North Texas Farm and Ranch magazine’s November issue spotlights the upcoming Holistic Management Rendezvous 2014 and Josey Pavilion Grand Opening at Dixon Ranches Leo Unit. Check out the article about this sold-out event, or view the full November issue on NTFR’s website. The regional agricultural magazine also features a monthly column by Lisa Bellows, director of the Josey Institute for Agroecology at North Central Texas College.
Open Gate at Mimms on Marfa Public Radio
You can now listen to the Sept. 8 Talk at Ten interview with Dixon Ranches Mimms Unit manager Casey Wade. He spoke with K. Yoland at Marfa Public Radio about the upcoming Open Gate, sustainable ranching, and other news at Mimms. Ann Adams from Holistic Management International also called in for the interview, and Megan Wilde, who manages communications for the foundation, joined them in the studio.
Registration opens for Sept. 13 Open Gate at Mimms
Open Gate at Dixon Ranches Mimms Unit to focus on improving rangeland in drought
Registration is now online for an Open Gate at Dixon Ranches Mimms Unit from 9am to 4pm on Sept. 13 in Marfa.
Agricultural producers, wildlife managers, local agency representatives, and anyone else interested in sustainability, drought mitigation and biological research findings: this is a day for you. Learn about “Improving Land, Animal, and Water Health in a Drought” through short presentations and small group exercises.
Our speakers will share ranching techniques that improve rangeland productivity, water-holding capacity, wildlife habitat, and soil health. Participants will improve their land-monitoring skills, while learning about key soil-health indicators and ways to improve their soil. How to mitigate wildfire’s impact on soil health will also be covered.
Presenters include Robert J. Potts, president and CEO of the Dixon Water Foundation; Casey Wade, assistant general manager of Dixon Ranches in Marfa; Dr. Bonnie Warnock, associate professor and chair of the Sul Ross State University Department of Natural Resource Management; Dr. Lisa Bellows, Holistic Management Certified Educator-in-Training and chair of math and science initiatives at North Central Texas College; and Peggy Cole, Holistic Management International program manager.
This event at Dixon Ranches Mimms Unit is part of Holistic Management International’s Open Gate Learning Series of peer-to-peer, action-based field programs, during which participants share discoveries and management techniques with guidance from experienced facilitators and producers. Holistic Management® enables producers to better manage risk, make better decisions, and enjoy the benefits of sustainable agriculture.
Advance registration before Sept. 9 is $20 per person, including lunch. If space is still available, walk-in registration on Sept. 13 is $30 per person. To register or find out more, visit http://holisticmanagement.org/mimms/ or call 505-842-5252.
HMI hosted an Open Gate at Mimms Unit in 2011.
A thoughtful defense of holistic management
Last week in The Guardian, L. Hunter Lovins offered a thoughtful defense of holistic management: “Why George Monbiot is wrong: grazing livestock can save the world.” Lovins was responding to George Monbiot’s previously published critique of Allan Savory’s 2013 TED Talk (“How to fight desertification and reverse climate change“).
“In his recent interview with Allan Savory, the high profile biologist and farmer who argues that properly managing grazing animals can counter climate chaos, George Monbiot reasonably asks for proof. Where I believe he strays into the unreasonable, is in asserting that there is none.
Savory’s argument, which counters popular conceptions, is that more livestock rather than fewer can help save the planet through a concept he calls “holistic management.” In brief, he contends that grazing livestock can reverse desertification and restore carbon to the soil, enhancing its biodiversity and countering climate change. Monbiot claims that this approach doesn’t work and in fact does more harm than good. But his assertions skip over the science and on the ground evidence that say otherwise.”
He cites research by Richard Teague, a Dixon Water Foundation advisory board member, “finding significant soil carbon sequestration from holistic range management practices.” He also mentions several examples of successful holistic management practitioners, as well as studies by soil microbiologist Dr. Elaine Ingham:
“Peer-reviewed research from Rodale [Institute] has shown how regenerative agriculture can sequester more carbon than humans are now emitting. Scientists, as well as dozens of farmers, ranchers and pastoralists from around the world, describe how they are increasing the health of their land, the carrying capacity of it, its biodiversity, and its profitability, all while preserving their culture and traditions…
…I’d invite [Monbiot] to come out on the land, see with his own eyes and learn from those who are healing grasslands while producing food, fibre and community prosperity.”
Dixon funds agroecology institute at NCTC
GAINESVILLE―A new institute at North Central Texas College will promote sustainable agriculture and healthy food production.
The Josey Institute for Agroecology will conduct research and offer educational programs on sustainable ranching and farming for NCTC students, as well as land owners and the general public. The institute’s creation was funded through an $88,000 grant from the Dixon Water Foundation, which promotes healthy watersheds through sustainable land management and has two ranches in Cooke County.
