Gene Goven is a farmer and rancher in North Dakota’s Prairie Pothole Country. He has owned and managed shortgrass prairie and cropland for more than 50 years. In the 1980’s he attended an intensive holistic management course taught by Allan Savory that greatly influenced him to manage diversity for soil health enhancement. As Gene says, it was and is “hundreds of little things” that add up over time. He manages for increased biodiversity, aims to capture rain where it falls, and feeds the soil first – livestock second.
For Gene, we should all be striving to continuously learn and share what we learn. The North Dakota Grazing Lands Coalition, of which Gene is a founding member, hosts an innovative Mentor Network to bring along fellow farmers and ranchers on their own journey. Gene is equally as pleased to influence people outside of agriculture as well. A few weeks back he hosted a group from the North Dakota Chapter of the National Audubon Society to tour his ranch, discussing how the use of livestock can enhance bird habitat.
In our conversation, we talked about soil health and water infiltration, the impacts of climate change including drought planning, cross-fencing and planned rotational grazing, the power of networking, advice for those just getting started farming and/or ranching, and so much more. There’s a lot packed into this 40-minute episode, so I hope you enjoy!
--- FULL EPISODE NOTES WITH LINKS @ https://truestewards.com/gene-goven ---
--- TOPICS DISCUSSED ---
1:27 – A brief overview of the Goven Ranch
4:33 – Conservation efforts on the ranch including soil health and water quality
6:21 – Impacts of climate change, drought planning, and increasing resiliency down the road
10:06 – Using livestock for birding enhancement
11:54 – Cross-fencing, planned rotational grazing, and working with Mother Nature
13:42 – Barriers to implementing a regenerative management system
15:46 – The North Dakota Grazing Lands Coalition, the power of networking and sharing with neighbors
19:40 – Advice for those just getting started
22:57 – Best resources to stay on top of agricultural trends
24:26 - The biggest areas in agriculture Gene is curious about
27:11 – Intro to companion crops, root depth enhancement, and 1+1 = 3
29:19 – A concern about soil carbon markets
30:53 – Food comes from the soil and other lessons with Gene’s grandson
32:30 – Grass fed vs. grass finished
33:46 – A silver lining of COVID: buying local and direct markets to consumers
34:38 – Minimizing chemicals for insect control
37:40 – Reducing fuel loads through grazing livestock
