Blog

For those of you that have not met me, my name is Patrick Toomey, the new Grazing Education Lead with SFA. I am looking forward to the opportunity to work with SFA members to deliver top-of-the-line, relevant trainings to graziers across the state.

Unlike most farmers and ranchers I was not born into it, and did not even work in agriculture until my thirties. I was born in Pittsburgh, PA and grew up in Plymouth, MA. My grandfather is a big influence on my life. Even though he did not own the family farm (they were forced to sell in the 40’s), he always talked about how great living on the farm was. This was definitely the seed that sprouted my passion for family farms. I attended high school in Connecticut and after injuries derailed my hockey dreams, I decided to move out west for a change of scenery. I attended the University of Wyoming and graduated in 2011 with a degree in Rangeland Ecology and Watershed Management.

After graduating, I knew that I wanted to work in the ranching world, but having no contacts, experience or opportunities (and having monthly student loan payment), I decided to start my career in the natural gas fields in south-central Wyoming. The Wamsutter Basin is the bottom of a historic inland sea characterized by clayey, saline and sodic soils with occasional islands of sand dunes. These are some of the harshest soil conditions on earth, and my job was to reclaim the disturbance back into the natural state.

By working in these harsh environments I learned a lot about the interactions between soil, plants, and animals that led to successful reclamation. One site that I vividly remember was coming upon a flock of several thousand sheep in the winter that was penned in a reclaimed site that we had fenced the summer before and seeded two summers prior. Fearing having to do a total re-do on the site, we were surprised when we came back in the spring and found that site had more diverse and robust vegetation than the surrounding undisturbed sites. These little breadcrumbs were the start of my soil health journey and acted as a spring board to a life of constant questioning and learning.

After several boom and busts in the oil and gas world, I decided to make a change and began working as a technical service provider for the InterTribal Buffalo Council (ITBC). I worked all over the country and with Tribes as diverse in their herd goals and traditions as the landscapes I worked. From the northern rolling plains of north-central Montana to the pink sand and cactus of Sandia, New Mexico, I got a crash course in not only management and outcomes in different environments, but also of how culture and personal beliefs drive decision-making. It was through ITBC that I met Mimi Hillenbrand of the 777 Bison Ranch in Hermosa, SD who introduced me to Holistic Management and Allan Savory.

Visiting the 777 and attending courses on Holistic Management was the catalyst for me into the agriculture world. Reading Holistic Management was like all the dots coming together for Charlie in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Everything that I had observed and didn’t fit the paradigms I was working in suddenly made sense.

Following ITBC I decided to enter the private consulting world under the tutelage of Roland Kroos at Crossroads Ranch Consulting. Those two years were a master class in reading the landscape, leading open discussions with various stakeholders, creating and planning educational events, and in the Holistic Management framework. I loved consulting but ultimately made the first holistic decision by walking away. With two young daughters it was just too hard to be away from home.

After making this decision my wife and I decided to move from Rapid City to Brandon, South Dakota where I was offered a position as the Rangeland Management Specialist for the NRCS out of Luverne, MN. This was an interesting step for me: I went from working with top 10-20% ranches in the country to working with people just starting out on their journeys. Being in SW MN, grazing was often looked at as an afterthought. By taking an individualized approach and focusing on farming operations as a whole, I was able to gain a foothold in an area that most would use as a stepping stone position. Grazers started specifically asking for me to help them with their projects.

However, whenever working in or for a government agency, the winds of change always blow. The uncertainty and shuffling of funds, agency goals, and personnel wore me down. When the job opportunity for this position was flown I jumped at the chance. The shutdown slowed the process down as did the uncertainty at the agency. When Jon called me and offered me the position, I knew it was the right choice to pursue. Working with farmers that want to change and need the coaching and knowledge to do it is what I am all about. I am excited to be able to facilitate educational opportunities and humbled to be a part of so many farms’ stories on how they made the switch from surviving to thriving. Thanks for having me, now let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work!

You can meet Patrick at several of our field days and events this season, and contact him at patrick@sfa-mn.org or 844.922.5573 Ext. 703.