Week 9 was another full and varied week, and one of the highlights was something I had genuinely been looking forward to getting more hands-on time with the animals alongside a professional. This week we had the veterinarian come out to semen test all of our rams. Getting the rams gathered and prepared went smoothly, as that part of the process has become fairly routine. The collection and separation portion took longer than I anticipated, but it was time well spent. The vet was open and generous with his knowledge throughout the process, which I really appreciated. He let me look through the microscope and walked me through exactly what he was looking for and what healthy cells look like, what raises a red flag, and how he evaluates what he is seeing. That kind of one-on-one conversation with someone working in a field I am genuinely curious about is something I always try to make the most of.

The results, unfortunately, were not what anyone was hoping for. A significant number of the rams came back with poor results, which apparently is not something that happens often here. After talking it through, two likely factors emerged. The first is the lack of rainfall this season, which has limited grass growth and may have left the rams without the level of nutrition they needed. The second is heat such as if the rams got overheated during a move on a warm day, that alone can affect the results. I found that second point particularly interesting because it is not something I would have thought to connect on my own. It made me curious about what a retest would show on a cooler day under better conditions, and I hope they get the chance to do that. As for the rams that tested poorly, a decision still needs to be made about what to do with them. I may not be here by the time that plays out, but my understanding is that they will likely be sold.

Alongside the vet work, we also applied scrapie tags to the rams being sold out of state. These are identification tags that track where an animal came from, which is required for interstate sale. It was a small but important detail that I had not come across before, and it added another layer to my understanding of the regulations and recordkeeping that go into livestock sales. The rest of the week was built around my usual chores and general ranch maintenance. One thing that has become increasingly clear as the summer heat has stretched on is just how critical water and supplemental nutrition are for the animals during these conditions. Making sure every animal has access to enough water, especially on the hottest days, is not something that can be overlooked or pushed to later. It is one of those non-negotiable daily priorities that I have come to take seriously.

One of my favorite experiences of the week was helping gather hay from a field and haul it out. We loaded two trailer loads headed to South Dakota, and I was out in the field walking alongside the trailer, throwing bales up to be stacked. I kept at it until the stack got high enough that I could no longer throw bales up effectively, and then on the next round I got to drive the truck, which was a satisfying way to stay involved as the work shifted. It was a good day and the kind of physical, all-hands work that I genuinely enjoy. That said, it did not wrap up without a few reminders that things do not always go according to plan. On the way, one of the trailer loads came loose and a good number of hay bales ended up on the road. We also had to stop to change a tire. Neither of those things derailed the day, but they were good reminders that even a well-organized operation runs into hiccups, and what matters is how you handle them and keep moving. We got the hay picked up, got back on the road, and made it back later that evening. It was a long but memorable day. With my final week coming up next, including three days shadowing a veterinarian, I am looking forward to finishing out this internship on a strong note.

Submitted by: Kaci Jericoff
Edits by: GrowinG Internship Team

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.

CLICK the image to view the video

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

This week I want to focus on an educational event that stood out as one of the most informative experiences of my entire internship. On August 12th, I attended a workshop up in Sheridan hosted through the University of Wyoming. The focus was on identifying and understanding ventenata and medusahead grasses which are two invasive species that have become a growing concern for landowners and ranchers across Wyoming. I came in knowing very little about invasive grasses, and I left with a much clearer picture of the environmental pressures that farmers and ranchers here are quietly navigating alongside everything else they manage.

The workshop covered four grasses in total: cheat grass, Japanese brome, ventenata, and medusahead. Each has its own characteristics and challenges, but medusahead stood out as particularly problematic. Cattle tend to avoid it, it leaves behind a dense thatch layer after the season ends, and it spreads rapidly through seed dispersal. What I found striking was the current approach to the problem. Rather than trying to eliminate these grasses entirely, the primary goal right now is containment and slowing the spread so that the core areas do not continue to expand. It was good to see how land management decisions are made when a problem is already well established.

The workshop was well structured and genuinely engaging. It opened with a video from a University of Montana specialist who walked through the distinguishing characteristics of each of the four grasses. From there, we broke into teams and were given packets of images and descriptions that we had to match to the correct grass. It was a simple activity, but an effective one. Being asked to identify rather than just observe pushed me to actually retain the information, and it gave me a real sense of whether I would be able to recognize these grasses out in a field on my own. The interactive format made the content stick in a way that a straight lecture would not have.

