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Jim Howell is the CEO of Grasslands LLC, which is the land management arm of the Savory Institute, an organization that Jim co-founded. Both Grasslands and Savory focus on conserving and restoring the world\u2019s grasslands through what they call \u201cHolistic Management.\u201d We discuss the details of Holistic Managment in the interview, but the basic idea is that the world\u2019s grasses evolved to be grazed, and they need to be grazed in a natural manner to be healthy and resilient. \u2022 Jim and his team use livestock to mimic natural grazing patterns from hundreds of thousands of years ago, long before the world\u2019s grasslands were covered with people, fences, houses, and cities. Savory and Grasslands\u2019 results speak for themselves\u2014after just a few years of holistic managment, their ranches are measurably healthier, more productive, more biodiverse, and more financially successful. \u2022 Even if you have absolutely no interest in grazing or ranches, you still need to listen to this interview, because the work Jim and his team are doing has a positive effect on land, people, plants, animals, and communities all around the world. Anyone who considers themselves to be conservation-minded and loves the outdoors needs to understand Jim\u2019s work. I have no doubt that you\u2019ll gain a new appreciation for the role that livestock needs to play in conserving grasslands around the world. Even if you\u2019re a vegan living in New York City, you\u2019ll gain some valuable insights from Jim\u2019s point of view. \u2022 Jim is also an experienced world traveler, an avid reader, and an author, having written one of the best books I\u2019ve read on land and conservation in the West and beyond: For the Love of Land: Global Case Studies of Grazing in Nature\u2019s Image. And on top of all of that, he finds the time to run ultra-marathons and has completed some of the most challenging 50-mile trail races in Colorado. \u2022 Between Jim\u2019s professional and personal interests, we had a lot to discuss. It was a fun conversation filled with valuable information, so I hope you enjoy. \u2022 http://mountainandprairie.com/jim-howell/ --- TOPICS DISCUSSED: 4:05 \u2013 How Jim describes his work 5:45 \u2013 How Grasslands\u2019 Holistic Management differs from other ranch management practices 8:00 \u2013 Why are grasslands important? 11:00 \u2013 The natural history of grass 14:30 \u2013 Importance of grazing animals\u2019 grazing behavior 17:30 \u2013 History of grass and animal relationships in the U.S. 18:40 \u2013 How modern commercial grazing differs from natural grazing patterns 22:00 \u2013 Comparing the health of grazed land versus National Park land where grazing is prohibited 26:15 \u2013 How grazing leads to more healthy soil and grasslands 27:50 \u2013 Common mistakes that conservationists make when evaluating grassland health 29:15 \u2013 Methods and results of measuring grassland health 31:15 \u2013 Specific methods for holistic grazing 35:30 \u2013 Length of time to truly understand a ranch\u2019s grazing potential and needs 37:00 \u2013 Challenges related to the human component of ranching 40:30 \u2013 What are common objections to holistic grazing? 41:40 \u2013 The intellectual challenges of holistic grazing 43:50 \u2013 The economic benefits of holistic grazing with specific examples 48:20 \u2013 Jim\u2019s unconventional path to ranching 52:20 \u2013 Jim discovers Savory\u2019s work 55:15 \u2013 Jim\u2019s travels and work on ranches around the world 57:40 \u2013 Lessons learned from traveling and working abroad 1:00:10 \u2013 How Jim started running ultra-marathons 1:02:50 \u2013 How humans evolved to run long distances 1:04:55 \u2013 Advice for people who want to run ultras 1:09:15 \u2013 Jim\u2019s favorite books 1:12:50 \u2013 Favorite documentary 1:13:45 \u2013 Jim\u2019s favorite place in the West 1:14:55 \u2013 Jim\u2019s request of the listeners 1:17:30 \u2013 Grasslands and Savory contact information