This week, we finally got around to replacing the fence that fell down in the colt’s corral. We dug three holes, each three feet deep so that we could put vertical railroad ties in the ground to anchor the fence posts. We also continued irrigating, moving and balancing water across all the fields that needed to be watered. On Friday, my host and I went to a low-stress stockmanship clinic where we learned the most efficient method to handle and move cattle while keeping them docile and level headed. We also learned about the economic loss of not handling cattle efficiently and how that might impact an entire operation. We are continuing to cut and bale part of the property and that has proved to be difficult considering that the windrower broke.

Over the last week, we have continued to have irregular water on our lease property. We set up 12 dams in order to handle the massive amount of water that is up there, just for the water to disappear later in the evening or the next day. However, then it will come back and we will have water again and need the dams to pick it up. We don’t want the dams to stay up there when there’s no water because the mice will chew holes in the tarp and make them unusable. We also can’t take them all back down to the barn to put away because picking up and re-setting 12 dams a day is simply unsustainable, especially in this heat.

 

I think either we need a consistent ditch rider who is going to ensure we either have no water or all the water is important. In my opinion, the best option would just be to not lease the land again next year. It is such a pain to keep consistent water and the soil isn’t great, making it a low hay producer. In fact, we hardly even hayed it at all this year.

 

With the windrower broken, it is only functionally cutting half of what it should be. I’m wondering what broke and when it will be fixed so that the rest of the property can be cut. Our mechanic is supposed to come out and take a look at it when he has time. I was also told that my host had to order a replacement part that may arrive on Tuesday. That would be, at minimum, three more days of being unable to cut that field.

Like last week, I have been doing a lot of the work on the main ranch by myself and I have learned a lot of self initiative and how to manage the property alone. While I was alone, one of the pipes blew off the main line of our biggest field. I had to shut the water supply off, pull the pipe fully out, and then push it back in myself, which is usually a two person job. Today, I decided that one of the fields had gotten enough water so I opened up the ditch in our Red Barn field and sent the water there. Essentially, I have learned to be observant to see what needs to be done and I have developed the initiative to do it.

 

Submitted by: Kaylee Pearce
Edits by: GrowinG Internship Team

This week felt a little different, and I want to write about it differently too. Rather than walking through each day task by task, I want to focus on what I took away from the week, because the lessons were bigger than the to-do list. The hands-on ranch work was lighter yet I cleaned out the chicken coop, which is one of those unglamorous but essential jobs that keeps the flock healthy, and I spent time inputting the data we collected from the rams last week. That data entry work might not sound significant but sitting down and recording it drove home just how important consistent documentation is. You cannot track progress, make informed decisions, or plan without it. Every week on this ranch I find another example of something that could easily be skipped or brushed aside that turns out to be quietly essential. This week gave me two more.

On Friday I left with two families to attend the Sheep and Wool Festival in Powell, Wyoming, staying through Saturday. I came into it with no expectations and no real sense of what it would be, which turned out to be a good thing. The festival is open to the public and designed to give community members a genuine look at sheep ranching, how wool is produced, what it can be used for, and how sustainable and efficient the process can be. There were educational workshops, hands-on activities, and events like sheepdog herding demonstrations. On Friday evening I helped set up displays and get things ready for the opening reception, which featured four sheep ranchers from the committee who sat down and answered questions from the audience about running their operations, the challenges they face, what keeps them going, and what they wish more people understood about their work. I could have sat in that room for hours. Hearing four different people describe four different operations, each shaped by their own land, their own circumstances, and their own decisions, reminded me again of how much variety exists within a single industry.

The festival did not draw the crowd it normally does. Attendance was lower than usual because the date had been shifted back two weeks this year, which put it in direct competition with several other fairs happening around the same time. Typically there are a couple hundred visitors over the course of the event; this year there may have been a hundred total. That was a little disheartening to see, but the people who were there made it worthwhile. I watched some of the sheepdog herding competition, which was genuinely impressive. There were different skill levels on display, and watching the dogs work like how responsive they were, how much they could accomplish with just a whistle and a gesture. I did not expect to enjoy as much as I did. I also took part in a wool craft workshop where we made a small tapestry using wool. It was a lot of fun. I got to experiment with needling, learned about different wool types and colors, and came away with a real appreciation for how much can be done with a material I had not thought much about before.

