Paige Desmond
Neil Dennis, a grazing mentor from Wawota, Sask., will talk about holistic resource management this Friday (Oct. 17) from 7-9:30 p.m. at the Barwick Hall.
Dennis has farming in his blood, currently raising cattle on the family ranch which was homesteaded in 1900. Dennis and his wife, Barb, bought the farm from his mother and took over its operation.
As the two settled into the farm, Barb was skeptical when she received an item in the mail for a workshop on “holistic resource management.” She threw it out without a second thought.
But the following year, she received the same flyer in the mail and signed the couple up, Dennis explained.
From the start, he flat out disbelieved this farming method could increase profits while decreasing effort as it promised. “I knew what this guy was saying wouldn’t work,” Dennis recalled.
He was so skeptical, in fact, he began chronicling his farm with photos, hoping to prove the practice did not work.
Dennis couldn’t have been more wrong. “It [holistic resource management] is a better way to make better decisions,” he stressed.
The first year, Dennis allowed some of his land to grow wild, as instructed by the course. “We let some land just grow back,” he explained.
As he chronicled the progress, Dennis realized he might be on to something as more and more improvements started to show through. “We just let succession take over,” he remarked.
Since he started practising holistic resource management, Dennis hasn’t spent more than $2.94 in seeding for the pastures—a significant savings when it came to the costs of farm upkeep.
“One thing I did learn: look after the land and it’ll look after you,” he said last week from his farm in Saskatchewan.
When Dennis started, his total capacity was 100 cattle on 20 acres. But he remembered he ended up, by accident, with 400 head on six acres at one point—and this is where his adaptation of holistic resource management began.
“So then I started increasing my stocking density,” he explained.
“I’m up to 800 head on half-an-acre now,” he enthused. “The by-product is healthier land, it’s just healthier for everything.”
Included in the healthier land are more species of animals, such as birds, as well as denser vegetation with better nutritional value because of its variety.
“I’ve got more than 30 native species on my land now,” Dennis noted, adding, “I don’t have the sick [cattle] like I used to.”
Holistic resource management goes further than simply increasing profits—it decreases the work involved, too. But Dennis took it a step further thanks to a most unexpected experience.
“I went to Disneyland one year and I watched the lady handle people,” he laughed.
Watching people be herded using gates and confusing their sense of north, east, south, and west, Dennis developed his own way of directing the cattle with a lot less effort and time.
“I try to make it as simple and as easy as possible,” he said of everyday practices on his farm.
Sure enough, the joy Dennis gets out of farming is clear in only a few moments of conversation. “I’m having fun farming,” he laughed. “That’s pretty much what I do is have fun.”
It’s all about innovating and finding what works for each individual location, he explained, adding he always tries new things to continue improving. But he’s also careful to try a test before applying a new method to his entire 1,200-acre property.
“You just take these ideas and adapt them,” Dennis said. “I don’t do a big area when I try something new. I can make a huge mistake on 10 acres but if I make a huge mistake on the whole farm. . . .”
When Dennis visits this Friday, participants likely will be unable to tell he is shy of talking in front of crowds. He recalled his first presentation at the Brandon Grazing School and the panic he felt.
“I knew I couldn’t stand up in front of them,” he admitted.
But with practice, he’s learned the trick to overcoming his stage fright. “As long as I have a bar stool, I’m okay,” he chuckled.
At his presentation, expect to see the evolution of Dennis’ farm as he’s chronicled it from start to finish. As many as 600-800 photos will be displayed to demonstrate the success of holistic resource management.
“It works all around the world, it works in Africa, it works all over,” he assured.
In addition to his presentation, which is being offered by the Rainy River Future Development Corp. and the Rainy River Cattlemen’s Association, the grazing mentor is providing on-farm consultations during the day Friday and Saturday.
The cost will range from $100-$300, with those interested ask to call Jeff Hyatt at 482-2354 to arrange a time slot at 807-482-2354.
For those planning to attend Friday evening’s presentation, Dennis offers a bit of advice: “Just ask lots of questions.”
