Along time ago, people lived in harmony with herds of animals. Herds of animals lived in harmony with their predators. The herds developed behaviors to protect themselves and their young. They moved in patterns across the land and the land responded positively. These herds and their relationships are responsible for the great planes and the rich deep topsoil of the mid west.
Since that time we have broken the natural relationships which dictated that natural world. Deserts have advanced, agricultural land has depleted, humans have populated areas, and the health of both human, domestic animal, and wild animals have drastically declined.
Holistic grazing examines the first of the two scenarios. It is a system that helps those of us with domestic animals to mimic the old herds relationships and behaviors. It is a system that gets land to INCREASE in fertility! Rather than a state of marginal sustaibablity.
We are providing a workshop that looks at animals, humans and grass and how they all respond to each other. The workshop is about food systems that will host loads and loads of biodiversity on an increasing basis, rather than limiting it to a sustainable level. We will look at how grass forms topsoil, and can remove carbon from our atmosphere, heal deserts and provide a way to make food and stabilize our atmosphere. Your animals will become tools to shape and create a landscape that will provide for you now and 1000 years from now.
This workshop is open to 10 farms/people/couples.We will meet at 9am, break for lunch around 12noon, and run the afternoon session until 3:30 -4pm
Please contact us to preregister. 802-883-2269
Farmer Bio
Jonathan Falby: Graduated from Montana State University with a Bachelors of Fine Art. Rodeos, and free range ranches planted a seed in Jonathan's mind. After a brief 9 month tour of South America he moved back to New England to take a job at the Putney School in southern Vermont. There he found his way into the dairy barn and life was never the same after that. He continued to volunteer at the barn and soaked up as much as he could mucking stalls and covering chore shifts for the five summers as a member of the Art Faculty. A winter job was taken at the Meeting School in Rindge NH. Dan and Ruth Holmes of Sunny Field Farm in Peterborough NH were the current farm managers. Jonathan studied, learn and absorbed all he could while working with Dan and Ruth. He was exposed to the mystical side of agriculture, the works of Rudolf Steiner, Viktor Schauberger, Bill Mollison, and Dr. Albrrect all became important. Jonathan studied the works of the agrarian authors such as Steinbeck, Berry, and Schneider.
After two years of farm schools and a brief 6 month stay in Ireland. Jonathan decided to take on farming full time and join up with Abe Collins, Certified Holistic Management Educator, and founder of Carbon Farmers of America. Jonathan work for two years studying Holistic Management, Planned grazing, Keyline Landscape design, and Organic Herd management and herd health. After another two years as an understudy, Jonathan decided to branch out on his own and took his savings and bought a herd of cows and grazed and managed leased farm. Most of his efforts surrounded the task of rehabilitating abused land, and re working old systems. In the spring of 2009 the Dairy crisis hit, and Jonathan met his partner Meaghan Kane. They moved to Central Vermont and signed a lease on a 10 acre plot. They are in their first year of establishing a vertically integrated raw milk, and diversified farm operation. Jonathan has spoken at the NOFA conferences, and hosted UVM field studies. He is a holder of a 2006 milk quality award. Along with the farming he has established a garden program at the Enosburg Middle and High School, and hosted students for independent learning session. He is an accomplished guitarist, fiddle player, and a hobby potter.
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