Methods to our madness
Many changes we’ve made in the growth of our family and ranch have not always been accepted as “good change”. We’ve taken much criticism in doing certain things, from taking kids to work to Galloway cattle to June calving to bale-grazing, and looking back, we didn’t always know ourselves if they were going to work. But the key was not being afraid to try new things. I will always encourage people that if you believe at all, that something has a chance of working, go ahead and try it. What’s to fear? Failure? To me there is no greater failure than failing to try.

Where else can we start, but with the soil?
We consider ourselves “Eco-Farmers”, and that is the practice of farming and/or ranching with the land and environment as the number 1 priority. It doesn’t much matter what your cattle, horses, dogs, cats or children, do or look like, if a healthy eco-system is not present to sustain them. And the key to all sustainable life on this planet, lies in the good health of our soils, which have been widely compromised over the vast majority of farmland in the last 100 years. If we are to survive as a culture, we firmly believe that we must have more farmers and ranchers devoting their efforts to the soil, and they must have the support of our governments.

I’m sure you’ve all heard the statement that we North Americans are “overfed and malnourished”. We all know that certain foods are bad for us, but do we know where to find “good” food? Be certain of this, it does not come from factories, big-box stores, or even restaurants. Good, healthy, nutrient-dense food can only originate from one lone source…..the soil.

Food should not be processed or pasteurized. It should be fresh, raw and in it’s natural state. They say that children born now may actually be the 1st generation to have a shorter life expectancy than the previous generation. The sure way to change that is our nutrition. And where does nutrition come from? THE SOIL. Who cares for the soil? Fast-food restaurants and mega-market grocery store chains? No. Soil is cared for by farmers who’s parents and grandparents cared for it before them. So why get our food from anyone but a farmer? For more on eco-farming and nutrient dense foods, check out: www.acresusa.com
www.westonaprice.org
www.realmilk.com

People helping people
In our efforts to learn more about organic and eco-farming, grazing strategies, Holistic Management and many other things, we’ve met some wonderful people over the years. You’ll see some of them in the “Our Favorites” page. In meeting so many interesting people, we always talked about how neat it would be to get those people together, if only a few of them for a short time, and just share knowledge and experience from people who’ve truly “been there, done that”. So when I heard of the PFRA(Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Association) supporting the formation of Grazing Clubs in Alberta and Saskatchewan, I jumped at the idea. That was the spring of 2006, and today, the Prairie Roots Grazing Club is still going strong. We have no membership fees, and are completely self-directed. We get together once a month around our kitchen table, sharing ideas on everything from rotational grazing to fencing to marketing. It’s been a great experience and a great way to learn from other producers, to try and save the lost time and effort of learning the hard way. Google “grazing clubs” sometime, and see what you come up with. It’s a great program.

Keeping it simple
Some of this you’ll read elsewhere on our site, but some things are worth repeating. We’ve always maintained a philosophy of keeping things simple. We have no equipment, save a 1984 Chevy one-ton with a beat-up old Jiffy bale-handler, and a Kawasaki Mule ATV for checking cows, fence and doing odd-jobs. We really don’t know how we could remain profitable if we had the expense of a tractor payment, to say nothing for the cost of maintenance and fuel. I’m the first to admit there are times when the snow piles high that I rent the neighbors tractor with a snow plow to clear our driveway, or break a trail to the bales for the cows. However, renting one for a few days over the course of the winter is a fraction of what a financing payment would be. The cost of fuel, oil and steel is not going to go down anytime soon, and I fear the real cost of them is less farmers on the land, in the near future. For anyone starting out in farming/ranching, or taking over a farm/ranch, my advice is, put pencil to paper and make sure your plan is profitable without all the bells and whistles first. Keep in mind, farmers and ranchers all over the world have been proving that you can be profitable without equipment and costly inputs such as chemical fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides and such. For many great examples and stories, check out:
www.stockmangrassfarmer.com