A Final Week of Cattle, Confidence, and Growth
#bfrdpwy #aginternship #RightRisk
My last week was a pretty busy one, and I feel like it was a good way to finish out my internship because we got to do a little bit of everything. We spent a lot of time checking calves and making sure they were all doing well. While checking them, we found one that looked like it could have had brisket disease, so we had to doctor it and keep a close eye on it. It was interesting getting to see something like that firsthand and actually be involved in figuring out what was going on. It made me realize how important it is to really pay attention when you are checking cattle because sometimes the signs that something is wrong can be pretty subtle.
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We also had to doctor the bull again, which gave me another chance to get more comfortable working with him. Throughout the internship, I feel like I have gotten a lot more confident handling cattle and knowing what to look for when something doesn’t seem right. We also came across a calf with a prolapsed rectum, which was probably one of the more challenging situations of the week. We had to stop and figure out what the best option was for the calf instead of just immediately knowing what to do. It was a good learning experience because it showed me that not every situation with livestock has an obvious answer, and sometimes you have to look at the whole situation and make the decision that is best for the animal.
Along with working cattle, we also helped build the feedlot. It was nice getting to see another side of the operation and not just spend the whole week working with livestock. There is a lot more that goes into running a ranch than just taking care of the animals, and helping with the feedlot showed me how much time and effort goes into building and maintaining the facilities that make everything else possible.
Looking back at my last week and the whole internship, I feel like I got to see a pretty good mix of what ranch work is actually like. We dealt with sick animals, had to make decisions about treatment, worked with the bull again, and spent time building the feedlot. Every day was a little different, and that is one of the things I have enjoyed most about being here. I still have a lot to learn when it comes to diagnosing cattle and deciding exactly what treatment they need, but I feel much more comfortable than I did when I first started.
One of the biggest things I’ve learned throughout this internship is that you have to be willing to learn from every situation. Sometimes you know exactly what needs to be done, and other times you have to stop, ask questions, and figure it out. Getting to actually work through these situations has taught me a lot more than I could have learned just sitting in a classroom. I know I’ll be able to take a lot of what I learned here with me into future classes, jobs, and eventually my career.
As the internship comes to an end, I think the thing I am going to miss the most is being horseback almost every day. There is something pretty special about getting to spend so much time riding through the mountains and working cattle from horseback. I am also really going to miss being on the ranch, the daily routine, and everyone who was involved and made the summer such a great experience. I met so many incredible people this summer who I plan on staying in contact with, and it will be weird not seeing them everyday. I am also going to miss Jesse, the horse who I spent a majority of the summer on. I spent so much time with him this summer that he became a big part of the experience for me. I never expected how attached I would get to being able to saddle up and head out to work with him every day.
I will sure miss getting up early to feed the bottle calves before the day on the ranch starts, and it is definitely strange knowing that I won’t be waking up and heading out to the ranch every morning anymore. Looking back at where I started compared to where I am now, I can tell that I have learned a lot and become much more comfortable with the hands-on side of working with cattle. I am really thankful that I got the opportunity to be a part of this ranch and experience all of the different things that came with it. I know I will look back on this summer for a long time and remember the people, the cattle, the mountains, the long days, and especially getting to spend them horseback with Jesse.
Submitted by: MacKenzie Jones
Edits by: GrowinG Internship Team
