Open Gate: Rough Stone Ranch Day

Our Rough Stone Ranch Day is part of HMI’s Open Gate Learning Series. Open Gates are peer-to-peer action-based learning days with short presentations and small group exercises geared for participants to share discoveries and management techniques with guidance from experienced facilitators and producers. Come and be a part of this day!

What to Expect

At the Rough Stone Ranch Day, you will…

• Learn how Holistic Management enables producers to better manage risk, make better decisions and enjoy the benefits of regenerative agriculture
• Meet the Diswood's and how they are achieving their goals on the land
• Get a taste of some Navajo traditional foods and learn how they are keeping traditions alive
• See how they have applied Permaculture principles
• Hear about the benefits and considerations of planned grazing from Kirk Gadzia
• See different methods of rainwater storage and how to make more effective use of rainfall
• Learn how to assess your forage and figure grazing capacity
• Bring your issues about infrastructure to a discussion on fencing and water needs for grazing
• See a demo of College Dine' ultrasound services to test livestock for conception and beef quality
• Share information with and learn from other experienced producers

Agenda

Thursday May 18, 2017

9:00 Registration/check-in (coffee?)
9:30 HMI Welcome, Overview & Introductions - Kirk Gadzia
9:40 Rough Stone Ranch Yesterday and Today: Family, Land, Community - Ernest Diswood
10:30 Enterprise Opportunities and Permaculture Applications
Look at Permaculture zones around homestead, food production, water harvesting, use of swales
Discuss innovative/alternative sources of income
Noon - Lunch
1:00 Ranch tour: Kirk and Ernest lead: Discuss Planned Grazing - grazing capacity, land productivity
Small Group Interactive Exercise: forage assessment and ADAs
Infrastructure - fencing, cross fencing, water catchments;
3:00 Demo: - Ultrasound to determine check pregnancy and beef quality - College Dine'
4:00-4:30 Closing panel, Q&A and Evaluations

For more information please visit ourwebsite.

Rough Stone Ranch
Navajo Nation Land South of Farmington, New Mexico

Directions:

Directions from Gallup, New Mexico or Shiprock, New Mexico on Highway 491: Travel to Junction of Highway 491 and Navajo Route 5. Turn east and travel 24.7 miles on Navajo Route 4. There will be a yellow cattle guard on the south side of the highway as soon as you top the mesa. Turn south at the cattle guard onto a dirt road. Travel southwest for approximately one mile to the Rough Stone Ranch headquarters.

Directions from Farmington, New Mexico on Highway 371: Travel south on Highway 371 to near mile marker 85, turn west at the junction of Highway 371 and Navajo Route 5. Travel 3 miles west (past mile markers 25). Turn south at the yellow cattle guard onto a dirt road for approximately one mile to the Rough Stone Ranch headquarters.

Directions from Crownpoint, New Mexico on Highway 371: Travel north on Highway 371 to near mile marker 85, turn west at the junction of Highway 371 and Navajo Route 5. Travel 3 miles west (past mile markers 24). Turn south at the yellow cattle guard onto a dirt road for approximately one mile to the Rough Stone Ranch headquarters.

REFUNDS:

Sorry, registration fees are non-refundable due to the costs incurred by HMI.

MEDIA POLICY:

By registering for this event, you hereby consent and agree that HMI has the right to take photographs, videotape, or digital recordings of you and to use these in any and all media, now or hereafter known, for HMI outreach and further consent that your name and identity may be revealed therein or by descriptive text or commentary.