“This institute will help train a new generation of land stewards to manage economically and ecologically sustainable ranches, which are so important to our state’s future,” said Robert J. Potts, president and CEO of the Dixon Water Foundation.
Receiving the foundation’s check on his first day as NCTC president, Dr. Brent Wallace said, “Service to the community is a vital part of our mission. The establishment of the Josey Institute at NCTC is going to allow us to explore some innovative approaches in serving our students, as well as the entire community, by including programs for planetary sustainability. We are extremely grateful for the monetary contribution, but even more honored to have the opportunity to work in partnership with the people at Dixon Water Foundation.”
Science professor Lisa Bellows will direct the institute. “This will be an exploratory year for the Josey Institute, so that we can define the needs of our community, organize our approach, and target the position of NCTC as a leader in agricultural ecology,” Bellows said.
The institute will serve as the new home of the Promoting Agriculture and Conservation Education (PACE) Project, an existing collaboration between the college and the Gainesville Independent School District. PACE students learn about sustainable ranching on a holistically managed property south of the Gainesville High School. Rotational and multi-species grazing are demonstrated on the property, which is owned by the school district and leased by the college. The Dixon Water Foundation has previously funded the PACE Project as well.
The PACE Project has offered several programs for agriculturalists in the past three years. Bellows said, “Internationally recognized soil microbiologist Dr. Elaine Ingham attracted over 180 visitors to our campus, and we provided soil micro training for over 100 participants this past year.”
Through the institute, Bellows will be teaching a Sustainable Agriculture course this fall, in which Whole Land Management will be the focus. The institute has also scheduled several programs for the general public in the coming year.
The Dixon Water Foundation’s mission is promoting healthy watersheds through sustainable land management. To that end, the foundation demonstrates sustainable land management practices at its four ranches in north and west Texas. In Cooke County, the foundation’s Leo ranch is the site of the new Betty and Clint Josey Pavilion, which aims to be Texas’ first Living Building, the highest standard in sustainable building. The foundation also hosts educational programs, partners with researchers, and funds grants for projects that further its mission.
Dixon Water Foundation board chairman Clint Josey presented the check for the Josey Institute of Agroecology to NCTC on August 1. From left to right: Dr. Brent Wallace, president of NCTC; Mr. Josey; Dr. Lisa Bellows; and foundation President and CEO Robert Potts.
Water conservation featured in Lands of Texas
As Texas’s water supplies become increasingly scarce, good land management can play a critical role in protecting watersheds. This was the message of a recent Dallas Morning News opinion piece, “Holistic ranching essential as demand for water grows.” It was also the subject of a recent article in Lands of Texas magazine, which highlights how Dixon Ranches use holistic management to conserve water.
Bear Creek wins Lone Star Land Steward Award
The Dixon Water Foundation’s Bear Creek Unit in Parker County has been recognized with a Lone Star Land Steward Award from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. This honor was covered by The Weatherford Democrat and the Gainesville Daily Register.
TPWD also produced this feature about our work at Bear Creek:
Gainesville Daily Register features Josey Pavilion and holistic management
Gainesville reporter Kit Chase has two articles in this week’s Daily Register about the Dixon Water Foundation.
“We’re grass farmers basically as well as raising cattle and sheep. We’re (also) raising our native grasses. We like to create an environment where there’s enough diversity for all of our animals. We take very good care of our land,” Dixon Water Foundation treasurer Melissa Bookhout says in the article, “Cooke County ranchers practice holistic land management.” The article focuses on the foundation’s Lone Star Land Steward Award, in addition to giving an overview of our grazing methods at Leo and Pittman Units
The second article, “Living Building’ soon to be complete,” features the new Josey Pavilion.
Cooke County ranchers practice holistic land management – See more at: http://www.gainesvilleregister.com/local/x360418990/Cooke-County-ranchers-practice-holistic-land-management#sthash.542yZz7S.dpuf
Dixon sponsors Playa Country radio series on grazing management
The Dixon Water Foundation is sponsoring an upcoming series of Playa Country radio programs on sustainable grazing management. Playa Country is produced by the Playa Lakes Joint Venture.
- Grazing Management Benefits Livestock & Wildlife (Week of Feb. 2)
- Landowner Story: Deferred Grazing on Grissom Ranch (Week of Feb. 9)
- Landowner Story: Managed Intensive Grazing on Birdwell and Clark Ranch (Week of Feb. 16)
RFD TV’s Out on the Land features Mimms Unit
The Dixon Water Foundation’s Mimms Unit in Marfa will be profiled on RFD TV’s Out on the Land on February 4 and 5, 2014. For showtimes and channel information please visit Out on the Land‘s schedule. [The complete episode is now available online.]
