Holistic Planned Grazing: Turning Desert into Grassland in West Texas
Limited space available
Location: Marfa, Texas
Date: September 20-21, 2022
Time: 8:30am-5:00pm
About the Field Day: Held at the Mimms Unit of the Dixon Water Foundation – 2017 Texas Leopold Conservation Award Winner – This two-day Advanced Grazing Workshop is for ranchers and those who want to learn how livestock grazing management strategies benefit rangeland and businesses with a focus on land literacy. Land and livestock managers who practice Holistic Planned Grazing monitor for results and rely heavily on their observations to effectively manage and adapt when conditions require. In doing so, they’re able to mitigate risk and loss.
We will meet for classroom sessions at the Marfa Visitor Center USO Hall at 302 S. Highland Ave., Marfa, TX 79843 and travel to the Mimms Ranch in Marfa for on-the-ground sessions in the afternoon.
Register directly through the HMI website or through general Regenerate registration.
In this in-depth workshop, we’ll focus on how to:
- Improve the landscape with planned grazing strategies
- Grow enough grass to feed your livestock, even in an arid climate
- Monitor indicators to avoid or lessen the effects of future risk
- Track animal performance to key milestones
- Consider animal density as a key tool to ecological improvement within the context of management
- Use tools to measure forage and how to use forage figures to effectively plan for drought
- Determine adequate plant and pasture recovering time Increase profits and ecosystem health (water and mineral cycles) with fewer inputs
This workshop will offer a deep understanding of the different grazing management strategies on Mimms Ranch and the comparative analysis of continual versus holistic planned grazing. Mimms Ranch offers a unique learning opportunity for any rancher, teacher, or student of rangeland ecology to see the impact different management has on water cycles, nutrient cycles, and forage production. We’re certain that the clear difference in covered ground in proportion to bare ground in such a brittle environment is enough to intrigue anyone interested in improving the ecosystem and biodiversity.
About Mimms Ranch: The Mimms Unit of the Dixon Ranches encompasses 16,000 acres on the northwest edge of Marfa in Presidio County, an area that boasts some of Texas’ finest rangeland. This property is also a precious part of the Chihuahuan Desert region where desert grasslands are a critical ecosystem for many plants and animals, particularly migratory birds. The Dixon Water Foundation promotes healthy watersheds through regenerative land management, to ensure that present and future generations have the water resources they need. Collaborators will include representatives from Audubon Conservation Ranching, Natural Resources Conservation Services, and Sul Ross University.
Cost: $300, includes learning materials & lunch both days.
Scholarship Deadline: Sept 7, 2022, apply through the HMI website
Registration Deadline: Sept 14, 2022
Optional Lodging: Lodging is not included in the workshop price; please make your own lodging arrangements. Special rates are available at Hotel Paisano if you reserve before September 15, 2022. Tell them you are with the HMI/Dixon Ranch Workshop.
Questions: contact: danab [at] holisticmanagement.org