Plans are nothing. Planning is everything.

“Having a grazing plan meant I didn’t panic when I ran out of grass in July”, said Jonathan, who began holistic planned grazing this past summer.

“The grass just stopped growing, and I had to throw out my grazing plan. But, I didn’t panic, because having worked through a holistic grazing plan once already gave me the insights and tools I needed to make a new plan for the new conditions. I looked at my grass, and my plan, and realised I would have to stop moving the cattle to allow sufficient recovery time for the grass. I replotted the grazings using my revised recovery time, and used my livestock growth plan to estimate how much fodder I would need to get me through.”

“I decided to use hay I made from a species-rich meadow, so it wouldn’t cost me a fortune. And I chose two fields that were straight rye grass to feed the cattle in while the other paddocks recovered.”

“At first I fed hay from feeders, but this created a tremendous sacrifice area. Next, I rolled out the hay in strips which allowed me to keep the animals concentrated in an area for a day at a time. Eventually, the grass in other paddocks recovered, and I was able to return to planned livestock moves.”

“Looking back, what’s amazing is that the two paddocks where I fed hay are now absolutely stunning. They received animal impact, nutrients from the dunging and urinating of the cattle, plus hay and seeds were trampled in, all of which combined to grow a lush, diverse sward. There are now lots of different species coming in where it was once straight rye grass.”

The two paddocks where I fed hay are now absolutely stunning.

“This summer has really built my confidence that I am on the right track. I was able to adapt to adversity at a time when many around me were panicking. Moreover, the solutions I was able to devise had a net positive impact on the land.”

Jonathan’s discovery is similar to Eisenhower’s during WWII, “In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.”

Adapt to Changing Circumstances

Holistic Management enables the farmer to adapt to changing circumstances using a simple process:

1. Plan.
2. Monitor for early signs of change.
3. Take actions to control the situation if things are going in the wrong direction.
4. Re-plan when necessary.

That’s exactly what Jonathan did. Which gave him terrific outcomes: economic, social and ecological.

Many farmers were completely out of pasture…

Watch this video about holistically-managed dairy farmers who could grow grass in a dry Spring when their neighbours could not: The Story of Dairy.

Did you know what we were doing up there? We were digging down in your field. We wanted to see what was going on. It was unbelievable. It’s the same base soil type we share, but yours looks like potting soil. What did you do?

— Neighboring farmers