Grasslands, LLCA Holistic Management Enterprise inPartnership with Savory Institute

John FullertonYale UniversityNovember 15, 2011

www.savoryinstitute.com

Our UNSUSTAINABLE economic system Our UNSUSTAINABLE economic system

“Safe Operating Space” -- The world is full

“Safe Operating Space” - National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis

Sustainability Optimum

Efficiency

100%

0%

Resilience

Source: Lietaer, Ulanowicz, Goerner 2008

Sustainability in Natural Systems

Collapse of Financial System

Collapse of Financial System

• 12.5 billion acres — (~40% of total landmass)• ~1B people, many poor, make their living as pastoralists• Grasslands being turned into cropland at alarming rate

The World’s Grasslands are The World’s Grasslands are VastVast

Peak Soil?

•Soil is second largest carbon sink after the oceans

•According to James Hansen, the atmosphere contains 800Gt of carbon, plants 600Gt, and soils contain 1500Gt

•We’re losing about 24 B tons of soil per year

What does Carbon look What does Carbon look like in nature?like in nature?

1ppm of what?1ppm of what?

1 ppm by volume of atmospheric carbon dioxide - CO2

CO2 is 1 Carbon + 2 Oxygens

CO2 weighs 44 – Carbon weighs 12 and each Oxygen weighs 16

So the Carbon is 12/44ths of the molecule – (3.67 conversion factor)

Geological Carbon Capture and Storage (Geo-CCS) “stores” the whole CO2 molecule

Biological Carbon Capture and Storage (Bio-CCS) splits off the Oxygen and just “stores” the Carbon atoms.

Is 1 a big number?Is 1 a big number?

1 ppm by volume of atmospheric CO2 = 7,800,000,000 tonnes of CO2

7,800,000,000 tonnes of CO2 = 2,130,000,000 tonnes of Carbon

So each 1 ppm change in CO2 is 2,130,000,000 tonnes of solid carbon (or a 1 cubic kilometre block of graphite).

How big is this?

(1) Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

5 Billion Hectares of Hope5 Billion Hectares of HopeSeasonally dry grasslands of our planetSeasonally dry grasslands of our planet

Rest - Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)

Current Practices Aren’t Building Soil Current Practices Aren’t Building Soil or Vegetationor Vegetation

Fire - Systematic Land BurningTechnology – Grass seeders

Grazing – Continuous over/under-grazing

“And the most efficient—if not the simplest—way to grow vast quantities of solar panels is by management-intensive grazing…”

- Michael Pollan, The Omnivore’s Dilemma

Skilled holistic planning – land, grazing, financial—based on natural principles

Operational discipline – constant monitoring and adjustment of plans to stay on track

Increased forage prod. / ecological resilience

Steadily increasing financial returns – Dollar returns directly correlated with improving ecological processes

More productive, healthier livestock – Typically doubling stocking rates over 10 years

Planned Livestock Grazing Planned Livestock Grazing CanCan Double (or more)Land ProductivityDouble (or more)Land Productivity

Takes weeksto grow – high nutrition

Grows when land is fallow – depletes plant

• Holistic management mimics natural behavior of wild herds, who must constantly run from predators

• Through ensuring herd movement, grass is not overgrazed

• Leaving land fallow can be detrimental due to valuable animal impact benefits

Capturing optimal grass growth pattern is key to

maximizing overall benefit

Takes monthsto grow – low nutrition

The Life of a Blade of GrassThe Life of a Blade of Grass

Over-rested, under-grazed bunch grass

Same bunch grass species under Holistic Planned Grazing

Both photos taken mid-summer; samesoil type, slope,and aspect at9500 feet, westernColorado

Biological Monitoring to Portray the Function of the Fundamental Ecosystem Processes

Same creek, photos within 100 yards of same spot…

Continuous Grazing, no planning--1950 Holistic Planned Grazing--2004Same family, same land, same livestock—different management

Wyoming – both taken same Wyoming – both taken same dayday

• Left-side upstream, managed holistically (260% inc in livestock over 10 years)

• Right-side is downstream land managed ‘conventionally’

Nature Provides the Nature Provides the SolutionSolution

Nature ProvidesNature Provides

Savory Institute/Grasslands, LLC: 55,000 acres under management, 50mm hectares in our sights, 5 Billion hectares of hope

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