Gene Goven is a farmer and rancher in North Dakota’s Prairie Pothole Country. He has owned and managed shortgrass prairie and cropland for more than 50 years. In the 1980’s he attended an intensive holistic management course taught by Allan Savory that greatly influenced him to manage diversity for soil health enhancement. As Gene says, it was and is “hundreds of little things” that add up over time. He manages for increased biodiversity, aims to capture rain where it falls, and feeds the soil first – livestock second.For Gene, we should all be striving to continuously learn and share what we learn. The North Dakota Grazing Lands Coalition, of which Gene is a founding member, hosts an innovative Mentor Network to bring along fellow farmers and ranchers on their own journey. Gene is equally as pleased to influence people outside of agriculture as well. A few weeks back he hosted a group from the North Dakota Chapter of the National Audubon Society to tour his ranch, discussing how the use of livestock can enhance bird habitat.In our conversation, we talked about soil health and water infiltration, the impacts of climate change including drought planning, cross-fencing and planned rotational grazing, the power of networking, advice for those just getting started farming and/or ranching, and so much more. There’s a lot packed into this 40-minute episode, so I hope you enjoy!--- FULL EPISODE NOTES WITH LINKS @ https://truestewards.com/gene-goven ------ TOPICS DISCUSSED ---