Ranch and Farm Stewardship
Professional Caretaker and Sustainable Ranch Management Services.
A personal note from Steve Chafin
Over the past 20 years the demographic of ranch and farm ownership has shifted from historic ranch family ownership, to absentee or part-time resident owners. Most new Owners earned their living outside of agriculture, yet were fortunate enough to find themselves in a position to fulfill their dream of owning a ranch.
The new genre of ranch Owners are not motivated entirely to make ranching a net profit endeavor, but also in making their part of the world a better place. While the economics of ranch and farm ownership is, indeed, important, owners also desire to care for the ranch resources in an ecologically sustainable way. In addition, owners want to optimize intrinsic and habitat values of the land for fish and wildlife, and recreational use. All of which can be incorporated into a sustainable ranch or farm operations plan. Most new Owners generally lack expertise in environmental science, ecological restoration, sustainable land and water stewardship, sustainable forestry, agriculture, grazing, livestock science, or other technical aspects of sustainable ranch stewardship.
At Eco-Systems, Inc, we share the goals of sustainable, even holistic, ranch management. Since entering the field of environmental science and management in 1984, ecological restoration and sustainable stewardship have always been at the core of our professional focus. We are proud to serve the new generation of ranch Owners to realize our shared goals of sustainable stewardship and ecological restoration. In fact, the name Eco-Systems is derived from the Greek pre-fix eco which means inter-relatedness. So our name literally means inter-related systems. We implement the inter-related systems of economics and natural sciences to develop/execute optimal, sustainable operational plans for farm and ranch Owners.
Too much is at stake to guess or waste money in trial and error at your ranch. I personally look forward to serving you, your ranch, and its collective resources, to optimize its sustainability, productivity, longevity, and all of the benefits your ranch can provide you, posterity, and the global community.
We provide intensive, on-site residential operations or we can write a management plan (with your input), and manage one or more aspects of the ranch operations with periodic visits, reports, and/or direct the activities of existing caretakers. Either way, this is my passion. When I get to Heaven, for my reward, there will be a big ranch there waiting for me to manage. I hope to serve you before I get there. Call me at 812-339-6664 to get your ranch operations on the path to genuine sustainability.
Steve Chafin, senior environmental scientist.
Agri-Business and Forestry Resource Income Optimization
Sustainable Forestry
Sustainable Range and Forage Management
Sustainable Crop Production
Sustainable Livestock & Bison Production and Management
Conservation Elements
Mining, Minerals Extraction, and Management
USDA program administration
Wildlife and Conservation Management, Enhancement, Restoration
Terrestrial Wildlife Habitat
Aquatic (Lake, Pond, Stream, Wetland) Habitat
USDA and USF&W Program Administration
Environmental Quality Improvement Program (EQIP)
Wildlife habitat Incentive Program (WHIP)
Agricultural Management Assistance (AMA)
Wetland Reserve Program (WRP)
Grassland Reserve Program (GRP)
Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)
USF&W Service Private Land Wetland Restoration and Construction
Capital Assets Management
Self Directed IRAs For Financing Ranch Life
Structures and Buildings Management Maintenance, Restoration, Remodel
New Construction – Green Construction with local architectural designs and décor themes. Solar, wind, biomass, and other off grid energy independence design.
Rental and Lease Management.
Roads and Trails Management, Maintenance and Construction
Irrigation System Maintenance and Construction
Equipment Maintenance, Restoration, Acquisition
Recreation and Tourism Development and Management
Lodging and Guest Services
Food Service
Hunting and Fishing Management
Hiking, Biking, Wildlife Observation, ATV and Off Road vehicles,
Equestrian recreation
Mapping Services
High resolution color aerial maps with ownership boundaries, including wall map printing
Location maps with towns, streets, streams, and road namesVirtual 3D fly-overs of rural and urban areas
On-site GPS mapping
GIS (geographical information systems) mapping and resource inventory and management
Measuring and layout for habitat design and watershed management
Bathymetric Lake Mapping
Lake and Pond Management and Restoration
Algae and Nuisance Wood Control
Fish and Wildlife Habitat Enhancement
Aeration
Water Quality Enhancement
Shoreline Erosion Control
Leak Sealing
Steams and River Enhancement
Habitat Restoration and Enhancement
Fluvial Geomorphological Restoration
Fisheries / Surveys and Restoration
Streambank Stabilization
Bioengineering
Wetlands Construction, Restoration and Enhancement