The conversations I had over the weekend were probably what I will carry with me the longest. Talking to ranchers and vendors, I kept hearing a similar theme: fewer and fewer people are staying in the sheep business. Some are selling, some are simply closing down, and many have no one in the family willing or able to take over. I met two families in that exact situation. No one to pass it on to, no clear path forward for everything they have spent their lives building. One family had enrolled in the H-2A program, which allows agricultural workers from countries like the Dominican Republic to come work for them legally, provided they meet the requirements. Even with that option available, they described how difficult it is to find workers who qualify, and how often the ones they do find eventually move on. It was sad to hear this. These are not people who gave up but they are people who are doing everything they can to keep going.

What balanced that heaviness was the warmth of the community itself. As an outsider, I was welcomed immediately. People were open, generous with their time, and genuinely willing to share their stories and knowledge with someone who was just there to learn. That kind of openness says a lot about who these people are. But the underlying challenge is hard to ignore: the pipeline of young people coming into agriculture, and specifically into the sheep industry, is shrinking. Festivals like this one, educational programs, internships all matter and they all help. But at the end of the day, no amount of programming can substitute for personal passion and a genuine desire to do this work. That is something that must come from within. I left Powell thinking about what role I might be able to play when I return home. In my small, everyday moments where I might be able to encourage someone or share what I have seen and learned this summer. If this internship has given me anything beyond new skills and experiences, it is a deeper sense of responsibility to advocate for this industry and the people who pour their lives into it.

Submitted by: Kaci Jericoff
Edits by: GrowinG Internship Team

This week was a reminder that ranching comes with risks that can never be completely eliminated. No matter how much experience someone has, working with livestock and horses means dealing with unpredictable situations. Seeing accidents happen firsthand reinforced how quickly an ordinary day can change.

One of the more serious incidents this week involved a yearling horse that split her head wide open. The vet was called immediately and stitched her back together that evening. Older horses picked on her so badly that she ran head on into a fence. These things happen, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t try to mitigate them by keeping like aged horses together.

Another reminder of the risks came when Grace fell with Chief and sprained her ankle. Even with experienced riders and well-trained horses, accidents can still happen. Horses and wet grass don’t always mix. This is also something that just happens sometimes and needs to be kept in mind.

These events made me think more about risk management on a ranch. While injuries and accidents cannot always be prevented, good preparation, proper training, quality equipment, and clear communication all help reduce the chances of something going wrong. This week reminded me that successful ranching is not only about caring for livestock but also about doing everything possible to keep both people and animals safe within reason.

Submitted by: Sean Frost
Edits by: GrowinG Internship Team

This week felt a little slower than some of the others, but there was still something new to learn almost every day. We spent a lot of time checking water and making sure all of the cows and calves were doing well. A few calves needed treated, so I got more practice helping doctor sick calves and paying attention to the little signs that tell you something isn’t right. I’ve realized that ranch work is really about being observant because catching a problem early can make a huge difference.

One of the more interesting days was when we took one of the horses to the vet because he had some strange bumps. We found out they were viral warts, which I had never really seen before. After getting back to the ranch, we had to go through the other horses that had them and treat them by pinching the warts off with pliers until they bled. It definitely wasn’t something I expected to be doing, but I learned that making them bleed helps the horse’s immune system recognize the virus so it can fight it off. It was one of those treatments that seems unusual at first, but after hearing the reasoning behind it, it made a lot more sense.

One thing this week made me think about is how many different ways there are to treat the same problem. Before this, I wouldn’t have guessed that removing the warts would actually help the immune system respond better. It reminded me that there are a lot of ranch practices that might seem odd until you understand the science behind them. It’s made me want to ask more questions instead of just assuming there’s only one right way to do something.

I still have a lot of questions about diseases and health management in livestock and horses. Seeing the viral warts made me curious about how they spread, why some horses get them while others don’t, and what other treatment options are available. I also want to learn more about recognizing illnesses earlier, especially in calves, so I can become more confident making decisions before problems get worse.

Another highlight of the week was getting to go to the Wyoming Sheep and Wool Festival. It was fun to see a different side of the livestock industry and learn more about sheep production and all of the work that goes into raising them. It reminded me that even though I’ve spent most of my internship working with cattle, there are so many other areas of agriculture that use similar skills but have their own unique challenges and management practices.

