Hi folks! We used the link to last week's story in the newsletter this week. We apologize for that. Caryl and I are driving back from New Mexico after an excellent Quivira Coalition conference where we got to share stories with other regenerative agriculture producers from all over the world. Now on our long return trip back to the ranch, …
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Buck, Black, and Blizzard
I stepped back in time today and met what the West used to be. Unfortunately the homogenization of culture through the ubiquitous nature of technology means that most of these “real west” icons tend to be quite old, and tech-adverse. They are out of place in this age of smartphones, smart cars and smart drinks: kombucha and soymilk lattes. …
The Days are Short, the Time is Long
This week's story is from Abby, our second oldest daughter. She is a lover of plants and nurturing, of comfort and caring. You first notice the color change. Lush greens are fading to brown, the green color trickling down out of the tops of the grass and down into the roots. You can still see green, if you walk around and pick up a handful of …
Fixing Flats and Food
It was last Saturday night in Boise, Idaho, and the city was hopping. It was a lovely cool evening, and it seemed everyone was turned out in their shiny late model SUVs and chrome-wheeled hybrids for a night on the town. Melanie and I just finished a very successful beef sampling at the Boise Co-op Meridian Location, and were loading our cooking …
Pastured Pork and Cover Crops for Organic Weed Control of Quackgrass
I had no idea that my life could be transformed by a pig. Or pigs, rather. It started with the horses. They were the first teachers. We had them on some of our worst ground. I call it the worst because it was comprised of only quackgrass. This European non-native grass species was a ready and willing invader of some of our highest potential …
Fire and Morels
Dear Friends and Partners, It was an uneasy sleep that night. Despite the tumult just beyond cook tent, I tried to sleep on the ground in cow camp on the banks of the river, eyeing the sprinkling of stars through the latticework of bud-bursting cottonwood trees. Linnaea lay passed out beside me, in peace for God only knows what reason. I …
Why Ellen Was Right (Kinda)
After thinking about Ellen Degeneres' viral anti-meat tweet a couple of weeks ago, Glenn thought maybe it was time to shoot a letter to her. Don't know if she'll ever get to it, but we just thought we'd better cc it to you all. Dear Ellen I’m a cattle rancher in the broad expanse of the American West. I wear a cowboy hat, ride a horse and …
A Soil Story: Regenerative Ranching
The year: 1849. The place: Pahsimeroi Valley, Idaho. It is a late September day in the broad valley, and you are standing in tall basin wild rye grass, about 6 feet tall, just up from the extensive complex of willows that defines the Pahsimeroi River bottoms. The grass is robust, and thick. Its quarter inch diameter stems will rub skin raw at this …