Same Work, New Challenges
#bfrdpwy #aginternship #RightRisk
A handful of my major points of learning for week two on the ranch are fairly similar to last week. We are still focused on doing a lot of the same things we did last week, such as receiving cattle, riding horses, fixing fence, irrigating, etc. The trail riding foreman and I were able to lead our first trail ride for the season which was good to experience early on to get a feel for what needs to be done to succeed. We have been noticing some issues with receiving steers, some are coming off the trucks with pink eye or not having been castrated.
A concept from this week that I might challenge would be to create a specific routine to get certain daily/weekly tasks done instead of doing it in a random order or a little bit at a time. I think that having a plan or a bit more structure will contribute to efficiency, but I also understand that in this industry there are a lot of unforeseen variables that might prevent you from completing tasks how you envisioned for that day/time. Overall, I would say that for daily tasks, I am able to keep some sort of a routine to keep things on track and not fall behind on my other projects.
A few questions that I have after this week of work would be whether or not we consider wildlife, like bears and wolves, a threat to the herd. We have had a few run through the property recently. If so, what are the general steps to take to prevent loss from predators? Another question I have would be for my manager, how much work does he takes on himself and how much does he delegate, and how he deciphers how each task works out the best. Also, what methods of delegation does he use to keep all the other ranch locations running efficiently.
This last week I have been able to continue to build up my experiences in many different areas. I am thankful to be able to work on many different tasks rather than being stuck doing one all summer. I plan to continue to work in as many different areas of ranching with as many different people as I can. I also plan to pay more attention to detail and ask more questions to further broaden my understanding of the industry and become better at executing my given tasks. I also plan to continue to roll with the punches and keep things on track when the unexpected happens.
Submitted by: Mack Mlnarik
Edits by: GrowinG Internship Team
