Managing Through Drought: Real-World Decisions & Stockmanship
Practical tools to make confident decisions, work cattle effectively, and steward your land through dry conditions.
Dates: April 30 - May 2, 2026
Time: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM CT, ends at noon on May 2.
Location: Mimms Ranch
1001 N Austin St, Marfa, TX 79843, USA
Overview
Pressure, Response, Recovery — In the Pen and On the Range.
A cow reads pressure in an instant. She tells you exactly what she needs from you — if you know how to listen. Drought works the same way. It signals early. It rewards those who read it and plan ahead. It punishes those who wait and react.
Two days. Two skills. One mindset. Learn to work with your cattle the way the best stockmen do — calm, deliberate, effective. Then apply that same thinking to your grazing plan, so when the dry times hit, you're already three moves ahead.
Casey Wade, President and CEO of the Dixon Water Foundation, will discuss how proactive planning enables ranch managers to adapt effectively during water scarcity while ensuring rangeland health and economic viability. He will share real life examples from the Mimms Ranch.
Linda Pechin-Long, Professional Certified Educator with HMI will guide us through Holistic Grazing Planning and building systems that make your land more resistant to the pressures of drought. Having a proactive, written drought plan--including water conservation, alternative forage, and trigger-date decisions--is essential to prevent devastating agricultural and personal losses.
Proper stockmanship is essential when managing a herd through dry conditions. Dawn Hnatow of CattleUp Stockmanship will share unique insights gleaned from years of experience working with Bud Williams. Dawn’s training helps participants understand how to work with livestock to encourage specific behaviors and movement. Her expertise in timing, pressure, and positioning will be reinforced during a practical session at the Dixon Mimms Ranch, where we will work with cattle on foot to understand movement from the animals’ perspective.
“What I learned from Dawn is amazing! It has changed how I handle my cattle. I look forward to learning more from her at another HMI workshop soon.” – J.W., 2025 workshop participant
Thanks to support from the Dixon Water Foundation!
Fee & Financial Assistance
$350 per person (lunch included Thursday & Friday)
Your Presenter(s):
Casey Wade is the President and CEO of Dixon Water Foundation, a Texas-based non-profit organization that promotes healthy watersheds through good land management. Wade has been with the Foundation for 15 years, first serving as West Texas ranch manager before being promoted to Vice President of Ranching Operations.
After a two year stay in Kenya, Africa, Casey was introduced to holistic land management while working with a wildlife management consulting firm. He was drawn to the idea of using livestock to improve degraded landscapes. At that point Casey began searching out further education and eventually a career in regenerative land management through ranching. Wade is a husband and a father of three sons. He is a graduate of Hardin Simmons University and has spent most of his career managing hunting and wildlife operations as well as livestock ranches.
Linda Pechin-Long is a Professional Certified Educator with Holistic Management International, where she works with farmers and ranchers across the U.S. to build regenerative, resilient operations through values-based decision-making. Her work spans in-person workshops, online programs, and long-term mentorship, all grounded in the principles of Holistic Management, which she has practiced since 2008.
Linda lives and works in Winfield, Kansas, alongside her husband Keith Long, a long-time livestock producer and Holistic Management practitioner with over 30 years of experience. Together, they raise cattle and sheep using regenerative practices and have built a life rooted in stewardship, community, and continuous learning.
Dawn Hnatow is the owner and founder of Cattle Up Stockmanship. She was born into a ranching family in Canada. She has worked with livestock her entire life and spent numerous years under the mentorship of Bud Williams. Their many years together forever changed the trajectory of her life and she now spends her time passing on the wealth of knowledge she gained during those countless experiences.
Thank you to our collaborators and funders.
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