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Jim represents the third
generation to live on and work the Blue ranch east of Montrose Colorado.
He spent his summers here working with his grandfather and eventually fell
in love with the land and ranching. He and his wife Daniella took over ranch
management in 1997. Their daughter represents fourth generation to have an
opportunity to ranch here. The decisions Jim and Daniella make each day on
this ranch will have lasting impacts on her future. To the left, Jim &
Daniella with daughter pose with their guest Allan Nations, editor of
Stockman Grass Farmer magazine. |
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The
Blue Ranch was first as a sheep operation and then converted to a cattle
operation. The ranch originally consisted 3
parcels including and irrigated piece that was sold off by Jim's dad, the
piece pictured here near Cimarron where they now live, and the upper
piece where summer camp is located.
 The town of Cimarron was second only to Placerville for the number of
livestock that were shipped east to Denver and other cities. Jim's dad was
only 10 years old when his father put him on the last run on this rail road
in 1949. The train exhibit pictured here is maintained by the National Park
Service as part of the Currecanti National Recreation Area.
Jim and Daneilla
arecurrently exploring option of brining sheep and other animals for fiber
production back to the ranch. |
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We
always include the children in our events.
How else will they learn?
On the four wheeler we have the future owners of three different ranches.
To the right their daughter is learning about how to move cattle. Jim uses
electric fencing to divide paddocks. Moving the cattle takes just a
few minutes. They do not on own the cattle. This frees Jim and Daniella in the winter to operate another enterprise, Sun Country Tours, where
they lead tours featuring Holistic Management in Africa, New Zealand, &
Argentina.
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Jim carefully plans each year's grazing using Holistic
Planned Grazing Procedures. He
figures the length of grazing periods based on the predicted growth rate of
the grasses and amount of available forage. He manages stock density
to achieve desired grazing intensity and animal impact using electric
fencing. The object is to allow adequate recovery time's and leave
enough residue on the surface to protect the soil surface. Grazing is
monitored closely on a daily basis. Adjustments to the plan are made
as needed based on the growth rate of the plants, intensity of grazing, and
animal performance. |
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Water
& Wildlife Management Is Critical to The Ranch's Success.
In western
Colorado water is
not something to take for granted. Grazing is controlled around
watering points to allow for lush growth needed by wildlife. To
facilitate this they use a solar pump to take water out of ponds into tanks. Holistic
Planned Grazing helps Jim take into account the needs of his large Elk and
Deer herds. The ranch also supports a hunting camp with very satisfied
clientele. |
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The Blue's higher ground supplies summer grazing and awesome hunting
opportunities. Jim manages aspen and spruce
forests with selective harvesting to improve tree health and open the ground
to promote regeneration of younger trees, wildlife habitat, and improve
grazing. |
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Hunting/summer
camp includes a small cabin and outdoor
 
kitchen.
Water is supplied from a spring 300 feet
below the camp using a hydraulic pump that
requires no fossil fuels and minimal maintenance. A wood fired hot
water heater, modeled after one Jim saw in Africa, provides for an
outdoor shower. |
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Jim's mom with Daniella and dauther pose in
the camp kitchen.
 They
provided an awesome camp style BBQ beef dinner.
After lunch, everyone enjoyed the shade and good company.
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New
comers and old timers had an opportunity to share with each other.
The Colorado Branch for Holistic Management has been around for 17 years.
Listen carefully to our
stories and you will find that we have developed a collective wisdom about
how the land and the people cannot be separated; and how, if we each take
personal responsibility, we can develop a mindset that allows us to take in
the big picture; find real solutions to problems; and learn how to manage
our human, financial and natural resources for long term sustainability. |
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The
old summer cabin. On
the way down, we stopped of at the cabin Jim's dad and grandfather built in
the 1950's. Jim's dad was a teacher in California and the family spent
summers at this cabin. Spending time here with his grandfather is how Jim fell in love
with ranching. |
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A
cool break after long dusty roads.
 The
children enjoy the pond below the
old summer cabin where they also discovered a Duck's nest. We encourage our
children participate in the events we hold. How else will they learn, if not
from their parents? These children are lucky, because they will more than
likely inherit healthy land and viable agricultural enterprises, and
they will know how to manage all of this for long term sustainability.
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Stopping off at the ranch next door.
The land adjacent to Jim &
Daniella is controlled by an
absentee owner who and visits once a year and is leased for grazing by John,
a life time rancher in this area. The owner will allow him to graze only
along the road and not up on the slopes because he likes looking up at the
tall grass on the slopes look and does not want to see the grass taken down.
John says the side slopes have been rested too long, about 20 years, and he
is now seeing a decline in productivity with increased bare ground.
Looking
down closely at the grass it is easy to see that residue is building up and
is not decaying. Without enough disturbance by grazing animals, range
grasses will grey and oxidize. The old grey residue crumbles like ash.
The over-rested grass
plants show much
less vigor when compared to
the same kind of land on the Blue ranch,
pictured to the right,
which is managed with grazing animals to minimize over-grazing and avoid
over-resting.
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