Managing Wholes
Creating a future that works

News and links from June & July 2002

Index of articles and links

Newer posts

Plant mix needed to slow weed invasion

Monica Pokorny of Montana State University has found that a good mix of plants with different functions are needed to slow spotted knapweed.

"Basically, she found that forbs compete most effectively with spotted knapweed, which is also a forb. When all forbs were removed and only grasses remained or when all vegetation was removed, spotted knapweed density skyrocketed. When just deep forbs or just shallow forbs were removed, modest increases in spotted knapweed occurred. One year after all forbs were removed, there were almost 16 spotted knapweed plants per 10 square feet of treatment area. When all vegetation was removed, there were slightly more than 41 spotted knapweed plants per treatment area. The control site where no functional groups were removed had just 0.3 spotted knapweed in the same-sized area."

read more on MSU's site

Posted July 2002

Profile of Good Stewardship: Jim Winder

by Courtney White
Is it possible to create a drought-proof ranch? According to Jim Winder, a fourth-generation Sierra County rancher, the answer is definitely "yes."

It all starts with attitude. Jim accepts drought as a natural part of doing business. "I assume every year will be a drought year until proven otherwise," Jim says. "This is critically important. The biggest complaint for ranchers is their attitude, not cattle prices, genetics, or rain. Stubborn denial of a problem," says Jim, "has put more ranchers out of business than any environmentalist."

PDF file  Read PDF article (1.9 MB) on QuiviraCoalition.org

Posted 6 July 2002

Herding: How it works in the West Elks

by David Bradford and Steve Allen
One change that is increasingly being adopted by Western Slope ranchers is the practice of herding cattle. Herding can be described as a management technique where livestock are kept as a more-or-less single unit as they graze. Generally this technique is part of an overall management approach that is sometimes called planned grazing or holistic management. The planning is critical, as all management techniques that are used in grazing need to be considered as part of an overall goal. The West Elk Livestock Association has used herding as part of their grazing plans since the early 1990s and the approach has been a resounding success. The success on the West Elk has helped planned grazing and herding to spread throughout Western Colorado.

PDF file  Read PDF article (1 MB) on QuiviraCoalition.org

Posted June 2002

It takes time, practice and awareness to manage a ranch by heeding the land

by Tony Malmberg
. . . As biodiversity on the land increased, I began interacting more comfortably with community members of diverse interests. Knowing that each tool has a role in achieving a functional ecosystem, I no longer felt pressured to defend the tool of grazing.

The absence of defensiveness allowed for trust. I realized that the environmentalists and I value the same things -- a safe community, a healthy landscape and a stable economy. With this understanding, I no longer needed to convert the other side to my way of thinking. I began learning from them. . .

read more on Headwaters News

Posted June 2002

Profile of Good Stewardship: The Rafter F Cattle Company

by the Quivira Coalition
Roger Bowe and his family started managing the 14,000-acre Rafter F ranch (New Mexico, USA) holistically in 1983. As a result, 'Bare ground on the ranch decreased by one-third; ...the average distance between plants declined by two-thirds and snakeweed declined by 90%.' A well that ran dry in 1950 and stayed dry until 1990 now has 10 feet (3 m) of water in it.

Roger's ecological success on his ranch translated into economic success as well. Even though he more than doubled the size of his herd, Roger managed to cut the production costs per pound of beef in half while raising production. "We went from 15 pounds per acre to 32," says Roger. And his profits went up correspondingly.

PDF file  Read PDF article (1.31 MB) on QuiviraCoalition.org

Posted June 2002

Quivira Coalition conference report from the Albuquerque Tribune

by Sherry Robinson
Jan. 18 and 19 will go down in the books as the dates when the environmental movement reached a fork in the road.

The Quivira Coalition for five years has charted a new path for environmental moderates and anyone else disturbed by the decades-old warfare between environmentalists and ranchers.

At Quivira's first conference, participants could see before their eyes the group's evolution from a fringe group to a movement.

Even after the Santa Fe group began turning people away, more than 300 participants packed a hotel ballroom. Speakers were passionate and, at times, emotional. During breaks, their listeners filled hallways with animated conversation. Nobody, it seemed, was unmoved.

PDF file Read PDF article (3.8 MB) from the Quivira Coalition website.

Posted June 2002


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