shadow mountain ranch - the flip side of fragmentation is
TRANSCRIPT
Page �HRM of TX Newsletter—Fall 2006 www.hrm-texas.org
Holistic Resource Management of Texas, Inc.
Volume 2�, Number 4 Fall 2006
Taken from the heart of the old Triple T Ranch, the new Shadow Mountain Ranch is Going Native!Under new stewardship, land that consists of primarily introduced
grasses with a few natives; is being returned to its native prairie grasses for wildlife habitat.
This workshop is for those interested in learning the plans, successes and failures in returning continuously grazed land to native prairie and:afor those interested in seeing how land fragmentation can be positiveato exchange ideas, suggestions and to meet people interested in prairie
restoration and managing for wildlifeathe beginning steps towards creating a sustainable ranch and way of
life by using the principles of Holistic Resource Management (HRM).This field day will feature several speakers. Owner Sharon Lane will
share her vision for the 432 acre ranch. Jay Whiteside (TPWD Technical Biologist) will talk about the Wildlife Management Program, quail, turkey, deer habitat, and the Western Navarro County Quail Restoration Initiative; Sara Ann Schreiber, Coordinator for the North Texas Ecotype Project on locally-adapted native plants; Jimmy Stewart (NRCS) on working with the WHIP (Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program), including tree shearing, creating habitat, prescribed burning, planting natives and other steps necessary for restoring the habitat; and Heath McLain (Natural Resources Specialist USACOE Navarro Mills Lake Project) to talk about some of the habitat restoration projects he is working on around Navarro Mills Lake.
The seedball machine will be there (with seedballs for everyone) for a demonstration and talk about the power of seedballs, as well as demonstrations of the tree shear and no-till seeder.
This event is sponsored by HRM of Texas and is open to the public. The ranch is about 22 miles east of Hillsboro and about 15 miles west of Corsicana, near Blooming Grove. We’ll post a map and driving directions on the web in plenty of time to get you there.
Plan to arrive at the ranch at 9 am and leave about 4 pm. Let us know you are coming by October 17 so we can arrange a lunch for you. Registration is $25 for HRM members and $35 for non-members and includes lunch. Register online at www.hrm-texas.org or by calling the HRM office at 512-847-3822 or you may mail your check with your contact information and a note that you are registering for the Shadow Mountain Ranch Field Day to HRM of TX, 5 Limestone Trail, Wimberley, TX 78676
Shadow Mountain Ranch is primitive (by design), so please watch the weather (bring an umbrella or slicker if rain is forecast, or your dancing muckers for dancing in the rain!). Boots are recommended for walking on the land (chigger repellent will be provided) and please bring your own chairs for the noon picnic at the lake.
Learn more about Shadow Mountain Ranch at www.shadowmountainranch.com.
acre ranch. Jay Whiteside (TPWD Technical Biologist) will talk about the Wildlife Management Program, quail, turkey, deer habitat, and the Western Navarro County Quail Restoration Initiative; Sara Ann Schreiber, Coordinator for the North Texas Ecotype Project on locally-adapted native plants; Jimmy Stewart (NRCS) on working with the WHIP (Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program), including tree shearing, creating habitat, prescribed burning, planting natives and other steps necessary for restoring the habitat; and Heath McLain (Natural Resources Specialist USACOE Navarro Mills Lake Project) to talk about some of the habitat restoration projects he is working on around Navarro Mills Lake.
and talk about the power of seedballs, as well as demonstrations of the tree shear and no-till seeder.
about 22 miles east of Hillsboro and about 15 miles west of Corsicana, near Blooming Grove. there.
Shadow Mountain Ranch - the Flip Side of Fragmentation is Restoration
Page 2 HRM of TX Newsletter—Fall 2006www.hrm-texas.org
Richard Sechrist, President830-456-4475 (Fredericksburg)
John Hackley, Vice President940-567-3108 (Jacksboro)[email protected]
Peggy Maddox, Secretary325-392-2292 (Ozona)
Jim/Judy Reed, Treasurer903-872-6836 (Corsicana)
[email protected]@hrm-texas.org
Malcolm Beck210-483-1930 (San Antonio)
Debbie Davis830-562-3652 (Tarpley)[email protected]
Dick Richardson512-471-4128 (Austin)
John Treadwell325-697-3424 (Brady)
Sharon Lane817-461-4086 (Arlington)
Deb Manahan903-388-5326 (Fairfield)
Art Roane325-392-2706 (Ozona)[email protected]
Forrest Armke325-286-4572 (Melvin)[email protected]
Kathy Harris972-458-7646 (McKinney)
HRM of TX Directors From the President
Richard Sechrist
HRM of Texas Mission Statement To provide encouragement and support of holistic management in Texas
Holistic GoalQuality of Life - We value a healthy ecosystem capable of supporting the people in it, strong family units, financial sustainability, a land ethic and personal growth and development; while enjoying life and the fellowship of a professionally proactive organization.
