Grasslands LLC
Grasslands LLC was originally a part of the Savory Institute (founded in 2009), before splitting off as the for-profit arm of the enterprise.
Grasslands LLC was thus created in early 2010 "to exclusively focus on the acquisition and management of grassland assets." Jim Howell and Zach Jones of the Savory Institute were put in charge of this role and partnered with investors Larry Lunt of Armonia & John Fullerton of the Capital Institute.[1]
According to the Capital Institute's Field Guide to Investing in a Regenerative Economy:
The seeds for the Grasslands project were sown two years ago (in 2008) when Savory contacted Fullerton after reading the latter’s paper, The Relevance of E.F. Schumacher in the 21st Century. Fullerton, as it turned out, was already aware of and intrigued by Savory’s work, and the two met in Rye, NY, where Fullerton arranged for Savory to give a lecture on Holistic Decision Making. Then, in January 2009, Fullerton and Lunt met for a day and a half with the Savory Institute team to discuss their vision for a “brown revolution” —that is, a focus on regenerating soil health, as opposed to growing ever greater yields of hybrid crops (dependent on soil damaging agrichemicals), which has characterized the “green revolution.” They ended up hammering out a model for a for-profit grazing business based on holistic principles.[2]
As of 2015, the corporation's administrative hub was in Bozeman, Montana.
The CEO of Grasslands LLC is Jim Howell, husband of Daniela Ibarra-Howell (the current CEO of the Savory Institute).[3]
According to its website, the firm currently manages 320k acres and herds of 14k cattle and over 20k sheep.[4]
Land Acquisitions
SOURCES: <https://pitchstonewaters.com/the-grasslands-story/> <https://www.grasslands-llc.com/>
BR and Horse Creek
First ranch owned and managed in 2010 via Belle Fourche Land and Livestock, LLC. 14,200 acres. Managed by Grasslands LLC until 2017.
Cinch Buckle Ranch
Purchased Cinch Buckle Ranch in Feb. of 2011 (also with Larry and John as investors). 39,000 acres located near Broadus, Montana. No longer managed by Grasslands LLC.
Antelope Springs Ranch
Purchased 53,000 acre Antelope Springs Ranch, near Cohagen, Montana in early 2012 - once again with Larry and John. Partially managed by Grasslands LLC today.
Lees Valley
Nearly 70,000 acres in New Zealand, encompassing nearly the entire catchment basin of the Ashley River and associated tributaries. Purchased in September 2013 with Thomas Peterffy as investor.
Hana Ranch
4300-acre cattle ranch on the eastern tip of Maui, Ka Pae Aina. Purchased negotiated with Biological Capital, which subcontracted to Grasslands LLC the management of the cow herd in January 2014. No longer managed by Grasslands LLC.
Blue Head
31,300 acres between Arcadia and Lake Placid in Florida. Purchased in November 2014 with Thomas Peterffy as investor.
Buffalo Creek Ranch
11,000 acre ranch near Recluse, Wyoming, marketed as a "hunter's paradise" and a "rancher's paradise."
Western States Ranches
Western States Ranches encompasses an aggregation of four US Forest grazing permits in the national forest system of western Colorado, a Bureau of Land Management winter grazing permit near Cisco, Utah, and multiple irrigated hay and winter pasture farms in the Uncompahgre Valley near the towns of Cedaredge, Olathe, Delta, and Montrose—all in Colorado. All in, we cover about 210,000 acres and tend over 4,000 head of cattle... Grasslands assumed management of this amazing compilation of country in May of 2019, so it’s also our newest project.
Partners
Source: https://www.grasslands-llc.com/
Choctaw Nation
<http://fieldguide.capitalinstitute.org/grasslands.html>
Current
The Savory Institute, Land to Market, Conscience Bay Company, Sun Fed Ranch, PGG Wrightson, Alliance Farmers' Produce, Hazlett, Miami Beef
Former
Recognized as "critical to the evolution of Grasslands LLC":
The Capital Institute, Biological Capital, Armonia