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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 9, 2019)
Wednesday, October 9, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon The Bunkhouse Chronicle Craig Rullman Columnist Radical ranching Hobbs Margarét, 32, of Sisters Cattle Company, might be a radical. Maybe that9s a result of his deep West Texas ranch- ing roots, his degree from the University of Oregon, or because he lived too long in the low-intensity warfare of Los Angeles. Whatever the source, it9s no accident that the word <radical= reaches back to the Latin <radix,= meaning <root,= because Sisters Cattle Company is aiming for a radical change in the way we treat our soils, and beef cattle, in commer- cial agriculture. Over the last couple of years Margarét has been qui- etly building a cattle outfit in Sisters Country, using regen- erative grazing practices to build healthier soils and bring locally raised, grass- finished beef to your dinner table. Regenerative ranching starts with a basic question: can we produce food and regenerate the soil beneath our feet, all while eliminat- ing the need for heavy doses of chemical fertilizers, pes- ticides, and herbicides, and while at the same time actu- ally increasing the amount of food we produce on the same ground? The answer is yes. Regenerative practices start by eliminating the till, which rapidly kills microbial life and sheds topsoil at alarm- ing rates, and by replacing monocultures with a variety of annuals and perennials that increase biodiversity in the ground. And it uses cat- tle, grazed in high-intensity, low-duration sessions to graze those plants hard. The cattle are moved every day, sometimes several times a day, and the end result is bet- ter soil, which means better plant life. No chemical fertil- izers are ever used, and no pesticides or herbicides are ever applied, which means when you eat a steak from Sisters Cattle Company you aren9t also eating Roundup or Warbex. <Grazing and raising cattle this way is probably the only scalable solution for building healthy soil that feeds on itself,= Hobbs says. Around the world, farm- ers and ranchers who have replaced traditional practices with regenerative methods have seen their yields grow exponentially. They can stock more cows on less ground, and breed for traits that create cattle resistant to pests and disease4rather than relying on each new round of miracle cures from Monsanto. <Growing food is what matters,= Hobbs says. <And what9s clear is that the old model isn9t working. Can people find a way to feed themselves in a way that makes the world a better place? Better people, better animals, better soil. That9s the idea.= Cattle have long been the bogeymen of environ- mental extremists, blamed for almost every eco-horror imaginable, but people need to eat, and despite sustained misinformation campaigns by detractors, they like to eat beef. This year, the average American will consume 217 pounds of beef, and what9s missing from the traditional formulas, Hobbs says, is the long-term health and produc- tivity of the soil. <The nutrient levels seen in our soils have dropped dramatically,= Margarét says. <Soils are often so devoid of actual nutrients that even though you can go to the store and buy a really green green bean, there are less nutrients in that green bean than ever.= That decline in the nutri- tional value of our food is a result of industrial-scale farming whose focus is quantity, not quality. And the decline in qual- ity is visible across the board, from beef cattle to asparagus. If you buy fresh vegetables from a farmer9s market, where those veg- etables are more likely to have been grown in soils rich with microbial life, you can actually taste the nutritional difference. Many soils across the nation have been severely reduced in their ability to sustain microbial life. They are dependent on the yearly injection of chemical fertil- izers to maintain produc- tive growth levels, which is akin to delivering a shot of Narcan to an opioid over- dose. The chemicals will bring the patient back to a kind of temporary, zombie- like sobriety, but that9s about it. Margarét is eager to change how consumers, and detractors, see the role of cattle 4 from a destructive bogeyman to an eco-neces- sity and a net contributor to the health of local soils. That9s a radical mindset in today9s environment, and it9s one reason, in full dis- closure, I decided to throw in with him and run a few cows under the Sisters Cattle Company brand. I9m just radical enough to think he9s on to something important, and something ultimately good for the long-term health of our waterways, soils, and community. The eye of Sisters Cattle Company is firmly fixed on a regenerative agricultural future, which is more criti- cal than ever as the water- starved west continues to settle up and there are more and more mouths to feed. <Post-fossil-fuel ranching will be both big and neces- sary,= Margarét says. <The question is how we approach it. Are we going to keep try- ing to overpower nature, or are we going to mimic nature?= One cow at a time, Sisters Cattle Company is build- ing resiliency into the local future. <We are trying to build a culture that is endlessly repeatable. If we keep doing what we9ve been doing for the last 100 years it9s prob- ably not going to work out in the long term.= And it9s designed to remain precisely local: <We9d be happy if not a single animal ever leaves our zip code.= As for the end product, grass-finished beef, and the endless debates over how to best finish beef for the con- sumer, Margarét is confident Sisters Cattle Company9s product will stand up to the very best. <Our beef tastes the way beef should,= he says. <And even better.= 21 UK HIKE: 73-year-old pursues passion for walking Continued from page 5 When tested by Mother Nature, one either gets stron- ger or gives up. Field proved that her resilience and love of the land could fortify her in a way that ensured not only suc- cess but an appreciation of life beyond the limits of comfort and ease. At 73, Diana continues to pursue her passion for walk- ing and knows that it is a key component for her own health and wellness. Having settled nicely back into life at home, Oregon will bring continued opportunities to walk within the beauty of wild and solitary places. More often than not, the path will be more clearly defined, although weather may still keep things interesting. When summarizing her time on the Pennine Way, Field describes a connection to land, nature and elements that resonated as a spiritual experience. <This is my church, this is what fills my soul,= Diana explained. And this is where she feels the beautiful presence of loved ones long since passed. A far-away country filled with diverse history, com- pelling landscapes and chal- lenging weather will forever remain a part of Diana Field, spirit-inspiring future plans rooted in a return to England for further exploration, con- templation and connectedness. Year-round FIREWOOD SALES — Kindling — — — SISTERS FOREST PRODUCTS 541-410-4509 MEAT S, GAME ALASKAN SEAFOOD CHEESES SANDWICHES BEER, WINE, CIDER SistersForestProducts.com 110 S. 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