Finding Our Equilibrium

September 2026

Finding Our Equilibrium

By Abbey Kingdon

Dear Friends,

I write this letter to you each month from the vantage point of looking out across my own life, and UVE’s place in the world. Sometimes I focus on one layer of these wholes I move between, this life I’ve woven together. Sometimes, like today, they feel seamless and calm, connected and balanced.

It wasn’t always this way. Thinking back to this time last year, UVE was heading into a downsizing restructuring, an adjustment to the times we were living in. The Savory Institute was moving in different ways, so much so that I felt pulled apart by my work roles; I felt I was coming apart at the seams. What was once woven together tightly in a way that held and supported me was now stretching me in opposite directions. Despite all the upheavals, I wouldn’t have predicted this outcome. And yet, here we are, finding our footing in a whole new world. Read more from Andrea below about how UVE as part of the Savory Global Network is moving forward with an emphasis on instituting (verb) instead of creating an institution (noun).

Inside UVE, our regional work continues. The Modoc Nation Homelands Capstone event in September. Advancing Food is Medicine in October. Supporting the families we work with in making holistic decisions, financial plans, review and analyze monitoring data. UVE has been through its own evolution in the last few years. We’ve reached a new equilibrium too. Next, we grow.

For me this time of the fall equinox is about finding my footing in these spacious days. My “unplanned sabbatical” days–time with my children, coaching soccer, writing, getting away from screens and breaking the habit of constant information consumption, getting outside more, playing more. I’ve had wobbly moments, I’ve fallen more than a few times, but I’m learning to walk in this new world, too.

How are you finding balance?

Happy Fall Equinox,

Abbey

LISTEN TO ABBEY’S LETTER HERE

Observing Orange Shirt Day at UVE

By Abbey Kingdon

Each year, UVE observes September 30, Orange Shirt Day, as an organizational holiday. On this day, and throughout the year, we work to be allies to our Indigenous neighbors. Orange Shirt Day, formally known as Truth and Reconciliation Day (T&R Day), began as a Canadian memorial day of recognition of the atrocities inflicted on children at Indian Residential Schools across Canada.

The multi-generational trauma of children stolen, children never returning home, happened in the United States too, and we honor survivors of, and those impacted by, attempted erasure of a people through the most horrific and cruel means: the abuse and murder of children.

READ ABBEY’S ARTICLE HERE

From Institute to Instituting Holistic Management

What might become possible if we treat Holistic Management as a living practice rather than something held by an institution?

By Andrea Malmberg

I have been thinking and feeling my way through the future of Holistic Management for years—long before the recent unraveling of the Savory Institute. I have been engaged in several organizations created to carry the work of Holistic Management, and I keep returning to a pattern that is not unique to any one of them: we create an organization to serve the work, and, almost without noticing, the work begins serving the organization.

READ ANDREA’S ARTICLE HERE

OR LISTEN TO IT HERE

Meet our EOV monitors: West Lambert

By West Lambert

As summer turns to fall, I find myself in that familiar transition between long days in the field and the slower rhythm of winter. This year, that shift feels especially welcome—it’s been a busy stretch of projects that have stretched me in new ways.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT WEST HERE

Across the Network:
Hickory Nut Gap

My name is Mikey Hans-Barrientos, and I manage the Hickory Nut Gap Farm Savory Hub in Fairview, North Carolina. Like most farms and farming organizations, we are many things but to keep it simple: we are a 90-acre farm raising grass-fed beef and pasture raised pork and poultry, as well as a Savory Hub that specializes in Ecological Outcome Verification (EOV) and teaching Holistic Management. We are at the tail end of our EOV season and all the more tan for it - our wonderful EOV monitor, Marlene Marsh and I are just finishing our 40th landbase of the year, spanning from Georgia to Maryland to Missouri. We feel lucky to work with so many farmers and their lands and are honored to be included in UVE's newsletter. Please feel free to reach out; we would love the opportunity to collaborate and work together!

CONTACT HICKORY NUT GAP

UVE is proudly a fiscally sponsored project of Inquiring Systems, which supports 100 organizations!

This partnership allows UVE to focus on our purpose —

To uplift the voice of the Ecosystem in a way that enduring well-being is created by encouraging holistic decisions so that all beings may be the full expression of themselves.

This partnership allows ISI to provide the operational support UVE needs so we can focus on our purpose. Please consider contributing to our work today with your tax-deductible donations.

Donate to UVE today

Opportunities and More:

Funding:
- Due Oct 2: USDA grant: Sheep Production and Marketing Grand Program (SPMGP)
Virtual offerings:
- Sept 28-Nov 2: Seed Savers Exchange Virtual Seed School
- Sept 29 webinar: Standards-based Restoration to Integrate Ecology, Culture, & Community, Society for Ecological Restoration
- Oct 29 webinar: Seed Equipment Fundamentals: Tools, Scales, and Strategies
Conferences:
- Sept 28: Collaborative Agriculture Summit, Boise, ID
- Oct 20-21: Advancing Food Is Medicine Conference, Think Regeneration, Edmond, Oklahoma
- Oct 28-30: REGENERATE Conference: Stewardship in Action, Santa Fe, NM
- Nov 20-22: British Columbia Conference: From adversity to resilience - Regenerating people, land, and profit, Holistic Management Canada, Heffley Creek, B.C.
Kiss The Ground invites us to submit our farms and ranches using this form to be considered for their Regenerative Farm Map.
Community Alliance with Family Farmers: www.caff.org/funding-database/

Considering becoming an Accredited Professional in Holistic Management?
The Savory A.P. accreditation program is continuing forward without interruption. Allow UVE to facilitate your professional journey with our course offerings and more.

***CLASS REPLAYS AVAILABLE***

Missed one of our live online classes? Now available are our class replays that allow for you to revisit the frameworks and tools anytime! Whether you’re deepening your work as a land steward or simply curious what regeneration looks like in action you can choose individual classes or the replay bundle to meet your needs.

CHECK OUT OUR OFFERINGS HERE

🌱UVE’s Holistic Management Foundations course is offered in a self-paced format!

We’re making Holistic Management more accessible than ever! Our Foundations of Holistic Management course is now available in a self-paced format, and still only $99, allowing you to learn on your own schedule—no matter where you are.

Whether you're a seasoned land steward looking for a fresh perspective or just beginning your journey, this course meets you where you are and provides the tools to restore our ecosystem, build soil health, strengthen communities, and create resilient businesses.

🌟 Plus, when you enroll, you’ll gain access to our growing online community on Circle! 🌟 Connect with others at every stage of the journey, share practical tips, celebrate successes, and navigate the challenges of this important work together.

As always, this course and all other UVE courses count toward Savory Professional Accreditation. That means you’re not just learning. You’re building real credentials in Holistic Management!

Join us and take the first step toward a regenerative future! 🌎✨

📢 Enroll today and start learning at your own pace!