benefit wildlife, while at the same time benefiting people.
- Time and timing is the most important factor when planning land use. Not only is it crucial to understand how long to use the land for agriculture and how long to rest, it is equally important to understand exactly when and where the land is ready for that use and rest.
By managing holistically for more than two decades at Circle Ranch in far West Texas, we’ve been able to increase water infiltration and moisture retention in the soil; increase organic matter in the soil; use the sun’s energy instead of chemical inputs to increase plant productivity; and increase ground cover and heal erosion.
We are convinced that continuing to use these principles as we holistically manage our land, forest, livestock, wildlife and fishery will yield equally positive results in the grasslands and forests of the Rocky Mountain West.
Latest articles
Read more about holistic land management practices
Plug and Spread Made Easy
This is a 4-1/2 minute video about the “Plug-and-Spread” method of harvesting water from gullies. Water harvesting including Plug and Spread, in combination with Keyline sub-soiling, wild animal impact and planned grazing of cattle are […]
Grass-fed: a Label Ingrained with Misleading Claims
“According to the article below, “The term grass-fed has become just another marketing strategy co-opted by large-scale meat-packers to trick consumers into buying grain-finished meat…” a scheme in which the regulatory agencies are complicit.
Drought Busters 101 : A 21-Minute Video on Desert Grassland Restoration
“Drought Busters” is an inexpensive, quick, physiologically and economically sustainable method of habitat and wildlife restoration. We call it Drought Busters because it increases effective rainfall by rebuilding soil fertility and the soil’s ability to […]
Holistic Management at Work
Holistic management uses a long term planning process that assigns to environmental and social outcomes the same importance as profits. In addition to being particularly suited to the deserts of far-West Texas, its grazing and […]
Demand for Farmland Fueled by Grain Rally
“Rising commodity prices are very good for farmers. They have caused a rise in the price of farmland. In addition to more income, rising land values increase farmers’ net worth. However, the massive […]
Grazing Naturally, by Dick Richardson, with Remarks by Allan Savory
“Holistic Management International (HMI) published the article below by Dick Richardson, describing a better grazing system. I asked Allan Savory, HMI’s founder, what he thought of it. Dick Richardson’s article, and Allan Savory’s response, […]
Stocking Rates vs. Grazing Days, Recovery Rates and Necessary Impact
Below is an excellent piece by our friend “Cowboy Bob” Kinford. For several years, he helped us manage cattle herds on the high deserts of far-West Texas. Paraphrasing Bob: Many holistic/regenerative grazers think that ultra-high […]
Weather-Upending La Niña Is Headache for Farmers World-Wide
“According to the article below, “La Niña 2020 has evolved quicker and with stronger intensity than many leading climate models predicted.”
Incentivizing Wildlife Stewardship
The Endangered Species Act has prevented 99% of listed species from going extinct, but only 2% of listed species have actually recovered. Property & Environment Research Center (PERC) believes we can do better.
Grass Fed Beef: Farm to Fork Wyoming
Fourth generation Wyoming ranchers, Bobby and Brendan Thoman, return cattle to the family operation – using an elegant logic of healthier soil and a focus on both the cow and customer.
Addressing Brucellosis Will Help Ranchers and Wildlife
Quoting the PROPERTY AND ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH CENTER (PERC) article below, “Because ranchers bear the cost of brucellosis—and the stress of the very real possibility of transmission of the disease—they are understandably reluctant to have elk […]
Livestock: A Powerful Tool for Wildfire Control
Quoting the article below, “Livestock grazing is also proposed as a potential solution for wildfires such as those that have devastated several western states this year. Researchers with the University of California Cooperative Extension are […]
Working Dogs – Farm To Fork Wyoming
Highly attuned to their partnership with man, livestock herding and guardian dogs are powerful and essential forces in the balance of nature and predation for today’s Wyoming rancher.
The Gray Wolf Leads the Way for Other Endangered Species
“Common sense advice on how best to advance wolf restorations, from the PROPERTY AND ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH CENTER of Bozeman Montana. PERC is the home of free market environmentalism.
Belching Cows and Endless Feedlots: Fixing Cattle’s Climate Issues
The so-called climate problem of cattle burps and farts is a phenomena of feedlots. When cattle are on the range – grazing as nature intended – they reduce atmospheric carbon. NOTE: this article […]
Burned, Beetle-ravaged Wyoming Forest Expected to Flourish
As demonstrated across the West, refusing to “manage” forests is a powerful management practice. While the practice of keeping human hands off of forest resources may be well-intentioned, it is detrimental and destructive. The “hands […]
Brucellosis Outbreak in China Worsening as Disease Spreads to Farms
The many sincere and well-intentioned “defenders of wildlife” who oppose treating the brucellosis that infects Yellowstone Park’s elk and bison should read the article below. The current Covid pandemic demonstrates once again that animal […]
Allan Savory – Saving Western Ranching Culture
“In this interview Allan Savory explains why the Western ranching culture is dying along with other cultures.
Painting Eyes On The Butts Of Cattle Surprisingly Effective At Scaring Off Would-Be Predators
Here is another example of low-tech, non-lethal ways to protect cattle from predators. NOTE: this article was originally published to IFLScience’s Apple News Channel on August 7, 2020. It was written by Katy […]
Stewardship with Vision, Episode 9: Sieben Live Stock Company
Sieben Live Stock Company is a family owned and operated ranch in north central Montana which raises cattle and sheep. The Hibbard family believes proper grazing techniques can improve overall land health. Their practices include […]
Climate Change Mitigation is a Side Effect of Regenerative Ranching: Insights From Australia And The United States
“Whatever the causes of climate change, human damage to our environment cannot be denied. As the authors of this paper explain, more and more people are rejecting industrial agriculture in favor of regenerative (restorative) ag […]