3 BACKGROUNDS
1 VISION
Most ranches are inherited, not newly founded,
this is our story.
We were on separate journeys in 2020. James was researching ways to eat and produce healthier food, McKinley was digging into Holistic Management that he was first exposed to from his dad in the 90's, and Mitch turned vegetarian to 'do his part' to save the planet. We all revered what nature could do, but didn't know what to do with nature.
May 2020: Mitch and James grew up next door to each other and happened to both be outside their parents house. James offered Mitch some Elk meat, Mitch declined saying he isn't eating meat to help the environment. Mitch had a video to share to justify his stance and James had a video to share too. Mitch was shook.
June 2020: McKinley took a week off being a ranch and land realtor to attend a Soil Health Academy workshop in New Mexico. Previously he did a 2-week training with the Savory Institute, and now he observed the way land can heal through practices and partnering with nature, he found his purpose.
July 2020: James and his wife are touring a property to potentially homestead, McKinley is the listing agent showing him the property. Somewhere in their conversation McKinley shares he is an accredited professional with the Savory Institute. James had recently discovered Savory and knew how legit they were but finding a Savory Professional in Utah is rare.
McKinley found a generous land-owner to lease land on, he just needed a partner to make it happen. James called Mitch about meeting McKinley and they agreed he is the missing link for them to feel confident in going down the regenerative path. Divine intervention, stars aligning, luck, whatever you call it, we felt the creators hand.
We brainstormed a few times throughout 2020 and early 2021 and in May we bought a batch of chicks and at the end of June we put out our first livestock, 149 chickens and 6 cattle.
We are committed to healing lands through holistic practices. It builds top soil, restores ecological functions, sequesters carbon, and produces a more nutrient rich meat. We are accountable to each other and to nature.
THE PARDNERS
Get to Know Us
JAMES GILSON
James Gilson is a partner of 3 Springs Land and Livestock. James uses his professional background in Finance and Accounting to oversee the business. In addition to 3 Springs L&L James is a Partner at Banyan Ventures, a private equity firm that helps early-stage companies grow.
MCKINLEY SMOOT
McKinley was raised on a cattle ranch at the foot of the Uinta Mountains. McKinley grew up helping his father implement Holistic Management on family land. McKinley is Partner of 3 Spring Land & Livestock and Owner of Living Soils Laboratories LLC. McKinley is an Accredited Professional with the Savory Institute and is also Certified Lab-Tech with the Soil Foodweb School and is becoming a consultant with Soil Foodweb School as well.
MITCH DUMKE
Mitch Dumke is a partner of 3 Springs Land and Livestock. He started his career as a photojournalist for news outlets then spent the last nine years in product management roles at Lucid Software and Pluralsight practicing human-centered design. He left building apps to pursue building soil, which he believes to be the foundation of a functional and sustainable society.