 

Submitted by: MacKenzie Jones
Edits by: GrowinG Internship Team

This was my final week of the Growing internship. This is hard to believe, these 10 weeks have gone by very quickly with so many opportunities to learn. To start off the week, I headed up the mountain to grab a few straggler cows and move them up to where the rest of the cows were. After this, the week consisted of mainly irrigating and making the most of the water while we have it.

Due to the fact I have already written about these activities in previous reflections, I have decided to write about an activity I got to be a part of a couple of weeks ago. This activity was trichomoniasis testing my host family’s bulls before bringing them up the mountain to turn them out on the cows. This experience was very educational for me. I learned what trich was and how it can cause temporary infertile cows, as well as mid gestation abortions which in turn are going to reduce calf crop numbers. I was fortunate enough to watch the vet perform the tests on these bulls after being explained to why they test for trich and what it can cause.

During the trich testing I was able to gain some knowledge on moving livestock through a chute. My host taught me some tips and tricks to help get stubborn livestock to move through the chute and let me preform these on the bulls. This was very beneficial to me because now not only has this internship given me livestock handling practice out on the range, but also in confined areas like a corral system with a chute. With this, I can now bring these experiences and tools to other endeavors I may find myself on. Overall, being able to sit in on the trichomoniasis testing allowed me to understand what it is and why it’s important to test for, as well as equipping me with more livestock handling experience.

As my internship comes to an end, there is one more important lesson I would like to talk about. When reflecting on my experiences during the growing internship, I realized how much it challenged me to be more of a free thinker as opposed to always doing things in a “by the book” manner. I have always been somebody who wants to have exact directions on how to complete something. Reading or listening to step-by-step instructions provided to me is the style of learning I have always had. When this option isn’t available to me, I tend to get nervous that I am doing something wrong. My host has truly pushed me to not think this way and minimize the stress I tend to have when doing new things. He made it clear to me that the tasks I am doing often aren’t done by a playbook, but rather your better judgment. His saying this caused me to step back and think more logically as opposed to looking at everything as if I was writing a research paper on it.

Although having that academic brain is important, in so many cases in life we need to balance this with an ability to think on the fly and use our common sense to complete tasks at hand. This becomes especially important in farming and ranching. Like I’ve said in other reflections, there will be no “Ranching 101” book, instead there is a goal to be reached and how you get there is largely up to you. Challenging myself as my career in agriculture continues to utilize what I learn in school not as an instructional guide, but instead as a tool to use along with my own thinking and application through experience and logic will be volatile to success in my opinion.

I think what makes good farmers and ranchers is improvising, and I am not aware of any book that will prepare for every situation that gets thrown at you in this industry. We don’t always have everything we need or want, but making do with what we have is what needs to be done. Now many of these things may seem obvious, and as I write them, I think that too, but sometimes it’s the most obvious things that we lose sight of. I know that I needed this internship to be reminded that not everything in our work is done by the book, and if we try to do it that way, it may only hurt us.

Submitted by: Jonah Verhoef
Edits by: GrowinG Internship Team

This week covered a little bit of everything. I finished fencing the remainder of the BLM pasture, which meant spending a long day covering country on the four-wheeler. Since sick numbers were high I stuck to the dart gun again, though it’s not as exalted, for pneumonia and pink eye, fixed and welded a broken trough, replaced hydraulic lines on an old International tractor, filled pivot tracks, hauled hay off the fields, and put in a new H-brace without an auger. It was one of those weeks where every day brought a different challenge, but that is part of what makes ranching enjoyable.

This week made me think about patience. Almost none of the work on a ranch produces immediate results. A treated calf still needs time to recover, a new corner proves itself years later, and hay put up today will not feed cattle until winter. Even watering grass takes time before the results can be seen. Ranching reminds me that worthwhile things usually grow slowly. My responsibility is to do today’s work faithfully and trust God with what comes from it.

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One thing I would challenge is the idea that progress should always be measured by what can be seen at the end of the day. Some of the most valuable work is preparing for something that may not happen for months. Building a good fence, repairing machinery correctly, or putting up hay may not seem exciting, but those jobs make it possible for everything else to succeed later. Looking back, I think learning to value long-term thinking is one of the greatest lessons ranching has to offer.

