Occam's Grazer (Trailer)

For the full length video please visit our website at
WWW.RAINCROWFILM.COM/STORE/
All Things Being Equal, A Holistic Approach is Best.
There is a small but growing group of farmers, ranchers and land managers who are challenging both environmentalists and traditional ranchers to change the debate on overgrazing and land degradation. This trailer highlights four individuals that have embarked on a new, more holistic strategy to save their farms, heal the land and improve their overall quality of life. They make a compelling case that cattle and other grazers can and do have a positive impact on the environment and provide a sustainable income for farmers and their communities.

The completed video (coming February 2009) will be a practical guide specifically for the rancher but will also provide food for thought for policy makers, environmentalists, scientists or anyone who is interested in the environmental health of grazing lands and the communities and livelihood that it supports.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Rancher
• Farmer
• Holistic
• Management
• Grazing
• Environment
• Land
• Raincrow
• Film
• Sustainable
• Farming

[cinchup19]

Alright, a question for you. Is the holistic approach that these folks praise the same as the one pushed by Savory? I want to know because from every way we have examined and tested Savory's methods, we have had nowhere NEAR the benefits the gentleman claimed we should. In fact, we experienced extreme forage degradation and overall ecosystem deterioration.

[raincrowfilm]

Holism is not a standardized "method". It's a goal-based decision-making process in which every situation is unique. Actions taken are based on the environment, goal, and conditions at the time. The level of success will vary, but if implemented with clear understanding of the principles, a written goal, monitored, and adjusted as needed, it's unlikely to cause degradation.

Negatives impacts are almost always a result of following a "recipe" or "method". One size does not fit all in nature.

[gianna234]

Thank you. This is THE issue of our time. This is how we all flourish. The commercial way is how we all die.

[raincrowfilm]

Yes, we think that holistic grazing is a positive approach to the serious problems of land degradation and the increasing difficulty farmers and ranchers face in keeping their farms profitable. Holistic grazing was started by ranchers and farmers to approach their land with a educated and sensitive eye on the environment as well as innovative and successful approach to production and profit. We need farmers and (like all of us) farmers need healthy land. Thank you for your comments.

[carahines]

@Edensgate Thank you for your prompt response from 2 months ago. I'm just now seeing it for some reason. I'm planning to reach out to the folks at HMI and others in coming weeks to find out more. I'm very interested to know of others in close proximity to us who are practicing holistic management practices with some success. If you know of anyone in the north/nw part of TX or sw OK who do, I'd love to know about them. Thank you again for your response and for such a wonderful film!

[carahines]

@beenblaze Thanks! I've not been involved w/ the family operations beyond going with dad to feed cattle when I visit. He's burned out, disillusioned, & in the wake of my brother's death last yr, he's all but given up. I recently discovered HMI & am sold. I'm asking 100 questions & spending more time here, helping where I can. As far as I can tell, things aren't sustainable as they are. And scarce water has been a huge question mark for me. I'll look into Keyline! Thank you so much!!

[beenblaze]

@carahines you should investigate keyline design water management, or look up P.A. Yeomans. there are sustainable solutions to every problem, but getting folks to break old paradigms of thinking is the hard part. good luck with your property, i know things are tough out there. here in vermont, we had record breaking floods this year and even got hit with tropical storm irene that caused millions in damage. keyline protects against floods as well as drought. simple, but effective!

[Edensgate]

Cara cont'd - Also, if a serious situation occurs, we can replan and calculate how much to reduce stock numbers (if needed) early on before the situation gets worse.

There have been many examples of successes around the world in many different environments.

[Edensgate]

Hi Cara. The real value of holistic grazing is in the planning process. The cattle/livestock are put in the right place at the right time for the right reasons. Things such as grass growth rates, calving, nesting, haying, vacations, and drought are planned for. Granted we don't know when a drought will occur or how bad it will be, we CAN expect that it will happen from time to time and we plan each year for it so we are prepared. If no drought, we have extra forage.

[carahines]

I'm fascinated by these concepts, but I wonder how they fair during extreme drought such as what we've seen on my family's land in NW Texas (Hardeman County in the upper Rolling Plains) and across the state? Can these practices help the land bounce back after only receiving approx 6" of rain in the past 10 months? Are there others in severe drought conditions in similar terrain as ours who have had success with HMI practices? I'd be interested to know and be in touch with them.

[Jefferdaughter]

@Edensgate - O'm familiar with HM, but when I use the word 'holistic' with a lower case 'h', I mean the dictionary definition - which isn't too far  from what the 'HM' people mean.

Our family has been using these practices for generations, and a very few of us have continued sustainable holistic farming practices since before these words were applied to agriculture. It's great to see renewed interest & awareness; thx for helping to spread the word!

[Edensgate]

@Jefferdaughter

Amazing improvements on the land have been made using those principles common to both managment intensive grazing and holistic planned grazing!

[Edensgate]

@Jefferdaughter

With Management intensive grazing, the mechanics are similar. Holistic planned grazing simply goes broader in looking at the whole operation in terms of the environment, economics, and social aspects. Holistic Management is a goal based decision-making framework and the grazing is only a part of it. The biological basics such as grass growth, animal impact, and recovery time are critical to the sucess of all grazing practices.

[Jefferdaughter]

Our small farm had been 'farmed out'... In four years, with NO synthetic chemicals, by practicing managment intensive grazing, the yield of our pastures has increased four-fold. Just as 'the eye of the horseman feeds the horse' every situtation, every farm, is different (ranch is a traditional name for extensive management, and we use intensive management).