Hands-On Holistic Management Course

Hands On Holistic Management (HOHM) exists to deliver the Savory Institute’s Holistic Management curriculum through real-world instruction on diversified working lands. Designed for active farmers and land managers, but applicable to everyone, this course will prepare you to regenerate land, businesses and networks by applying system level insight to your unique circumstances. We believe in learning by doing, and reinforce all classroom work with hands-on practice, building the confidence students need to take the next steps in their businesses and lives. Participants will leave with a working knowledge of Holistic Management, and an open door to the global Savory Network for ongoing support. This course satisfies the coursework requirements for Professional Accreditation through the Savory Institute. 

HOHM will be hosted at Warren Wilson College and the Warren Wilson College Farm in Swannanoa, NC– Expect half of the course to be held inside a Warren Wilson College classroom and the other half to be in-field at the Warren Wilson College Farm.  Upon competition of the Hands-on Holistic Management course, participants will qualify to have an exit interview with the Savory Institute, and upon successful completion of the exit interview, become an accredited professional through the Savory Institute. 

Course Dates: September 8-16, 2025 

Lodging: On-campus Lodging in WWC’s historic St. Clair Guesthouse available. 

Food/Meals: Light breakfast provided by the Hickory Nut Gap Hub & on-campus lunch provided by the Warren Wilson College campus cafeteria. 

Transportation: Shuttles to and from local Asheville (AVL) airport to campus lodging. 

Additional: Complimentary guided farm tour of Warren Wilson College Farm in Swannanoa, NC & Hickory Nut Gap Farm in Fairview, NC. 

Course Costs & Amenities: 

Standard Course

$1200 Course Total 

Includes: 

Breakfast either in field or in classroom 

Lunch in one of 2 WWC cafeterias 

Holistic Management Textbooks (Provided by Savory Institute) 

Swag bag provided by HNGF 

Field trip to HNGF + Meal

Immersed Course

$2400 Course Total ($1200 + $150/day) 

Includes: 

All amenities from standard course 

Lodging in WWC’s historic St. Clair Guesthouse  

*Discount if booking a double room with another student* 

3 Meals/day at one of WWC’s cafeterias – Breakfast, lunch, & dinner 

About the educators:

Donna Kilpatrick specializes in pasture-based livestock production, ecosystem restoration and land stewardship. She leads the regenerative agriculture programs and enterprises at Heifer Ranch in Perryville, Arkansas where she serves as the Director of Regeneration and as the Heifer Ranch Savory Hub leader. The 1,200-acre ranch is a thriving, living ecosystem with stacked enterprises that include beef cattle, pigs, sheep and poultry, raised in an integrated, holistically managed system. Heifer Ranch contributes premium grass-finished and non-GMO meat to the Grass Roots Farmers’ Cooperative, which Heifer USA helped start in 2014 as a way to connect new farmers to reliable markets. Donna lives at Heifer Ranch with her wife Liz, and corgi Austin- who is phenomenal at catching frisbees despite his short legs. 

Dylan Kennedy is a farmer, designer, educator and part-time artist based in Jabez Kentucky. Dylan’s career in farm management was born of a deep passion for agroecology and the role of humans within their ecosystems. His favorite projects are those that blur the lines between conservation and agriculture while engaging local communities in the stewardship of natural resources. Dylan has 15 years of experience in building and retooling regenerative farm systems across the USA in a variety of ecoregions. He is a Certified Permaculture Designer and an Accredited Professional through the Savory Institute.

Ken Smith is a native Texan, former naval officer, mechanical and nuclear engineer, business owner, and entrepreneur whose journey from corporate supplier to fossil fuel companies to sustainability to regeneration advocate to holistic management spans over 40 years. He is a Senior Certified Sustainability Professional, a Savory Institute Accredited Professional Educator, and hopefully a good steward of the earth. Ken resides in Plano, Texas, with his wife, Susan, and their pit lab mix, Stella. 

Mikey Hans-Barrientos is the Hickory Nut Gap Hub Manager in Fairview, North Carolina. Originally from Miami, Florida, he was introduced to agriculture while working on the Warren Wilson College Farm while getting his bachelor’s degree at Warren Wilson College. After graduating, Mikey went on to work in and around agriculture for several years before getting involved in the Hickory Nut Gap Hub. When he is not out monitoring farms all over the South-East, he is most likely at his home in West Asheville, just 30 minutes from the farm, with his partner, dog, and too many cats.