What is a pastoralist?
Published: January 15, 2020
Author: Travis P Krause
t’s hard to come up with a good name for a blog. I had several ideas focused around regenerative agriculture. I started off with “The Grass Farmer,” but it was a bit too narrow for my taste. A friend had the idea of “No Bull” to present my straight forward style of thinking. In the middle of the night I had a dream of the pastoral people of Africa moving their herds of brahma cattle to fresh pasture. That is where the idea “The Pastoralist” began. I feel like it fits this blog well. At Parker Creek Ranch, where my story began, we move our livestock daily seeking fresh pasture. Though we are a bit more sedentary on our modern day ranch I feel very much connected with traditional pastoralism. Pastoralism works with the ebb and flow of nature, just as we do with regenerative agriculture.
The word pastoralist is a noun derived from the word pastoralism. Pastoralism is a type of agriculture specifically associated with livestock production. In a simpler since it is animal husbandry: the care, tending and use of animals such as cattle, sheep and goats. Pastoralism generally has a mobile aspect to it, moving cattle in search of fresh pasture or water. Pastoralism has many variations throughout the world. Factors such as herd composition, management practices, social organization and more. Many traditional practices have changed with the modern world. Ranches in the United States, cattle stations in Australia and shepherd of New Zealand are all considered the modern form of pastoralism.
There really aren’t a lot of blogs out there written by farmers for farmers (and consumers). There are quite a few homesteaders that write excellent blogs about topics such as cooking, canning, gardening and such. I really want to connect with those who have an interest in regenerative agriculture. As I have said in previous blogs, if your a farmer it’s the knowledge I wish someone would have shared with me ten years ago. If your a consumer of farm products (which we all are) I hope you read it too so that you may gain a deeper understanding of agriculture and the lifestyle that surrounds it.
I hope you all have been enjoying the pastoralist so far. I am doing my best to keep new content flowing. If there is something I miss or you want to hear more about shoot me a note. I would love to hear your comments and feedback. Thank you all for taking the time to read my work.