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Photo: Rising from the Ashes, William Milliot
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Introduction: Growth After Hardship
Wendy Millet
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In the field of Positive Psychology, there is an important distinction between stress that is degenerative (distress) and stress that is regenerative (eustress). Understanding different types of stress is valuable not only for understanding the wellbeing of humans; this distinction is extremely valuable for land stewardship as well. Healthy natural systems flow in a continuous and regenerative cycle of disturbance and recovery; caring for ecosystems depends upon recognizing and emulating these cycles. To an untrained eye, the stress and strain of an athlete during an intense workout might seem like cause for alarm. In much the same way, the initial dramatic impact from high-intensity grazing or a prescribed burn can prompt some to think that these practices are degenerative for the health of the land. However, for the land, as for our own bodies, stress (non-chronic and temporary) can help us adapt and grow stronger.
Currently, a global pandemic, widespread social disharmony, and catastrophic wildfires and floods are putting immense stress on our social, political, economic, and agricultural systems. While we cannot always control the intensity or duration of these stresses, we can look for ways to learn from challenging times so we might emerge stronger and more equipped than we were before. In that spirit, in this month’s newsletter, we highlight some of the resources that have given our team hope for the future of our food system during these difficult and uncertain times.
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We’d like to re-highlight a long and growing list of inspirational organizations that are working to bring social justice to our food system. Social justice is a critical part of a truly regenerative food system, and it is wonderful to see much energy being brought to this crucial endeavor.
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Since publishing our statement on the fires around TomKat Ranch, our list of fire prevention and recovery resources has grown to include new content including amazing webinars hosted by the Resource Conservation Districts (RCDs) and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
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This month, Netflix premiered the excellent documentary, Kiss the Ground, a powerful and provocative look at the importance of creating a regenerative food system for all.
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This interactive map of regenerative agricultural projects across the globe shows a growing number of people and organizations devoting themselves to being part of a regenerative food system.
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Last, we hope you enjoy this series of articles exploring barriers and solutions to scaling the adoption of regenerative agriculture published by the Regenerative Agriculture Initiative at the Yale Center for Business and the Environment. The articles draw on interviews with farmers, investors, nonprofits, regulators, and food companies and are a great resource for inspiring and educating decision-makers to support and invest in regenerative agricultural models.
To all our readers, we wish you and your communities strength to weather the stress and storms of this time. Hopefully, the silver lining for us all in time will be a stronger, more connected, and more resilient world.
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Profiles in Land and Management -
Missouri Department of Conservation
Introduction by Kevin Alexander Watt. Story by Greg Horner
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In 2004, Missouri Department of Conservation began testing prescribed burning as a tool to manage 18 grassland conservation areas.
 As part of our Profiles in Land and Management series, this month we share the impressive story of the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and its 15-year program to study and use prescribed burning and planned grazing to regenerate grassland habitats across 18 sites in the state.
Beginning in 2004, the MDC began testing prescribed burning as a tool to manage 18 grassland conservation areas where a lack of wildlife/livestock grazing and natural wildfire had led to decadent vegetation growth choking out new plants and diminishing ecosystem function. As the pilot program saw success, the MDC also incorporated high-density planned livestock grazing to emulate the historic impact of elk and bison.
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Regenerative Ranching Circle NORCAL
Kathy Webster
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Even though the regenerative ranching community in California is small and scattered, many practitioners know one another but are often too busy tending to their animals, land, and families to communicate, share notes, and coordinate to build business sector resiliency.
Sadly, but perhaps fortuitously, the COVID-19 pandemic provided a reason to reach out to each other and connect. Over the last 7 months, consumer demand in the SF Bay area has turned overwhelmingly in the direction of small local meat producers as big processors have shut down or made the news with worrisome health risks for employees. Little could we have known, as the pandemic spread throughout the country, that we would be in a unique position to work together to strengthen small-producer communications and coordination efforts.
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What We're Reading
Kevin Alexander Watt
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Point Blue Issue Brief: Methane Emissions from Livestock
Regenerative ranching strives to produce livestock in a way that creates the greatest net environmental, nutritional, economic, and social benefits. Promoting a stable climate is an increasingly important focus of regenerative management, and this month we’d like to highlight two great resources that have helped shape how we think about the impact of regenerative ranching on the global climate.
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Growing the Table - Shifting Demand Towards a Regenerative and Equity-based Food System.
Kathy Webster
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With shelter-in-place and the pandemic-induced economic recession, millions of Californians don’t know where their next meal will come from. In fact, the USDA estimates roughly one in five Californians will be “food insecure” because of COVID-19.
During this crisis, a number of ‘farm to family’ programs have expanded their work to feed the millions in need. Most of these programs are focused on utilizing excess produce, dairy, and meat from farms and ranches that have lost COVID-19-related sales, and whose produce would otherwise go to waste. However, these programs are mostly geared towards large scale farms and ranches and often miss or leave smaller farms and ranches owned by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), women, LGBTQ+, and regenerative and organic farms, with no viable market alternatives.
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Living with the Aftermath of Fire
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A felled redwood hazard tree near a roadway. The tree was perforated at its base on two sides making it particularly vulnerable to collapse from fire damage. Photos: William Milliot
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As described in our recent article, CZU Lightning Complex Fire – Our Experience and Gratitude, our community and the greater Santa Cruz Mountains area suffered a wildland fire. We now find ourselves in the ‘post-traumatic’ phase of wildfire recovery even though we're not quite out of danger, Within the burn area, ashpits, old tree stumps, root systems, and an assortment of other forest debris still smolder and, in some cases, are still at risk of reigniting. And yet, its time to begin the work of rebuilding and adapting to the impacts left behind by these wildfires.
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Unfortunately, too many communities in California are still facing raging wildfires, and fire season is expected to last into November or December depending on when the winter rains begin. We want to remind folks that we have shared a number of resource links in the earlier article and will continue to add to, and update that list, as new information becomes available.
As winter approaches, we’ll be paying close attention to rain systems heading our way and the potential for mudslides and debris-flow coming off of burned and desiccated slopes. We’ve already included a link to the USGS Landslide Hazards page and will follow up with updates on the risks. As our community and state seeks to learn how to restore the landscapes we love, we are eager for ideas about how we can help. Please share any resources you’d like us to feature by emailing us at reachout@tomkatranch.org.
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