New Horizons

#bfrdpwy #aginternship #RightRisk

This past week has been exhausting and exciting. New places, things, and environments have been a major change from Illinois and school life, but I’m excited to expand my horizons. Some major takeaways this week are learning how each operation works. Everyone has different ways to do things. My host family capitalizes on one another’s strengths and weaknesses. They are very smart and thoughtful people, and thus perform tasks in a very calculated and efficient manner. In one week I have already learned many tricks and tips to make daily tasks easier.
Another takeaway is being a part of organizations that help agriculture. My hosts hold numerous roles in organizations and associations. They make a great point that complaining about challenges in the agriculture industry does nothing. Thus actively being a part of organizations can actually make changes to the industry and even make your operation more successful.

My reflection this week is about how we are fencing around the hay. The registered flock of Targhee sheep need to graze in a pasture that has leftover hay. So they don’t eat the hay I am fencing around the hay. This is a very labor intensive and long process. This is also a task that happens every year. I challenge the thought of using a different fence. They make sheep electric fences that are very effective. My university uses such a fence and it is effective. I assume the fence is expensive but at the same time it’s reusable. This fence would cut down on labor, time, and in the long run, resources.
Everyday I come up with questions about the operation or just general questions. My hosts do a great job in answering and explaining my questions. They are great teachers and not just about ranching but everyday life. Every night I always ponder about the next day because they are never the same. At the moment I question what the next week entails. One thing for sure is that no day is the same. This keeps me very engaged and excited for my next task.

To plan my next week I think about a lot of factors that affect the operation. A great example of this is the weather. This last week’s weather has been cold and periodically rainy, which limited what we could get done. This week the weather looks better, so I need to transition my clothes. I will make sure to have various layers and equipment on me because who knows what we will do next or what the Wyoming weather will throw at us.
My planning also includes yearly timing. My host picked up chemicals last week, which means we will have to spray soon. This is something I need to consider so I know how to dress accordingly. There is a branding on Friday to finish up the West herd. I’m very excited for this but I know we will need to do a lot of planning for that, including vaccines, cattle location, food, and much more. Ranch life never stops but the family is efficient at planning. This really helps to make day to day operations go smoothly.

Submitted by: Maggie McStay
Edits by: GrowinG Internship Team