As the internship ends, there is still a great deal that I do not know, but that brings an opportunity to learn over your entire lifetime so you can teach later. My goal is to continue learning from the people around me, work with gratitude for the opportunities I have been given, and become the kind of rancher who can be trusted with both stewardship and people.

Submitted by: Jace_Miller
Edits by: GrowinG Internship Team

This week was filled with a variety of jobs that all served a different purpose. I started the week putting out mineral, darting calves that needed treated, and working on the water pump. On Tuesday I replaced the hydraulic pump and electrical components on the dump pickup. Wednesday was spent servicing a tractor before it went back to work. Thursday we trailed some heifers six miles to strip graze with collars along the edges of an alfalfa pivot. To finish the week I put out mineral again, darted more calves, filled pivot tracks, and hauled gravel to build a small dam so a diesel pump could water pivot corner grass that is managed for bird habitat.

Looking back, one thing I learned this week is how much ranching depends on paying attention. Most problems do not begin as big problems. A calf starts acting a little different, a piece of equipment develops a small leak, or a water system begins slowing down. Those little changes are easy to miss unless someone is watching. I think that ability to observe is something that only comes through experience and by taking an interest in the work instead of simply trying to get through the day. The more I pay attention, the more I realize there is always something to learn.

One thing I continue to think about is how every ranch has its own way of solving problems. There is rarely only one right answer. Watching experienced people make decisions reminds me that judgment is developed over years of making mistakes, asking questions, and learning from them. That encourages me because it reminds me that growth takes time.

As I wrap up work, I hope to become someone who notices the details instead of waiting for someone else to point them out. My goal is to leave this summer with better judgment, a stronger work ethic, and a greater appreciation for the responsibility that comes with caring for livestock and the land.

Submitted by: Jace_Miller
Edits by: GrowinG Internship Team

After the excitement of last week’s National Show and Sale, it was a welcome change of pace to ease into Week 5 a little more slowly. Monday started with a morning ride to check on the cattle, make sure all the bulls were accounted for, and look over the water situation at the homestead. It is something we try to do every day, and I am getting more comfortable with what to look for and what a normal day out there should look like. After returning, I made a run up to Buffalo to pick up meat from the butcher we had visited a few weeks back. By the afternoon I was back at the ranch doing the usual chores and refilling water tanks for the heifers. It was the kind of steady, unglamorous day that keeps everything running, and I have come to appreciate those days just as much as the more eventful ones.

Tuesday followed a similar rhythm. After morning chores, I rode out to check on the sheep in the barley field. With coyote activity in the area becoming more of a concern, keeping a close eye on the sheep. Just making sure they have water, that they are healthy, and that nothing seems off. This is an important part of the routine. From there, I spent the rest of the day rolling up old wire at the homestead. The wire had been sitting there from old fencing for quite some time, and I will be honest I was not entirely sure why it needed to be done after sitting untouched for so long. But I reminded myself that learning these skills and understanding land maintenance is part of why I am here, and even if I did not have all the answers, putting in the work matters. That evening I was shown how to drive a tractor and harrow a nearby corral, which I was looking forward to getting to do on my own the following day.

Wednesday was a full and eventful day. I spent about two hours harrowing the corral on the tractor, and I genuinely enjoyed it. There is something satisfying about covering a space methodically and watching it come together. It did get me thinking about the reasoning behind harrowing and how much of a difference it makes to break up what accumulates on the ground over time. Something I want to ask more about going forward. Once that was done, I needed to move the ten heifers and one bull out of their field to graze along the side of the road, which has become a more regular task given how little green grass there is right now. I took Faith, one of the horses, out to move them. Things were going well at first, but as I got close to the opening the bull planted himself and refused to move, and Faith was not responding the way I needed her to. It got frustrating quickly. I made the call to go back, swap the horse for the side-by-side, and grab a flag. That combination worked, and I finally got the heifers out and grazing along the road. I was a little nervous watching cars pass by, but everything went smoothly. In hindsight, I think I moved them along a bit too quickly and next time I will give them more time to graze. It was a longer process than expected, but I was glad I found a way through it.