Forms of Production/Activities - practicing holistic management, self-sustaining forms of revenue, facilitating training and education, creating public awareness and forming collaborative partnerships.
Future Resource Base - High biodiversity, a healthy water cycle, a healthy mineral cycle, efficient capture of solar energy, and a harmonious interdependence between urban and rural communities through an understanding of ecological processes; an active membership with respect for diversity, long term productive relationships with public agencies and endowment groups, and proactive networking with other groups that manage holistically..
Peggy Cole5 Limestone Trail
Wimberley, TX 78676512-847-3822, 512-858-2761 cell
Executive Director
Making Decisions from our FutureHolistic Management challenges us to make all our decisions (whether it be regarding our land or our personal life) based on our anticipated and desired “future landscape”. What an exciting challenge, but how difficult it is for most of us, as we usually make decisions based on our past. It is much easier and more comfortable to plan and work from the position of what is “known” than from the “unknown”. That is why we often try something new and during the early transition we sometimes begin to doubt this new path and often retreat back to the familiar way of functioning. Changing paradigms, as we call it in Holistic Management, is a very difficult process as we find we have to change how we “see” things, including ourselves, rather than just change what we are “doing”. That’s not easy as most of us have spent a lifetime learning how to succeed and get where we need to be from the perspective we’ve created.
I’m beginning to understand that making decisions based on the desired future probably means choosing a path that I’ve never been down. It probably will involve some actions that I’ve never tried and that’s why monitoring becomes so critical; but if I want a different future??
Page �HRM of TX Newsletter—Fall 2006 www.hrm-texas.org
Patricia Q. Richardson608 Fairfield Lane
Austin, Texas 78751512-371-1885 [email protected]
Peggy Cole 5 Limestone Trail
Wimberley, TX 78676 512-847-3822 [email protected].
Holistic Resource Management of Texas, Inc.
Events/ Announcements HRM of TX Advisors
Dr. Wayne Hanselka- Past President
George Brannies - PastPresident
Joe Williams - Past President
Clint Josey - Past President
Dalton Maddox - Past President
Joel Ham - Past President
Blair Fitzsimons - Past President
Joe Maddox - Past President
Walt Davis - Past President
Bob Steger - Past President
Claudia Ball
Laurie Lasater
J.D. Cage
Dr. Larry Gilbert
Joseph Fitzsimons
Steve Hartman
Peggy Sechrist
Dr. Richard Teague
Enrique Garcia
David Graf
Dr. Dick Richardson
L. Jane Moore
STAFF:
Peggy Cole- Executive Director
Pam Gayler- Administrative Assistant
see Events & Announcements, page 6
is published quarterly by HRM of TX, Inc., a non-profit organization.News articles, area updates and photos are gratefully accepted and will be published as space allows. We welcome letters to the editor related to HRM
principles or activities. Advertising is available. Direct newsletter correspondence to:
OctOber 20, 2006 - HrM bOard Of directOrs Meeting - near blOOMing grOve, tX
Board meetings are open to the membership. We will be doing the financial planning for 2007 at this meeting. It is a great chance to get involved and to see the Holistic Management financial planning process in action. 1-8 pm near Corsicana. Call Peggy to RSVP 512-847-3822.
OctOber 20, 2006 - natural resOurce land stewardsHip seMinar - Kendall cOunty fairgrOunds
Plant ID, oak wilt, rainwater harvesting, habitat & riparian management, land trusts, conservation easements, eco-tourism, livestock on small acreage. catered lunch.Reservations are required $15 fee. Call 830-249-2821 for more information.
OctOber 21, 2006 - field day, sHadOw MOuntain rancH near blOOMing grOve, tX
See story on page 1 for details.
nOveMber 14, 2006 - 8:30 aM-3:30 pM 3rd annual land stewardsHip and water resOurces cOnference - uvalde, tX
Join a dozen top speakers (including several HRM’ers) to learn about income from land stewardship, reducing the cost of drought, government programs that work, responsible well ownership and conservation easements. Free! Call 830-278-6810 or e-mail [email protected]. See the HRM News & Notes for a copy of the flier or on the web: http://www.nueces-ra.org/CP/HS/pdfs/conf.pdf
february 9, 2007 - 9aM - 3pM HrM planned grazing wOrKsHOp - Kerrville, tX
Terry Gompert is a Holistic management Certified Educator from Knox County, Nebraska where he also serves as veteran UNL Extension Educator and owns, with his wife Comic, Gompert Grass Fed Beef a cow/calf operation near Center, Nebraska on rented and owned land. Terry considers himself a low-cost producer who grazes nearly year round, not forsaking the opportunity to use crops to graze.
