George Whitten

George was born into ranching in Saguache, Colorado, on the operation his grandfather established in 1893. Knowledgeable in all phases of sheep and cattle production, he specializes in grass-finishing techniques, genetics, soil health, certified organic production, and restorative ranching practices. He has been a Holistic Management practitioner for 35 years, and he served on the Board of Directors of the Rio Grande Water Conservation District for more than 25 years. He and his wife, Julie Sullivan, co-founded Sweet Grass Cooperative, a marketing coop of small family ranches raising grass-finished beef. He and Julie are also founding mentors in the Quivira Coalition’s New Agrarian Program. More and more as he gets older, George believes in finding whole solutions to whole problems.

Webinar Week

Leasing Our Future in a Changing World

A lease, as defined in the dictionary, is a contract by which one party conveys land, property, services, etcetera to a second party for a specified time usually in return for a periodic payment. There is a great deal of room for innovative thinking in that definition, which is why understanding leasing is so important to a young person who may not own land, livestock, or equipment for starting a business. In this workshop, learn how to take the grazing skills you have and combine them with a leasing opportunity. The presenters will share what makes for a win-win grazing relationship and how a lease provides clarity and structure for this. The presenters will also discuss some of the economics behind leasing land and discuss some unconventional leases that are being implemented in a constantly changing agricultural landscape. This workshop is geared towards beginning or aspiring ranchers who are in the first 10 years of their career.