This article excerpt originally appeared in the May 2018 Vol 48, No. 5 issue of ACRES USA magazine. It is written by Abbey and Spencer Smith. Readers may view and download a full PDF of this article. Introduction to Carbon Farming Loren Poncia stands in front of a room full of farmers. The high ceilings of
This article originally appeared in the May 2017 issue of ACRES USA magazine. It is written by Abbey and Spencer Smith, edited by Jody Butterfield. Readers may view and download a full PDF of this article. A key concept in Holistic Planned Grazing is recovery time. It is not about how many times cattle or
The following post is written by Fallon Turner Stover, a California rancher and Savory Institute Professional Educator. She lives near Auburn, California. California oak trees are a fundamental and valuable asset to the Sierra Foothills where I live. About two and a half years ago, a local arborist came out to clean up some of
Spencer and I started a new chapter in our marriage and careers this year: contributing writers for the Countryside Network. This is our first post on Holistic Planned Grazing vs. a common, umbrella term, generally know as Rotational Grazing. We are fans of the team at Countryside, as I used to be part of the
How your land can produce a living for you and your family You can make a living off the land. Though your management, create an agriculture business that produces more, earns more, while saving the planet in the process, and the market will reward you for it. Consumers and manufacturers are calling for products that
Ross and Kelly McGarva hosting a Holistic Management workshop on September 3 at their ranch in Likely, California. The McGarva family has been practicing Holistic Management for 14 years. They are partnering with Abbey and Spencer Smith to offer this workshop. The Smiths are leaders of the Jefferson Center for Holistic Management, an accredited Savory
Are you feeding in a sacrifice lot? All too often on ranches all over the west, people winter their livestock on feed grounds that end up looking like ground zero after a bombing. The soil is packed hard and when the growing season finally comes, all you can grow is Mustard and thistle. Does that
Why holistic planned grazing is needed Spring is just around the corner. With our holistic management planned grazing completed for the next growing season, we are all ready for it. Why plan the grazing on a ranch that you have worked on for more than twenty years? The answer is simple: to get the livestock to
At our first holistic planned grazing workshop last summer, we met a couple just like us–Buck and Chelsea Matthews. When we started the Jefferson Center, our hope was to get the opportunity to work with young couples transitioning into Holistic Management as we knew first hand what that entails. We are lucky enough to have
This post is written by Jefferson Center co-owner and Holistic Management Educator, Spencer Smith. He attended the pasture cropping workshop hosted by Paicines Ranch (thank you Sallie and Elaine and crew!) on October 7, 2015. A day with Colin Seis I spent a few days with Colin Seis at Paicines Ranch in Paicines, California following
