Integration as a Pathway to Empowerment - Meet Longroots Ranch
By Caity Roberts
When Peter and Virginia Sargent stepped into regenerative agriculture, they weren’t just starting a business—they were stepping into a life that reflected who they wanted to be. They dreamed of raising their children close to the land, of taking on climate action not only through policy but through the mindful stewardship of the soil beneath their feet. Every decision, every chore, every season was a chance to integrate family, work, and purpose—a counterpoint to a society that often asks us to compartmentalize.
Both came to this work from outside traditional agricultural paradigms: Peter from climate studies, Virginia from law and ecology. Years spent as organizers left them disillusioned by how quickly policy progress could unravel and the toll of city life behind a screen. Working with animals on the land offered a different path—one where change was tangible, immediate, and intertwined with the rhythms of life they longed for.
Leaping Before We’re Ready
Peter and Virginia both developed a deep commitment to conservation early—Peter through ranching in Pennsylvania and Wyoming, Virginia as a self-described “tree hugger” exploring New England’s forests. They met while working as political organizers on public lands, food systems, and climate change, but after years behind desks, they grew restless.
“The more we learned about regenerative agriculture’s potential, the more we got antsy to leave our desk jobs for the land,” Virginia recalls.
The dream of raising a family only affirmed their decision. “In a lot of ways, it’s easier parenting to be in this setting, with endless chores to do,” she says. They wanted their kids to experience the outdoors and animals as they had growing up. And to play an active role in the day-to-day life of managing the land and animals. A small moment with their older daughter crystallized this: as then toddler Finley dug on a Denver sidewalk, Virginia instinctively said, “Don’t touch that dirt.”
“That’s when it registered for me—this isn’t the parenting I imagined,” she said.
In 2024 after moving from Denver to Boulder County, Colorado, an unexpected opportunity arose. At the time, owning their own business and livestock was part of a five-year plan they were working toward but when Peter’s employers retired and were forced to quickly sell their sheep herd the Sargents decided to make the leap and buy the sheep. Since then they have jumped into their operation with their whole hearts, minds and spirits. Drawing on their community organizing background Peter and Virginia are rejecting the all too well-established narrative of American individualism but are instead developing a support system locally and through their work with UVE.
Sheep grazing at Longroots Ranch - @longrootsranch
Innovations and Adjustments
Less than a year later, their land stewardship entity, Longroots Ranch, manages 85 acres: nine owned, 20 leased from a neighbor, and 55 leased from a software company with a solar array. Pigs and poultry are smaller, but growing parts of the operation.
Sheep are the primary enterprise, emphasizing the use of the entire animal—meat sold in shares, wool marketed raw (with pellets planned for 2026), and hides bark-tanned through Traditional Tanners in Oregon.
“Part of our vision includes their ecological service during their lifetime—that’s one thing that excites us about solar grazing!” Virginia explains.
Solar grazing, where sheep move beneath solar panels, reduces mowing and can elimate herbicide use while restoring grasslands that might otherwise be neglected. It embodies a larger vision which draws on Peter and Virgina’s previous policy experience.
“I think it goes back to where Peter and I started in the climate policy world…bringing together two climate solutions—regenerative agriculture plus clean energy integration—it really integrates those pieces that motivate each of us,” Virginia says.
In a society that often asks for firmer boundaries between work, family and our passions, the Longroots crew is consciously experimenting with the opposite—seeking values-aligned integration. Family, livestock, land stewardship, and climate action move together, each element informing the others toward a more beautiful whole.
Sheep from Longroots ranch solar grazing
Tools for Living into Values
Starting a business with multiple enterprises was daunting. Virginia and Peter both deeply admire their only full-time employee, Caelyn Hammet, and have been investing in her Holistic Management education as a roadmap for navigating complexity together, while staying true to their shared principles.
“The first chance we had to do the [Holistic Management] training, share values, and articulate why we’re here—that took a huge shift and now it protects us,” Virginia says.
Virginia and Peter already agreed that on a values level, true wealth is far more complex than simple profit. As reflected in their context it must include family well-being, balance, animal welfare, and long-term land health. Holistic Management has given them the ability to navigate these values with tools, and support from UVE, and one another.
“Everything is new and overwhelming. When we sat down to draft our holistic context, it really blew our minds that we could prioritize ourselves amidst it all…We have replanned SO much this year, mostly because we spent a full month continuously grazing before our training with Andrea and Caity. We have learned so much along the way,” Virginia recalls.
“There’s that inclination to be like, what’s the right answer? And I think we’ve now come to it many times to be like, oh no, it’s still our values within the system, and therefore we still have to decide ourselves. Which is actually really empowering.”
Writing their holistic context and engaging with holistic decision-making as a ranch community allowed them to design a ranching life that works for their family and Caelyn:
“What would life need to look like so we don’t throw out our backs every week? We often remind each other, and revisit decisions using our holistic context—we’re on the right track, even though there’s still a lot to figure out.”
Regenerative agriculture isn’t just techniques—it’s people. Building the ranch required honest conversations, patience, and trust as they transitioned from off-farm careers into a young family operation with a full-time empoyee. Surfacing fears, clarifying values, and balancing family and Caelyn’s needs became as important as the grazing plan itself.
For Peter, Virginia, and Caelyn, Holistic Management isn’t a formula. It’s about asking better questions, grounding decisions in shared values, and laying a foundation that integrates land, animals, people, and clean energy.
Caelyn Hammett - Ranch Manager
Integration in Practice
Increased integration is the rhythm at Longroots Ranch—blending life, work, and values into a whole that feels right to them. Virginia reflects that in the next five years they hope to only be further integrated into the rhythms of nature:
“A feeling of getting to the point where our rhythms and routines align with the land and animals. And I think we’re definitely not there yet. This year has been whack-a-mole—constantly troubleshooting, assessing…how do we do this thing? But in five years, we picture our land under management feeling like part of our existence, rather than two separate entities. We’re trying to figure out how we work together.”
Solar grazing makes this integration visible. Sheep reduce maintenance needs while restoring neglected grasslands, thriving in shaded, protected environments.
“It’s a win for the land, a win for clean energy, and a win for our animals, who benefit from shade and protection,” Virginia says.
Every choice—from choosing to practice holistic planned grazing in the sustainable energy space to daily chores—is an exercise in integration: aligning family life, animal welfare, and ecological restoration in a world that often promotes separation between spheres.
“Our biggest aha was with the holistic context…part of what will make the system work is that it works for us,” Virginia reflects.
Looking Ahead
Longroots Ranch is still young, but with 85 acres, a growing customer base, and sheep grazing beneath solar panels, the team demonstrates what the future could look like when regenerative agriculture and sustainable energy are intentionally integrated. Longroots has the distinct advantage of building a foundation baked of alignment and shared values, Virginia reflected it’s a little like “doing your homework early.”
“In five years, we picture our land under management feeling like part of our existence, and our meat out in the community, nurturing people and [the sheep] providing ecosystem services,” Virginia says.
Built not only on soil and sheep but on the strength of their partnership and clarity of vision, Longroots Ranch shows that Holistic Management is not just a set of tools but a framework for leaning into our values and one decision at a time, designing a life that makes sense to us and those we love (humans included).
Visit Longroots Ranch or their instagram to continue following their journey.
Caity Roberts
Savory Institute Accredited Professional
UVEhub.com | Restorative Practitioner | Circle Keeper