When I first saw the land through the lens of Holistic Management’s four ecosystem processes, I was stunned by the extent of degradation I saw. Today, as I dive deeper into the intricacies of holistic policy creation, I find that same sense of revelation, it's a joy and a burden, because we can never “unsee” what we now perceive. 

It’s impossible to ignore how many policies today are entrenched in division. They often cast people as heroes or villains, winners or losers, while primarily addressing symptoms instead of root causes. Rarely do policymakers pause to adjust course based on feedback and data. As a result, many policies fail to address the root cause of the issue.

Instead of feeling disheartened by this, however, I feel hopeful. The potential for real transformation is limitless. But what stands between us and that future?

Spencer Tregilgas is an experienced farmer and herdsman who now manages one of Alexandre Family Farms’ dairies on the North California Coast, right where the Smith River flows into the Pacific Ocean. We had a delightful conversation about how he got there, what he’s been working on, and his recent trip to the Northern Roots Conference in Estonia. At Northern Roots, Spencer spoke to European dairy farmers, and discussed what it takes to switch to a more regenerative grassfed operation. The pictures shared in this article are slides from his presentation in Estonia. It was so clear from our conversation that Spencer possesses a wealth of knowledge and experience and he loves to share that resource with others.

On Monday, I sat down with rancher Jeff Friesen over coffee at LJ Brewski’s in Union, Oregon, to talk cattle, grazing, and the tough decisions between crops and pasture. Jeff has been farming and ranching for 15 years, and nearly a year ago, he partnered with UVE’s learning site  Buffalo Peak Land and Livestock, a 600-acre operation. He admitted applying for the role was intimidating—a surprising confession from someone who routinely moves cattle across 10 different landbases. In fact, he’s managed herds as large as 1,500 head, 15 to 20 times the size of his and the Buffalo Peak herd combined. And as our conversation unfolded, it became clear that Buffalo Peak was just one piece of a much larger story.

I thought I was simply conducting fieldwork, when I embarked upon the work of Ecological Outcome Verification (EOV) monitoring on tribal lands in the state of South Dakota in September of 2023 on a collaborative project with the Intertribal Agriculture Council, I didn’t realize I’d also be expanding my understanding of data sovereignty and what that means to Indigenous people. 

Rachel Lohof Larsen leads and manages EOV work with UVE in eastern Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Montana and South Dakota. She also supports the EOV crew in western Washington, Oregon, Nevada and across California. She keeps a steady pace, and is a model of patience, integrity and consistency. Her EOV season is no small feat, given the vast country she serves. At the close of the EOV season this year, she took the time to share with the UVE crew some facts, highlights and reflections from the season. We found it so moving that we wanted to share it with our broader community. 

It was hard to admit that I didn’t know what to do. It was hard to acknowledge what was happening at UVE. This wasn’t supposed to happen to us. We had a shared Holistic Context, a mission and vision that we loved as a group of women in business together. If anyone could figure this out, it was us. 

And yet. Here we were walking on eggshells around each other, in meetings with tension and uncomfortable silences, emotional eruptions, empty seats, and indecision. How did we get here? How did this happen to us? All of us wanted out of “the yuck,” but we didn’t know how or what to do.

When I asked Cameron King if I could write this piece for UVE’s website and newsletter, I explained to him that it is not an in-depth profile piece, but rather a snapshot of where he and his family are in their Holistic Management journey.