Ranch Work, Rodeo Prep, and Pasture Lessons
#bfrdpwy #aginternship #RightRisk
This week was another busy one at the ranch, and it gave me several opportunities to learn more about the operation. The week started with moving steers on Monday. To some, moving steers every day may seem mundane, but it keeps the pastures healthy and productive while maintaining a desirable rate of gain for the steers.
On Tuesday, we hosted another rodeo, which brings a different pace to the week. Rodeo days are always busy and require a lot of preparation and teamwork to make everything run smoothly. It is interesting to see how people who have never been around western culture interact with the rodeos here on the ranch. Being involved in both the ranching and community aspects of the operation has helped me appreciate how closely connected the two can be. The next rodeo in July will be the last for the summer, so I’m glad I got to experience a piece of the AG tourism side of things to more closely understand how a ranch can add business for itself in that way.
Wednesday I spent most of the day hauling dirt and manure from the trail rides area in the Teton Village to a spot on the ranch. Having the skills necessary to be able to jump into tasks and operate machinery with some instruction has been very helpful. I then shod another horse and headed into town to run some errands for the ranch. On Thursday, I was on the doctoring crew riding through steers checking health and looking at the levels of grass.
Friday brought more time horseback. Being on horseback almost every day has brought me the opportunity to learn the pastures here pretty quickly. By the end of this week, I believe I have been in every pasture here at headquarters. In the coming weeks, I hope to ride with our head irrigator to learn his “why” for when we might want to move the steers, or when to pull dams or not. Grazing management is possibly one of the most important things for a cattle operation, and it will be nice to understand some of those tools outside of a classroom.
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Saturday was spent moving steers, doctoring and shoeing horses. I’m glad that I had a preexisting skill I could bring here to the ranch. It feels like a way of returning information for the information they are teaching me. Having a part in keeping our ranch horses up and running is an important thing to me.
Looking back on the week, I realized that much of what I learned did not come from a single major event. Instead, it came from the accumulation of small experiences. Learning another pasture, improving my understanding of cattle, putting an old skill to work, and spending more time horseback. Each day added another piece to my understanding of how the ranch operates. As I continue this internship, I can see myself becoming more confident in both the work and the environment, and I look forward to building on those experiences in the weeks ahead.
One of my questions is about doctoring. I would like to know which ailments are top priority and which can take a back burner. I know that a lot of places don’t want to use antibiotics for every little thing, so that brings me to the assumption that some sickness is to be expected and watched instead of treated right away.
Submitted by: Sean Frost
Edits by: GrowinG Internship Team
