Pickle Juice and Prejudice

All,

We have all had our safety and peace-of-mind violated. When abrupt, like getting mugged or robbed, we react and get a gun or press charges. But when we are violated by those with power, we don’t think of reacting, or even proacting. We sit and take it.

This blog suggests we can rethink how we use the Social Weak Link testing guideline, or context filter, to hold ourselves more accountable. If we fail to hold ourselves accountable, those under our charge suffer and do not perform execution of plans. If we fail to hold ourselves accountable, those in power continue their tyrannous behavior.

I think we can interrupt this pattern by broadening the application of the Social Weak Link.

Have a good week,

Tony

Tony MalmbergJuly 22, 2018 Comments

New Age Cowboy Revisited

All,

I first met Eric Grant 22 years ago, when he came to write a couple articles for Range magazine, featuring my side-kick at the time, Pee Wee Wesaw and me.

Eric came to Andrea’s and my wedding in Lander, Wyoming and we went to his when he married Pat in France. After touring the Aubrec and Salers region of France, eating phenomenal food and meeting great people, I officiated their wedding. Over the years, Eric helped me initiate writing a book about learning Holistic Management, which is still a work in progress.

Eric came to eastern Oregon recently and I got to hang out with him and his friends for a couple of days. Eric conducted the following interview, while he was here. Here is the video of what may be called the New Age Cowboy Revisited.

Eric was working with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association when I first met him and he recently just finished a 10-year stint with American Angus Association as Director of Public Relations and Communications. Take a minute to check out Erik’s communications business and his team Grant Company. Needless to say, he has a broad perspective on the beef industry.

Tony MalmbergJune 17, 2018HolisticManagement.GuideComment

The Feedback Loop and the Illusion of Control

Hello All,

Too often we don’t execute our planning and simply throw it out and do a replan. Apparently the important step of control, in our feedback loop, did not get done. This blog discusses why that might be the case and different ways to think about controlling the execution of our plans.

Take a minute to check out Dale Laurentzen’s comment on Joel Huesby’s blog on soil acidifcation. I think you’ll find it interesting.

Have a good rest of your week,

Tony

Tony MalmbergMay 17, 2018 Comments

Being Without Prejudice

Holistic Managers tend to get a bit rummy about practicing Holistic Management. Many of us have seen good results and get a little cocky. We start thinking we know it all and take shortcuts. We begin assuming that we know more than academics, neighbors, and those not using the Holistic Management lingo and acronyms. At it’s worst, Holistic Management practitioners exclude portions of their community due to a self-righteousness.

The success of Holistic Management revolves around looking at our situation from a fresh perspective. Many steps in the Holistic Management process (e.g. clarifying how we must behave, the context checks, and keeping in mind what our quality of life means to us) keep us fresh. Yet, few have the ability to strip away our pretense and ask ourselves to: “Be without prejudice.” This blog challenges us to get past our prejudices and see reality more clearly.

Thank-you and enjoy,

Tony

Tony MalmbergApril 15, 2018 Comments

Soil Acidification: An Awaking Giant

Joel Huesby has taken the initiative to be the first contributor to our blog at HolisticManagement.Guide. Joel has been and continues to be a leader in most everything he undertakes. He was one of the first grass finished producers, at scale. He was one of the first with a mobile slaughterhouse. Being on the cutting edge, Joel has taken many risks and made mistakes. Lucky for us, his humility allows him to share not only what he has learned, but he provides information on what we need to make sound decisions.

Joel farms on the Touchet River, near Walla Walla, Washington, amid an area in the Pacific Northwest where an estimated 40% of the rich Palouse soils have been lost to erosion since farming began in the late 1800’s. Joel points at that we have been poisoning what soil remains. In this article, he lays out the cost Nitrogen fertilizer has brought with soil acidification and how we can reverse this process. Incidentally, reversing soil acidification requires the same treatment as reversing climate change; getting animals and human creativity to the soil surface.

Please enjoy Joel’s contribution on soil acidification. Comment and Follow him!

Sincerely,
Tony

Joel HuesbyMarch 15, 2018 Comments

Funding Human Creativity

If you are a practicing Holistic Manager, you have completed your Holistic Financial Plan (HFP) by now. (It’s February.) You have considered log jams, adverse factors, financial weak links, and completed Gross Profit Analysis of your enterprises. You have planned your income and your profit. You have determined your stocking rate and capital expense plan. You have prioritized your expenses in order of importance.

Tony MalmbergFebruary 22, 2018HolisticManagement.Guide Comments