Holistic
Landmanagement

“Holistic Management is a decision-making framework that ensures our decisions are economically, environmentally and socially sound i.e. the triple bottom line. Holistic Management enables you to develop a clear vision of the future you want. Holistic Management has its roots in environmental management.” Savory Institute

At Las Cumbres Ranch we consider ourselves land stewards. An integral part of the wider ecosystem is holistically managed livestock. Thousands of ranchers across the globe have regenerated their degrading soil using these holistic tools. Holistically planned grazing takes into account not only the condition of the cattle but also the condition of the plant, the soil, wildlife, the weather and many more factors. The main goal is to imitate the pattern of ancient migrating herds.

Regenerative grazing is a practice that builds soil by managing the movement of cattle on rangeland so that the diversity of both perennial and annual forage increases. This supports the health of the ecosystem which in turn improves ranch economics.

We work daily on many aspects of regenerative land management. Our grazing practices are focused on increasing biodiversity of species from wildlife and livestock to plant species, soil microbes, and fungi.

Holistic management and regenerative grazing reduce greenhouse gasses through the absorption by plants of the excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and storing it back into the soil where it becomes a useful nutrient.

Input from experts in all relevant fields play an essential part in our future. Las Cumbres Ranch is proud to work in partnership with some of the worlds’ leading experts in holistic management, soil biology, and low stress livestock handling. A truly holistic approach to land and biological management requires input from all fields of science. Including the community and sharing the knowledge we gain is foundational to the work we do at Las Cumbres Ranch.

Stress is a physiological response to physical, mental, or emotional stimuli which raises cortisol levels in the body. Long term exposure to stress lowers the body's immune system capabilities and leads to a host of negative effects. This has enormous implications in livestock production. If animals are stressed, animal performance and profitability suffer.

A band of ten wild horses move with our herd of Bonsmara cattle. Cattle gain more weight when equines graze with them. Studies show different types of grazers moving together improves the wellbeing of all animals, and the rangeland. We take into consideration in our rotations that there is enough food for other grazing wildlife.

We are currently in the investment phase of our project. The goals of durability and sustainability are incorporated into the design of every feature of infrastructure, with the awareness that without profitability, there is no true sustainability. Our solar-energized electric fencing, water improvement projects, wildfire mitigation, community relationships, and the culture of our work environment are all considerations in our decisions.