Terry believes locally-grown foods, family farms, sustainable agriculture, Holistic Management® decision making and grass-based agriculture are the most valuable aspects of our future.
Page 4 HRM of TX Newsletter—Fall 2006www.hrm-texas.org
“Catching Raindrops” The HRM of Texas annual meeting will spotlight the relationship between abundant water and soil surface management. If the land is healthy, there will be abundant water for us all. Mark your calendar for the HRM annual membership meeting to be held in Kerrville on February 9-10, 2007, at Holiday Inn Express.
We will have speakers who will educate us about the water crisis in Texas and how Holistic Management can help solve those water problems. Speakers include Terry Gompert who is a veteran UNL Extension Educator located in Knox County, Nebraska, a pasture specialist and a Certified Educator for Holistic Management. He will be joined by Malcolm Beck, well-known author and speaker for sustainable agriculture from San Antonio, Steve Nelle, Wildlife Biologist for Natural Resources Conservation Service, Dr. Pat Richardson with her unique videos of soil life, and David Langford, Vice-President Emeritus of Texas Wildlife Association.
All these speakers will be talking about water issues, range management, and Texas governmental activity on the topic. Come hear how you can help influence water policy in Texas. You do not have to be a landowner, but you need to hear the connection between water and good land management. Make plans to attend this very important meeting about the future for abundant water for Texas. All the topics are serious, but will be presented in a novel and informative way. This meeting is going to be fun, interactive, and motivating. Come spend your time with like-minded people, networking to develop positive water management plans for Texas.
On February 9, 2007, Terry Gompert will teach a workshop on planned grazing and also there will be a Holistic Management Financial Planning workshop, led by Jim & Judy Reed of the award-winning Reed Family Ranch and Holistic Management Certified Educator, Peggy Maddox of the HMI David West Station for Holistic Management. That evening will be the annual membership meeting and social. Mark your calendars now – February 9 & 10, 2007. More details coming soon.
Silent Auction! Start sifting through your treasures.
Trade Show! Workshop on Financial Planning!
Workshop on Grazing! Friday Night Social! Be There!
Holiday Inn Express - Kerrville. February 9-10. Mark your Calendar NOW!
The HRM 2007 Annual Meeting - The Plan is coming Together
Page �HRM of TX Newsletter—Fall 2006 www.hrm-texas.org
Scenes from last month’s Bear Creek Ranch Field DayAbout 70 people enjoyed a fine day on the
land at Bear Creek Ranch near Weatherford last month. Though welcome rainstorms caused a change in the schedule, indoor and outdoor presentations went well and everyone learned at least a few new things. Participants enjoyed lunch and each other and the hayride to several stops around the ranch. There was a great deal of interest in the grazing or management clubs and in the various aspects of the planned green development. Guy Glosson taught Low Stress Stockmanship and the HRM of TX directors met on the day preceding the field day. Perhaps most important was the coming together of so many entities all concerned with creating a truly sustainable model for our Texas lands.
Betty Wheeler experiences success at smoothly driving the cattle through the cones.
Tuggle and Walt Davis take turns with the bullhorn. Jim Eidson helps identify a plant for Mary Payne
Howard Garrett tells the group about the native trees arboretum planned for the green development that will help sustain the ranch
Page 6 HRM of TX Newsletter—Fall 2006www.hrm-texas.org
Terry will discuss the basics of pasture quality, grazing methods and forage options for grassfed beef production, as well as HM planned grazing specifics.
february 9, 2007 - 3:30 pM - 5:30 pM HrM financial planning wOrKsHOp - Kerrville, tX
“Money Matters—How to Plan for Profit and Have Fun Too” Join financial planners Jim and judy Reed from Reed Family Ranch near Corsicana and HM Certified Educator Peggy Maddox from The West Ranch near Ozona for an in-depth look at Holistic Management’s unique financial planning component from folks who actually use it daily in their ranching operations. This workshop also kicks off a special interest group for ongoing education and discussion on financial management with the Reeds. Member price $40 each or &70 per couple
february 9, 2007 - 6-9 pM HrM sOcial and annual business Meeting - Kerrville, tX
This is the party where we get a chance to visit with old friends, make new ones, talk shop and enjoy fine refreshments. We’ll also find out what HRM of TX is up to and perhaps be called to join the mission and have some fun helping HRM achieve expanded goals for 2007. Watch for more details
february 10, 2007 - HrM annual cOnference - Kerrville, tX
Catching Raindrops! An interactive event that will result in a clear set of recommendations to water policy decision-makers in Texas. See story, page 4.
