HMI Texas is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to transforming people's relationship with the land. HMI-Texas was officially incorporated as Holistic Resource Management of Texas in 1987 and has been doing business as Holistic Management International-Texas since 2008. Since its' inception, this organization has had great success in gaining member support all over the state. An 11-member Board of Directors, representing practitioners and agricultural professionals from different regions of Texas, governs the organization. A full-time Executive Director and Program Director are both centrally located in the heart of the Texas Hill Country. Together, they manage the flow of inquiry and information about the organization, as well as manage the planning, organizing, and production of numerous educational and informative events throughout the year.

Our membership consists of:

• land managers on large ranches
• small ranches
• farms
• suburban homes
• corporate offices
• scientists
• educators
• agency personnel

Anyone interested in exploring new and better ways to nurture whole ecosystems, to build better teams, to increase profitability and enjoy richer community life is welcome to join us.. The participants in our field days, workshops and conferences range from the deeply committed to the casually curious.

Through educational programs dedicated to making land-use practices more ecologically and economically sustainable, HMI Texas assists large tract owners by helping them find ways to stay on the land; and small tract owners by suggesting techniques such as management cooperatives to reduce the detrimental effects of fragmentation.

This unique decision making framework promotes::

• collaboration and team building
• restoring land to a healthy condition through better biological management
• keeping people on the land and in business through better financial management and economic diversity such as managing wildlife for hunting and ecotourism.

HMI Texas enlarges its capacity to provide opportunities for learning, socializing and networking by encouraging independent action by its members and by collaborating with other groups to sponsor field days, seminars and conferences all over the state.

We invite you to join HMI Texas and let your membership dues help support the practice of holistic management in Texas through newsletters, field days, seminars and conferences. Your dues and donations are tax deductible and your active participation is greatly appreciated.

 

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(HMI Texas was originally HRM of Texas)

Several Texans got real involved with helping Allen Savory set up The Center for HRM in Albuquerque, then established the Texas-Oklahoma Branch in 1986. But being the independent Texans we were, we soon wanted autonomy and formed our own independent nonprofit, Holistic Resource Management of Texas, incorporating in June of 1987 with the stated purpose, “to promote, organize and sponsor seminars on ecological land and resource management techniques; to demonstrate and conduct research concerning holistic resource management; to provide educational and scientific presentations; to provide consulting and advisory services to interested individuals in Texas, and generally to foster the development of holistic resource management.”

We defined and redefined our mission over the years from “halting desertification worldwide through Holistic Resource Management” to “dedicated to forming a healthy ecosystem capable of supporting the people in it,”  then  “to provide encouragement and support of holistic management in Texas,” and now our current mission, “Transforming people’s relationship with the land through awareness of its impact on every aspect of life, using the power of Holistic Management.”

We formed a solid three-part goal, which has changed very little since 1992.

Holisticgoal
 Quality of Life - We value a healthy ecosystem capable of supporting the people in it, strong family units, financial sustainability, a land ethic and personal growth and development; while enjoying life and the fellowship of a professionally proactive organization.
Forms of Production/Activities - practicing holistic management, self-sustaining forms of revenue, facilitating training and education, creating public awareness and forming collaborative partnerships.
Future Resource Base - High biodiversity, a healthy water cycle, a healthy mineral cycle, efficient capture of solar energy, and a harmonious interdependence between urban and rural communities through an understanding of ecological processes; an active membership with respect for diversity, long term productive relationships with public agencies and endowment groups, and proactive networking with other groups that manage holistically..

We have always produced field days, seminars, classes and conferences to educate, motivate, support and promote the practice of holistic management. Our audience has diversified over the years to include more new and small-acreage land managers, as well as an increased recognition that urbanites can help create a sustainable Texas if they become more aware of the impact of the land on their lives.

The board of directors meets quarterly in a series of meetings designed to plan, monitor and re-plan our progress toward our goal and mission. In the past couple of years we have been in training to help our progression from a working board to a policy board. People passionate enough about HM to be on the board usually want to get in there and do the work as well, so volunteer committees are open to board and membership alike.

In our first decade we were an all-volunteer organization.  In 1992, we were able to use the "values consciousness" of Holistic Management to find common ground with others whose methods differed, but who shared our desire for healthy land and a sustainable future. The Endangered Species Act was placing developers, environmentalists, agencies and land owners on opposing sides,  and HRM of Texas brought them all together to search for that common ground in a volatile situation. In a dramatic demonstration using role reversal to put adversaries in each others' shoes, the participants discovered that they all valued the same thing, ­healthy land. They continued to explore how this common denominator could lead to conflict resolution in forming the PlanIt Texas Coalition. With the financial support of the Meadows Foundation, the Coalition conducted an experiment, collectively managing a ranch in central Texas to demonstrate how a property could be operated in accordance with all government regulations, satisfy all environmental organizations and still please the landowner with the condition and profitability of the land. The project was a tremendous success and the lessons learned have been shared with the public through field days, videos and a landowner’s manual of techniques and resources with publication of The PlanIt Texas Story, which is available for purchase through our shopping cart.

In our second decade, we progressed from an all-volunteer staff to a full-time Executive Director with a part-time assistant in 2006. In our 20th year, thanks to the Dixon Water Foundation's financial support, our administrative base continued to grow. Land managers recognize the complexity of the wholes they manage, but explaining the rather involved method of Holistic Managment  has always been a challenge.  There are as many definitions as there are people trying to define it. Holistic Management International spent several years systematically learning what worked and what didn’t, and in refining that message and brand so that it is uniformly clear. In 2001, when HMI acquired the David West Station ranch in Ozona, hiring Texans Joe & Peggy Maddox as managers, HMI and HRM began working together on a variety of projects. A logical next step was for the two organizations to form a strategic alliance to simplify and unify programs.

Now in the early years of our 3rd decade, we have reached our current staffing level, which includes a full time Executive/Business Development Director, a full-time Program/Publications Director, and a part-time administrative assistant.  Dedicated volunteers continue to be an integral and vital part of our organization's success, enabling us to do  much more than three people could ever do on their own. In 2008, HRM began to do business as HMI Texas. With our new name came a new logo and fresh ideas. We strengthened our relationship with Holistic Management International in Albuquerque with additional opportunities for collaboration, training, marketing and business development.

We have always been an  organization made up of intelligent, creative people dedicated to the mission at hand and determined to enjoy the journey. Today we honor our past by sharing our stories, act on our present as we listen to new ideas and learn together, and celebrate our future as we discuss new possibilities for Holistic Management Texas.