South Dakota's Grassland Resource

A Program Called Bootstraps

The program was built around the premise that a sustainable operation results when good resource conservation practices are followed. Because most of the operations in the area were primarily ranches, the leaders recognized that quality animals and animal products wer their most basic commodity.

The leaders also realized they had to find a way to assure some kind of continuity in farm/ranch ownership from one generation to the next. That meant that families needed to hold their operations together economically, as no family can remain on the land for long without profit. None of these efforts would succeed, however, without better family communication and goal setting.

The group decided on a six-step approach to achieve their goals of conserving their families and community. All six steps became a continuous process rather than a short-term training program. Each step involved not only finding the right kind of outside help, but also developing an adult education program that would enhance each family's own abilities to utilize that help.

Six Step Approach

Inventory financial, livestock, and natural resources of each participating ranch. Family skills were to be considered as one of those resources.
Develop family goals and commit them to paper.
Develop a long-range operational plan for each ranch that reflects family goals from step 2.
Strengthen family members' skills in areas such as record keeping and communication.
Monitor each family's progress and find out what worked and what didn't.
Re-plan.

Program Results...

For more information about Bootstraps, send us an e-mail or order the video.