Growing Healthier Crops, Building Soil Health, and Boosting Profits & Confidence with Holistic Cropping Planning
Looking to increase yields while regenerating your land? Join Alyssa Cain & Sarah Robertson, HMI Educators, for an exploration of what Holistic Cropping Planning can do for your operation.
You will learn:
● How to identify and solve crop management issues
● How to determine which practices (ie. cover crops, intercropping, and increasing plant diversity) will help you to increase profit per acre, soil health, and fertility.
● How to focus building your crop plan to balance cash crops with ecosystem management strategies.
● How to develop effective crop sequencing
● Simple monitoring techniques and how to implement and resolve management issues (Safe to fail trials)
● How to integrate livestock for pest management, soil fertility, weed control, food, and overall quality of life.
● How to prioritize cash crops that you enjoy growing and that are profitable
● How to get your community to support you.
If you have any questions contact Sarah at sarahr@holisticmanagement.org.
Sarah Robertson grew up in Taos, New Mexico and has always been passionate about land stewardship, growing things, and nurturing others. After completing a BA in Communication from the University of New Mexico and working with local non-profits, she started her journey as a first-generation farmer. Since 2015, she has been learning and growing alongside her husband, Mark, on various leased properties in Albuquerque, NM and running a small market farm with goats, chickens, hogs, and a CSA. Their farm, Loose Leaf Farm won the Edible NM Magazine “Local Hero Award” for Best Farm Bernalillo County 2024 because of their quality produce and soil health practices. In her role as Program Manager at HMI, Sarah brings her enthusiasm for regenerative agriculture, devotion to supporting others, and drive for lifelong learning and growing.
Alyssa Cain Bio:
Alyssa Cain is a 4th generation cotton farmer who dabbles in cattle ranching, chicken raising, and direct market meat sales at a community level. Altogether she manages 1600 acres, working to regenerate the land by improving the resiliency and productivity of the soil, and changing the biological community that depends on it by shifting the landscape from brush encroachment to productive grasslands and croplands. Her goal is to bridge the gap between conventional agriculture and the regenerative movement, helping families see how the values of each family and the need for livelihood can be achieved through sustainable agricultural practices. She has learned that by improving the soil ecology and resiliency of the land and with good family communication and careful financial planning, agriculture can be profitable and enjoyable again.