Edible Sacramento Summer 2022

Shepherds and herding dogs work together to gather the herd into the corral

animals to stay healthy, Gunderson says. Without the help of ruminants eating weeds, spreading beneficial seeds, and dropping fertilizer in the form of manure, land can become overgrown and fire-prone — in other words, unhealthy man-made deserts, according to Gunderson. These days, Integrazers is in such

tine says, referring to the weeds, brush, and tall grasses that are fuel for wildfires, “and figure out how to make it [useful].”

high demand, it’s common for Hazeltine and Gunderson to travel 200 miles in a single day. Always curious, Hazeltine continues to learn new techniques and fund his own research into the interac tions between animals and the land. Fast-talking with an almost mad scientist vibe, he enjoys thinking outside the box to solve prob lems. Observing nature gives him the edge. Fostering relationships with landowners has helped himsecure key grazing lands andwalk able herding corridors that connect them — a benefit for animals, shepherds, property owners, and the lands they protect. Meanwhile, climate change is creating a hotter and drier world. Wildfire season is longer, more intense, more destruc tive, and costlier than ever before. With 30 years of experience, Hazeltine’s Integrazers model o‡ers promise to landowners who want to proactively take control of their futures by employing regenerative agriculture, a comprehensive approach designed to strengthen the health and vitality of a farm by increasing the biodiversity of the topsoil and improving the land’s resilience to climate change. Conducting grazing for ecological restoration and fire mitigation, Integrazers provides financial sustainability (it is more a‡ordable than the cost of chemicals) and regenerative solutions, giving landowners some peace of mind in a precari ous time. The vision statement on the Integrazers website reads, “One day, whenwe see smoke, we will be able to say, ‘We should go put that fire out at some point.’ Not ‘Run for your lives.’” With the state reeling from destructive wildfires in recent years, the work Hazeltine and the Integrazers team is doing has become increasingly important. In September 2021, the Cali fornia Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention (CAL FIRE) announced it was directing nearly $138 million in funding to 105 local fire-prevention projects to protect communities throughout the state. This funding was part of a $1.5 billion package to build wildfire resiliency in California. With the rising prices of fertilizer, equipment and vehicle fuel, herbicides, and labor, the demand for regenerative grazing con tinues to soar. “Literally, what we do is take stu‡ people don’t want,” Hazel

LIFE ON LIFE Unlike other fire-management tools such as chemical, hand, or mechanical work — including the thinning of dense stands of trees or use of such equipment as chainsaws, wood chippers, or bulldozers — or controlled burns that create a dynamic of hu mans working to control nature, grazing works with the land. The idea behind systems-managed grazing is that grazing should not replace anything but enhance everything. The lands are healthi er because of the animals, and, in turn, the animals are healthier because they are feeding on plants with higher nutrient contents than your standard feed. “Grazing is life on life,” Hazeltine says. Quality grazing takes skill, experience, and hard work. It re quires a complex knowledge base of crop and livestock wisdom, relationship building, partnerships, and planning. High-density, short-duration grazing involving multiple species helps to turn unhealthy landscapes into thriving ones. Coming from a long line of scientists and educators, now at 57, Hazeltinehas stepped intoanother role. Asought-afterpublic speak er, he now mentors and opens doors for young people who want to learn how to run an e£cient operation and do better for the earth. Young people have come from as far away as the United Kingdom, Chile,Maryland, and SouthernCalifornia to learn fromhim. Young veterinary students and ranchers travel from afar to join Hazeltine for ride-alongs; they listen to his charismatic sto rytelling, meet with other farmers and shepherds, and observe the Integrazers process for monitoring diverse land-stewardship projects, in urban wildland and rural landscapes. “The best way to educate is to use yourself as an example. I keep raising critters, and I raise themwell,” Hazeltine says.

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30 SUMMER 2022

edible Sacramento