Bob Howard - Akaushi cattle, biomimicry, and carbon sequestration in the Great Basin

Bob Howard is a 3rd generation rancher in Idaho. His family’s operation is based out of Hammett in the winter while summers are spent in the mountains from Midvale to McCall. Bob leads Desert Mountain Grass-Fed Beef, a cooperative created by ranchers to provide a high quality 100% grass-fed beef option to consumers. More than two dozen families are working in cooperation to raise healthy cattle while improving their soils.

In our conversation, Bob and I talk about the history of the coop, 100% consensus decision-making, minimal disturbance seeding of cover crops, planned intensive grazing, reversing global warming by sequestering carbon in the soil, and so much more. As you’ll see, Bob is a thoughtful steward of the land and he’s committed to being regenerative and sustainable on this earth, preserving what we love about agriculture, rural communities, and the environment.

There’s a lot packed into this 40-minute episode, so I hope you enjoy!

--- FULL EPISODE NOTES WITH LINKS @ https://truestewards.com/bob-howard ---

--- TOPICS DISCUSSED ---

1:35 – The Howard Ranch, shifting paradigms, and grass-fed beef

4:38 – Extending the growing season in Idaho

6:05 – Bob’s journey towards holistic management, and finding a community of like-minded people

7:01 – Desert Mountain Grass Fed Beef Coop

8:55 – 100% Consensus Decision-Making

9:49 – Providing a consistently delicious product with Akaushi cattle

11:41 – Exploring the pros and cons of a vertically integrated grass-fed beef business

12:40 – The benefits of providing a stable price to customers AND ranchers, and avoiding the commodity business

16:37 – Global warming, carbon sequestration, the increase in large fires across the West, and conscientious grazing management to reduce fuel loads and encourage more carbon into the soil

23:07 – Measuring emissions from cattle livestock

26:26 – Resources to stay current on agricultural practices and trends, smart phones and the power of observation

27:16 – Livestock grazing as a resource management tool

32:09 – Learning from failure, fragile topsoil in the Great Basin, and post-fire vegetation recovery

35:15 – The potential to mimic nature with livestock and, depending on application, the ability to degrade or regenerate with the same tool

37:12 – Bob’s thoughts on our connection to our food source and improving the dialogue between agriculture and urban populations