Michael McMillan

A Bit About Me

Born and raised in the west, I have developed a deep passion for land stewardship, conservation, and agriculture. For more than ten years, I have worked in various land management roles, started my own profitable land planning business, and learned from mentors who have helped me develop a strong work ethic and persevering character. I have demonstrated experience in extremely physically demanding jobs and a proven passion for land stewardship and ranching.

 

The summer of 2024, I worked as a ranch hand at Cap K Ranch in Basalt, Colorado. This role consists of various responsibilities including fencing, irrigation, cutting and baling hay, moving cattle,  training horses, managing weeds and anything needed for maintaining a functional ranch . Last year I worked as  the Livestock manager for ACES Rock Bottom Ranch in Basalt raising cattle, sheep, broiler chickens, layers, turkeys, and rabbits. I also own and operate my own land planning business, Solstice Sown Designs LLC, based in Southwest Colorado. I work as a regenerative agriculture planner, consultant, and ecological garden designer. I have experience in all aspects of ranch management and a strong work ethic to take on any challenges that may arise. I bring more than four years of experience in landscape design, project planning, budgeting, and management, developing client relationships, and training and leading a construction crew. I have had a diversity of experiences in Southwest Colorado and California raising livestock for market, learning horsemanship, rotational grazing, silvopasture agroforestry, holistic management of pastures, and whole farm systems planning. 

 

More important though than my breadth of experience in ecology and land management is my earnest character, integrity, grit, and humility. I value strong communication and respect. I bring a lot to the table and still know that I have a lot to learn. I am eager to be of service and contribute to a legacy of conservation and land stewardship. I stive to serve land owners who share my values and would love the opportunity to speak with you more about the position, my qualifications, and experience. Thank you for your time and consideration. 

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More background...

 

Michael is an ecologist, cattle rancher, and professional ecological designer based in Hermosa, Colorado. Michael has been managing land based projects for the last decade. 

 

He has worked with a diverse range of clients developing land plans for gardens, farms and ranches. He has excelled in landscape architecture working as a design consultant. With humble beginnings working to build residential vegetable and ornamental gardens, and the Dolores River Brewery edible forest garden, he has grown to serve larger acreage properties. He has had a wide range of experiences -working for Burke Beef and Stubborn Ranch in Mancos as hand in 2018, helping custom irrigation for cattle ranching operations, learning the ins and outs of beef, lamb, and poultry production and direct to consumer markets in Aspen and Basalt, working on a guest ranch in Patagonia on 100,000 acres, and ongoing technical grant assistance and consulting for small farm and ranches across Colorado.  

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Recently he received the "Future leaders in Agriculture" scholarship from Understanding Ag and has completed their courses in Regen Ag 101 as well as Adaptive Grazing. He will be working on his certification as a whole farm and ranch planner with Holistic Management. 

 

He is passionate about supporting ranchers, farmers, and gardeners. Michael is part of a regional effort to restore the historic orchard economy in Montezuma County in partnership with the Montezuma Orchard Restoration Project by planting heritage fruit varieties, pruning, grafting, and educating about holistic orchard care. He is a member of the growing Regenerative Practitioners global community with the Regenesis Institute. He was also recently awarded a Wild Gift Fellowship for environmental entrepreneurs. He has studied regenerative agriculture and design across the western hemisphere and completed Master's course work on the "Story of Place" at the Conway School of Ecological Design and Sustainable Land Use planning. Read his essay, "A Collective Design" published in the 2020 New Farmer's Almanac.

 

Michael’s path has been winding, growing up in New Mexico and Colorado the youngest of three brothers. His upbringing included summers backpacking and moving up ranks in the Boy Scouts while learning outdoor and survival skills in the Rocky Mountains. Through college, he worked as horticulturalist for the parks department. Earning a B.S. in Environmental Science and B.A. in Spanish language from Regis University, his senior thesis was based on a grant-funded community composting and food-rescue effort to create a closed-loop food system in a North-Denver neighborhood and with the University.

 

Michael is a fluent Spanish speaker with experience living on a permaculture farm in Monteverde, Costa Rica while studying sustainability and tropical conservation biology. He continued engaging with Central American communities through scholarship travels to El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. Prior to moving to Four Corners region, he has lived and worked in Ecuador, California, and throughout Colorado.

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Most recently, he worked as livestock manager with Rock Bottom Ranch in Basalt, Colorado. Then his travels brought him to work as a wrangler and ranch hand on an Argentine Estancia, in northern Patagonia, developing his skills as a horseman and livestock manager.

 

He finds purpose and joy in supporting others to connect with the land and become more responsible stewards.