Events & Announcements, from page 3 Holistic Mgmt. Tips
from the ranching for success school1)Think very carefully about what outcome your decisions and actions will create. If you get it, will it provide the quality of life you want? Is it sustainable?2) When getting ready to spend money on your business, ask yourself if this expense is a one-time expense or is it repertitive? Is it building something that will help sustain the operation?3) Are you building or depleting your soil food web? One key is covered soil.4) Are you building or decreasing your biological diversity? Bio-diversity helps to build ecological blance.5) Are you effectively capturing rainwater in your soil? Sopil cover and organic matter in your soil work like a sponge.6) Are you increasing your capture of solar energy? Plants capture solar energy, which provides energy to feed your soil food web, which feeds your plants.7) Are you monitoring your steering and making corrections to help avoid wrecks?
Page �HRM of TX Newsletter—Fall 2006 www.hrm-texas.org
Working to provide encouragement and support of holistic management in TexasHolistic Resource Management of Texas, Inc. is a non-profit organization made up of ranchers, farmers, public land managers,
educators, conservationists, and others who are interested in finding economically and ecologically sound ways to manage land.
Categories of membership: $35—Basic *$100—Active *$250—Sustaining *$1,000—Lifetime
*Includes the textbook, Holistic Management, by Allan Savory Annual (calendar year) membership dues entitle you to: •SubscriptiontothequarterlyHRMofTexas,Inc.Newsletter •Membershipdirectory •TheprivilegetovoteforandserveasdirectorofHRMofTexas,Inc. •Theopportunitytobenotifiedofandparticipateinmanagementclubs,fielddays,practitionerpanelsandothereducationalopportunitiestoassistwiththeapplicationofHolisticResourceManagement.Please complete, detach and return the form below with a check for your dues.
Name:Address:City, State, Zip: countye-mail / website:Phone (evening/day/fax):
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Committeepreference: MembershipCategory: Please make check for desired membership category payable to Holistic Resource Management of Texas, Inc.
and send to: HrM of tX 5 limestone trail, wimberley, tX 78676
Page � HRM of TX Newsletter—Fall 2006www.hrm-texas.org
Holistic ResourceManagementof Texas, Inc.5 Limestone Trail, Wimberley, TX 78676
NONPROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE
PAIDDRIPPING SPRINGS
TEXAS 78620PERMIT NO.6
In This Issue—Shadow Mountain Ranch Field Day—p �, President’s letter—p 2, HRM Events—p �,
Catching Raindrops—p 4, Scenes from Bear Creek Ranch Field Day—p �, Holistic Management with Children—p �,
Holistic Resource Management of Texas, Inc.
Volume 2�, Number 4 Fall 2006
by Peggy MaddoxOur Holistic Management Financial
Planning® with M4 Livestock Company began two and half years ago. Joe and I have monitored our investment in our grandchildren each year since. Recently we completed the planning session for 2006.
Starting in 2004 with $1600 ($400 for each Maddox grandchild) to purchase twenty hair sheep and one ram, M4 Livestock Company was formed. The investment has grown to thirty-four ewes and one ram. In 2005 income was $1932. This year they have already sold 21 lambs for $1344 and have $1088 more income from future sales coming in this fall. As Mason completed the math, she reported, “We are going to make $500 more than last year after we pay our bills.”
The most exciting thing coming out of this financial planning process and investment of money has nothing to do with finances, but with sibling relationships and our granddaughters’ attempts to solve problems.
In their holisticgoal they said, “we will produce good relationships (getting along together). Mason wanted to share an idea about this action. I told my mom, “I have an idea. We all help with cleaning our house. We each have our own room, so that’s easy, but we fight about who cleans the rest of the house. I was thinking about our tumbler for our bingo game that we never use, so I set up a chart. This will be so much better than arguing.” The idea is to roll the tumbler and if you get -
B - 1-7 – you clean the kitchenB – 8-15 – you clean the dining areaI – 16-22 – you clean the living roomAnd so it goes with numbers assigned
to all areas of the house.Then they devised a reward program,
using a point system, to show how each was involved in regular ranch work. All of these ideas were helping, but even in our meeting there was some arguing and as I gave a look of concern, they all said, “Let’s show
our other idea.” The three girls clasped hands and formed three triangles with their crossed arms. Each spoke in turn: Morgan said, “My point means that we will listen.” Macall said, “My point means that we will do as we are told.” Mason finished with, “My point means that we will get along and count to five before we say mean stuff.”
Joe and I had the idea to help these grandchildren start a ranch enterprise but, we have gotten much more than that.
Ed. note: Morgan is 15, Macall is 13 and Mason is 10. The fourth is William, almost 3.
Update: Holistic Management Financial Planning with Grandchildren
HRM of TX is seeking volunteers to help with our educational events, the newsletter, membership, website and well... all of our activities. Want to get involved and have a lot of fun while you help out mother earth? Contact the HRM office: [email protected] / 512-847-3822.