After the identification exercise, the conversation shifted to solutions. Specifically, what chemical treatments are available, how they are applied, and what the limitations and downsides are. I really appreciated the honesty of that discussion. With local farmers and ranchers in the room, glossing over the drawbacks would have done more harm than good, and the presenters did not shy away from being direct about what works, what does not, and how long results take to show. I asked the program director whether cost tends to be a barrier when trying to get landowners on board with chemical control, since the treatments can be quite expensive. Her answer surprised me as nearly every property they have treated, including private land, has been covered through grant funding, and she and her colleague take on the work of writing those grants themselves. It struck me as an example of extension work at its best. It’s so important to not just educate the community about a problem but actively removing the financial obstacles that might otherwise prevent anyone from doing something about it.

After lunch, which gave me a chance to talk with several of the attendees and add a few more faces to the growing network I have built over this summer, we headed out to a nearby site where all four grasses were present in the field. We were turned loose to walk the area and try to identify what we could on our own, flagging anything we found along the way. It was the kind of hands-on application that made the morning’s content feel real and immediate. During that time I had the opportunity to speak with Bryan Mealor, the founder of the IMAGINE program at the University of Wyoming. It turned into one of the best conversations I have had all summer. He shared a lot of thoughtful advice about graduate school and navigating career decisions in agriculture, and as it turned out, he actually knew a professor from my home university, which made the conversation feel even more connected. Going into the workshop at the start of the morning, I had introduced myself as a participant in the GrowinG program, and several people approached me afterward wanting to know more about it and about my experience.

From my studies, I have come to understand that agricultural outreach efforts often fall short for three main reasons, limited information reaching the people who need it, a lack of transparency about what solutions actually involve, and the financial burden of acting on those solutions. What made this workshop stand out to me was that it addressed all three directly. The information was clear and accessible, the presenters were candid about the complexity of the problem, and the grant support removes the cost barrier for landowners who want to take action. The rest of my week was steady and routine with daily chores, helping wherever I was needed. This workshop was the kind of experience that will stay with me well beyond the internship. It deepened my understanding of the environmental challenges specific to this region and reinforced my respect for the researchers, extension workers, and ranchers who are working together to address them.

Submitted by: Kaci Jericoff
Edits by: GrowinG Internship Team

During the last week of my internship, we continued on as normal, irrigating the fields and cutting Mill Creek. The windrower was fixed by our mechanic which allowed us to continue cutting the Mill Creek property. Usually when cutting a field, we would turn off the entire water supply so that the hay had a chance to dry. However, we don’t turn the water off on Mill Creek because my host fears that if we have the ditch riders turn it all off, we will never be able to regain our water as water in that field is inconsistent at best. While we were cutting, we got a surge in water. We’re not really sure where it came from but we had to cut and bale the west portion of the field so that we could open gates on the west line at the three way. We ended up opening almost all of the gates on that west line which is unheard of for that field. We also tried to get a handle on some of the thistle that had sprouted and flowered but hadn’t made it to seed in one of the pastures on the main property.

The one thing that has become prominent and noticeable during the past three weeks is the amount of weeds, mostly thistle, that inhabit the property. In my opinion, I would do some research on the most efficient way to handle them and kill them for good. Spraying only works before they flower and pulling or chopping doesn’t kill the root system. The way I see it from my understanding now is that they don’t die until you have depleted the energy supply in the roots. The issue with that is that there is not enough time or hands to hit ALL of the weeds multiple times throughout the year. Especially not throughout our busiest season with haying and irrigating.

I really only have two subjects for questions that remain after my internship. Why does my host keep leasing an under-performing field every year? It’s not good quality hay because of the way the land is sloped and the soil is acidic. It also lies in boulder flats which makes it hard to cut because of the rocks. In fact, those rocks are what broke our windrower in the beginning of the haying season. The other question I have is regarding the weeds. There simply has to be a more efficient method to decimate them. How can we kill them for good with one pass?

Over the course of this internship I have learned self sufficiency but also confidence in myself and my abilities. I was able to use these skills in a real life experience on my drive back home. The rim on my car cracked and broke causing my tire to be unable to hold any air in the middle of Thermopolis. Because of the confidence I have gained, I was able to keep a level head and get my spare on and drive out to Cody to get a new tire and wheel that would get me the rest of the way home.

Submitted by: Kaylee Pearce
Edits by: GrowinG Internship Team

Summer Newsletter (2026)

Steady Hands, Slow Lessons: This Summer’s GrowinG Interns

CLICK here to read the Summer Newsletter (2026)