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Honoring Tony Malmberg

  • May 14
  • 2 min read

man with beard and cowboy hat
Tony Malmberg

It is with great sadness that HMI learned of the passing of long-time Holistic Management practitioner and educator, Tony Malmberg. Tony passed away on April 5th, 2025 after a two-year battle with cancer. Before his death he completed his memoir, Green Grass in the Spring: A Cowboy's Guide to Saving the World.


I have been reading Tony Malmberg’s writing for almost 20 years, since when he would occasionally write pieces for HMI’s publication, IN PRACTICE. I always found his writing to be insightful because of his humility and curious, open mind. Those skills are also evident in Green Grass in the Spring, and the book is a reflection of Tony’s life and his voice.


Tony’s introduction to and implementation of Holistic Management is legendary as he pushed the boundaries of how to implement Holistic Grazing Planning, but also because of his interest in and willingness to engage with the government employees and community in his region to help more people understand what he was doing, the results he was seeing, and the benefits they could experience. His work to regenerate the landscape he managed resulted in his receiving many honors from agricultural organizations, environmental and wildlife interests, including the National Environmental Stewardship Award from the National Cattlemens’ Association.


As a third-generation rancher Tony seemed to be born a cowboy and he ranched for 35 years on Twin Creek in Lander, Wyoming before moving to Eastern Oregon with his wife, Andrea Malmberg. He is survived by Andrea and his daughter, Katherine Dawn, and her husband, Rhett Abernathy, along with three granddaughters, Antonia, Alexandra, and Isadora.


As Andrea wrote in Tony’s obituary, “Tony always sought to address the root cause of problems in agriculture, in life, and in the world. He became someone who didn’t blame others, but rather used his agency and was accountable for his decisions on the land and in life. For many, Tony was an enigma. He was a cowboy and dressed like one, but he also had the mind of a financial and political analyst, an ecologist, a philosopher, and a poet. He did not conform to expectations from the outside or to extreme, exclusive thinking.” Tony will be greatly missed by all who knew him.


In lieu of flowers, food, and other gifts, please consider giving to the Growing Season Scholarship Fund, established in honor of Tony Malmberg to help all people access Holistic Management education, training, and implementation support. It was his wish that this fund be established.


HMI extends our condolences to Andrea and the Malmberg family.

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Scholarship funding support comes from the

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