Thursday brought a change in the weather, which was a relief given how hot it had been. Bobbi and I gathered all the rams to take wool samples and photographs for record keeping, with some of them likely heading to auction in the near future. Documenting this kind of information such as physical condition, wool quality, and photos is something I am starting to understand as an essential part of managing a sheep operation well. Just as we got into it, the rain came, which made for an interesting afternoon but also a welcome break from the heat. After wrapping up with the rams, I packed up and headed to Deadwood, South Dakota, to help work as a vendor at the Days of 76 Rodeo, where I stayed through Saturday night.

The Days of 76 was a fantastic experience. The arena was beautiful, the atmosphere was lively, and the town of Deadwood itself was worth exploring. I walked downtown, caught part of the parade, and took some time to look around. Everyone I met was friendly and welcoming. One of the highlights was running into another intern from South Dakota. We ended up having a great conversation comparing our day-to-day experiences, and it was genuinely interesting to hear how different her work looked compared to mine. Her days seemed more intensive with a larger cattle operation, which gave me a new perspective on the range of what these internships can look like. Talking with someone going through a similar experience, even in a very different setting, was one of those unexpected but meaningful moments. It reinforced for me how valuable it is to connect with others in agriculture, ask questions, and keep learning from people who are navigating the same path in their own way.

Submitted by: Kaci Jericoff
Edits by: GrowinG Internship Team

This week we finished cutting and baling our lease property down the road. We concluded that the field was just watered so thoroughly that the wet spots in the west side of the field were just residual from the irrigation. During this process, my hosts were raking and baling at the other field and I have been left at the main property to do the majority of the irrigating and weed pulling. All of the thistle plants are beginning to seed and we have made it a priority to mitigate the new growth in order to preserve the hay fields. Additionally, I learned how to cut and set up new tarp dams for irrigating. We also got the water back on our lease property up the hill so we have been able to leapfrog it into three ditches to utilize all of the runoff effectively.

At our lease property, there is a sort of makeshift corral to stack hay. Originally, the corrals used to be used for cattle doctoring and branding. Currently, horses are held in the corrals and the hay is being stored in a separate part. However, the fences are still set up for cattle. This makes storing hay and maneuvering a tractor difficult because the corrals are too narrow. Mixed species operations are difficult because the setup for the previous cattle operation is different from the curing horse and hay operation. Due to these issues, we did some fence and panel deconstruction, essentially rearranging the furniture and opening up the space to allow for more hay. Personally, I think that all of the deconstructive efforts should have been made in advance to avoid doing it while we have hay waiting to be put away.

As I stated previously, we have made weeding a priority. However, there isn’t a clear cut “great” way to do it. Using a backpack with weed spray in 97 degree heat risks heat stroke and other difficulties. Weed spray also doesn’t kill the plant immediately and they can still come to seed even after being sprayed. Hand pulling is tedious and strains your back, along with the fact that there are simply too many groves of thistle to hand pull. Recently, we ordered a scythe. Hopefully that will be more efficient. We also have dabbled in the idea of having goats come onto the property in fenced sections to eat the thistle. My question is, what is the best way to get rid of the thistle and prevent them from seeding and repopulating further?

This week, I have had a lot of time by myself on the ranch to handle all of the irrigating and the other tasks. This has taught me to be a self-starter and to take my knowledge that I have learned and apply it. I’ve been able to look around and see what needs to be completed in addition to my original task list. I think this is one of the life lessons that will be the most prolific and significant in my life after I leave the ranch. It is one thing to do your tasks under supervision. It is another to do that plus the extra of your own accord.

Submitted by: Kaylee Pearce
Edits by: GrowinG Internship Team

This week was the Teton County Fair and another busy week on the ranch. Spending time at the fair reminded me how important these events are for bringing the community together and showcasing agriculture. It was great to see so many people supporting local exhibitors and learning more about the livestock industry.

I was surprised by how homely the county fair felt. It wasn’t much different from the fairs at home. We got to watch the greased pig scramble, which was good fun. Community and agriculture are why fairs were brought about, and it’s great to see that tradition continue.

Earlier in the week, I had the opportunity to participate in a team branding. For this team branding, we were in teams of three. Our goal was to rope one steer, set ropes, and “brand” the left side. It’s a good way to showcase a skill set that you have learned in town and to have fun with coworkers and friends.

Whether it was enjoying the county fair or working cattle at the branding, both experiences showed how important community is to the ranching lifestyle. They also reinforced the value of working alongside others toward a common goal.

 

Submitted by: Sean Frost
Edits by: GrowinG Internship Team