1

1

What is Holistic Management? A whole farm/ranch management process

It’s a way of making decisions How to decide what’s important

How to plan for sustainability

How to prioritize

It’s a collection of tools Financial priority analysis

Land planning

Grazing management

Monitoring

Holistic Management: Managing for Success

Sound, achievable goals - Sustainability

Holistic goal

Future Resource Base Description

Create the plan

Land Plan

Financial Priority Plan

Grazing planning

Monitoring

Feedback to planning

Re-plan, if necessary

2004

2005

2006

2007

Monitoring Transect Results in Dry Country

How Does HMI Work and For Whom?

HMI helps farmers to achieve critical goals…

Holistic Management Can:

Significantly increase annual profits

Enhance the natural health, productivity and

profitability of land

Provide a framework for family, owners,

managers, and other farm stakeholders to work

together toward a common future Helps identify priorities

Helps resolve conflicts

Shift from linear to holistic decision making Financially, socially and environmentally sound

Manage short and long-term

Address problems by Root cause versus symptom

Shift from “problem/fix it”

Don’t adapt management to the problem

Manage for what you want and the whole

Leave no fertile ground for problems

Why Bother to Practice

Holistic Management Whole Farm Planning?

Become a working partner with Nature instead of fighting

against it

Improve profits and production

Benefit farm family relationships

Improve wildlife habitats

11

Success Stories

12

Erin Pearson Natural beef, goats, pastured poultry and horses

Trained in Whole Farm Planning as

part of HMI’s Rappahannock Future

Farms program

Goal was to maximize her forage,

improve the property and make a

profit

“My pastures are looking lush,

more filled, much less water

travelling and much more forage-I

expect to have pasture well into the

end of January or beyond. “

13

Erin Pearson

Costs of the operation is down-

due and almost zero grain

usage.

Decision-making is saving

labor and time.

Using portable netting fences

will allow multi species grazing

where it couldn’t be otherwise.

14

Key Lessons From the Training

Do the holistic questions before

adding new ventures and when

managing decisions.

Work the financial information-

face the reality of the facts.

Grow the operations that can

feed and/or make money and

reduce the hobby aspects to a

“fun” and manageable level.

15

Cliff Miller and Mike Peterson Mount Vernon Farm

Grass finished beef and lamb, pastured pork and pastured

eggs

Year One of HMI’s Future Farm

Program

Goals were to create a strong

management team for the

future of the farm and to

improve productivity

Photo by Molly Peterson

16

Cliff Miller and Mike Peterson Mount Vernon Farm

Because of our planning, we did not

take as much off (grazing) of our

fields this fall as we did last year.

When I last measured our stockpile

one month ago, we already had 20

additional days of grazing than we

did last year. I’ve projected to feed

half the amount of hay that I did last

year.

17

Key Lessons from the Training

“Our communication is so much

better, and it wouldn’t have happened

without going through this process.”

With one full year of training under

our belts, I think we will view our

entire annual plan differently. We are

actually going to make a budget,

project sales, project expected

expenditures, etc. Which is

something that we have never done.

18

Anita Ramos and Reid Folsom Native tree and shrub nursery and horse boarding

Year One of HMI’s Future Farm Program

“Our quality of life values helped us to

decide to drop one flower show because

of the stress and strain; personal

satisfaction of life has taken a higher

priority.”

“We’re taking advantage of fun

opportunities when they come up now.”

19

Dick McNear Black Angus Cattle Farm

Year One of HMI’s Future Farm

Program

Goal was to create a profitable farm

operation for his heirs

“My daughter seems more

interested. I’m spending more time

on management.”

“Cut my fertilizer cost more than half

and cut fuel cost by 1/3.”

20

Dave and Wooz Matthews Devon Cattle Operation

Goals were to cut costs and get

information on improving their

conservation programs

“We think we’re seeing more bird and

small animal life. Grass definitely

thicker… and we have more stockpile

than ever before.”

“We’ve saved about $800 on diesel

and $1000 on fish oil fertilizer.”

21