History

The Spark to Gather

"Convening people is the most important thing you can do"

In 2008, Sallie serendipitously met Carol Newell and Joel Solomon at Play BIG, an annual gathering convened by Marian Moore of investor/philanthropists interested in activating their whole portfolio fully in alignment with their mission. Carol’s pioneering approach to radical activation of wealth inspired this gathering and she partnered with Joel to fuel sustainable economic development in British Columbia for two decades. 

Sallie posed the question to the pair, “What is the most important thing you did in your work in Canada?” Without skipping a beat, they both replied, “convening people”.  The duo eventually founded Hollyhock, a renowned retreat center that hosts gatherings to inspire personal growth and social transformation.

The conversation with Carol and Joel changed everything for Sallie. She thought, “I have a convening space. I have land. I know people who want to learn and connect. I can do this.”

June 2015: International Culinary Center ICC Field Tour and Dinner -- Culinary chef students learn about the interconnectedness of healthy soils, plants, animals, and people to creating delicious flavor.
June 2015: International Culinary Center ICC Field Tour and Dinner -- Culinary chef students learn about the interconnectedness of healthy soils, plants, animals, and people to creating delicious flavor.
February 2016: Women in Ranching -- Circling Up with the first gathering of radical innovative women working in ranching.
February 2016: Women in Ranching -- Circling Up with the first gathering of radical innovative women working in ranching.
March 2016: Field Tour with Dr. Christine Jones -- Exploring soil and root connections out on the range with Australian soil ecologist Dr. Christine Jones, agronomist Patrick O’Neill, Paicines Ranch manager, Kelly Mulville, and philosopher-rancher, John Kretsinger.
March 2016: Field Tour with Dr. Christine Jones -- Exploring soil and root connections out on the range with Australian soil ecologist Dr. Christine Jones, agronomist Patrick O’Neill, Paicines Ranch manager, Kelly Mulville, and philosopher-rancher, John Kretsinger.

She held the first workshop in 2010 and brought Ian Mitchell-Innes, a Holistic Management educator and expert in planned grazing, from South Africa to the US.  California ranchers had been trying to get him to the states but RSVPs for workshops tended to be last minute or attendees would drop out and organizers would lose money. Sallie knew that the value of having Ian at the ranch--the opportunity to learn from him and to see the ranch through his eyes--far outweighed the expenses. If no one showed up, it would still be worth it. 

It went well with a diverse group of about 50 California ranchers, and the event broke even financially. Manned by a group of volunteers that slept on Sallie’s floor with meals prepared by the ranch staff, this pilot workshop revealed the calling for and excitement around convenings.

The first few events were Holistic Management trainings--Ian led two, and a third was with Kirk Gadzia, another educator based out of New Mexico. These evolved into farming and animal health workshops and, at that point, Sallie knew she wanted to bring in other diverse voices to the ranch aside from ranchers. She began collaborating with others in and outside of the field and hosting gatherings annually--from pasture cropping and cheesemaking workshops to larger gatherings at the intersection of climate and soil carbon.

2015 -- Brainstorming session with Sallie, Elaine, Fritz (and Avery) in the “Headquarters” barn that birthed the  #NoRegrets Initiative.
2015 -- Brainstorming session with Sallie, Elaine, Fritz (and Avery) in the “Headquarters” barn that birthed the #NoRegrets Initiative.
April 2016: Lead with Land convening -- Connecting to nature, each other and ourselves out in the field during the launch of the Lead with Land convenings.
April 2016: Lead with Land convening -- Connecting to nature, each other and ourselves out in the field during the launch of the Lead with Land convenings.
March 2016: Club 25 -- Discovering the liquid carbon pathway and mycorrhizal fungi network in a 'Restoring Health to Agricultural Ecosystems' workshop with Dr. Christine Jones
March 2016: Club 25 -- Discovering the liquid carbon pathway and mycorrhizal fungi network in a 'Restoring Health to Agricultural Ecosystems' workshop with Dr. Christine Jones

The calling for these events, especially around regenerative agriculture, continued to grow and in 2015 Elaine Patarini moved to the ranch and Sallie passed her off the organizing reins. A natural at ‘human herding’, Elaine brought with her a love to gather community and convene discussions centered on the interconnectedness of soil health and human health. With Sallie’s vision and Elaine’s education and innovation leadership, Paicines Ranch has become a prominent place to learn about regenerative agriculture, and even more importantly, a place to connect with the land, each other and ourselves.

January 2015: BALLE Fellows Retreat at TomKat Ranch -- 
Pondering a more beautiful, diverse and inclusive world … which sparked the creation of the #NoRegrets Initiative with Sallie Calhoun, Kelly Mulville, and Nikki Silvestri and a multitude of our community.
January 2015: BALLE Fellows Retreat at TomKat Ranch -- Pondering a more beautiful, diverse and inclusive world … which sparked the creation of the #NoRegrets Initiative with Sallie Calhoun, Kelly Mulville, and Nikki Silvestri and a multitude of our community.

Some of the past collaborators and speakers include: Dr. Christine Jones, Gabe Brown, Ray Archuleta, Dr. David Johnson, Dr. Jill Clapperton, Dr. Kris Nichols, Colin Seis, Fred Provenza, Walter Jehne, Nikki Silvestri, Dr. Daphne Miller, Krystyn Leach, Doniga Markegard, Joe Morris, Peter Donovan, Didi Pershouse, Cindy Daley, and many others (visit our convening and workshop page to learn more about past events).

In 2019, the Paicines Ranch Learning Center was officially formed as 501(c)(3) non-profit organization to hold all of our programming and allow us to engage with a broader community of voices to create and participate in this work.

The Early Days

Who We Are

We are a team of educators, farmers and ranchers, facilitators, ecologists, investors, designers, and storytellers who are passionate about bringing together people to connect with the land and eachother.