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

Looking back on my summer at the ranch, I was able to experience many different parts of a large ranching operation. My days included moving and checking cattle, putting out mineral, irrigating, doctoring livestock, shoeing horses, and helping with jobs around the ranch. Even though some of these tasks became routine, each one helped me better understand how much work and planning it takes to keep a ranch running.

CLICK the image to view the video

One of the biggest things I gained this summer was the opportunity to build on skills I already had while learning new ones. My previous experience shoeing horses allowed me to contribute to the ranch, while riding with the head irrigator, doctoring cattle with a dart gun, and attending Ranching for Profit school introduced me to different sides of the operation. I learned that successful ranching requires more than being good with livestock; it also takes good management, decision-making, and an understanding of the business.

 
 
 

The people I worked with were another important part of my experience. Participating in rodeos, the county fair, and a team branding showed me how closely ranching is tied to community and teamwork. Working alongside some of the irrigation crew also gave me the chance to exchange cultures and learn different ways of doing things. At the same time, injuries to both people and livestock reminded me of the risks that come with ranch work and the importance of preparation, communication, and good horsemanship.

 
 
 

Overall, my summer gave me a better understanding of what it takes to operate a successful ranch. I came into the summer with experience in the livestock industry, but I am leaving with a broader understanding of ranch management, risk, teamwork, and the business side of agriculture. More than anything, this internship gave me experiences that I can carry with me into whatever part of the ranching industry I pursue in the future.

 
 
 

Submitted by: Sean Frost
Edits by: GrowinG Internship Team

This week was a pretty busy week on the ranch. A lot of our time was spent moving most of the cows into new pastures. Moving that many cattle is always more work than it sounds, especially making sure we get everyone where they need to go and that none get left behind. After getting the cows moved, we spent time going through them and checking for any that looked sick or weren’t acting quite right. We found a few that needed to be doctored, so I got more hands-on experience with treating sick cattle and figuring out what needed to be done. I’ve started to realize how important it is to really pay attention to the cattle instead of just looking at them and moving on. Sometimes the smallest changes in how an animal acts or moves can be a sign that something is wrong.

CLICK the image to view the video

We also spent some of the week working on building a feedlot. That was a different change from just working with the cattle because I got to see more of the work that goes into setting up the operation itself. It made me think more about how much planning and work goes into having a good place to keep and work cattle. It isn’t just about having a pasture for them; there are a lot of other things that have to be considered to make things work efficiently and keep the cattle taken care of.

One of the more interesting things we dealt with this week was a bull that had foot rot. We had to get him doctored and treated, which gave me another opportunity to learn more about dealing with problems that affect an animal’s ability to move normally. It also made me think about how important it is to catch things early. If a bull starts having trouble walking, it can affect a lot more than just that one animal, so being able to recognize the problem and take care of it is important.

Overall, I think the biggest thing I took away from this week is that there really isn’t a single routine when it comes to working with cattle. Every day can bring something different, whether it’s moving cows, checking sick animals, treating something like foot rot, or working on a feedlot. I’m learning that you have to be willing to adjust and figure things out as you go. I still have a lot to learn about recognizing different illnesses and knowing exactly what treatment is best for each situation, but getting to actually work with the animals makes it easier to understand.

Going forward, I want to keep paying attention to how the more experienced people identify problems and handle different situations. I also want to get more comfortable with the hands-on side of treating cattle and learn more about why certain treatments are used. This week showed me that a lot of what I’m learning comes from just being out there, doing the work, and seeing different situations firsthand. I’m hoping to keep building on that experience each week and become more confident in recognizing when something isn’t quite right and knowing what to do about it.

Submitted by: MacKenzie Jones
Edits by: GrowinG Internship Team

Week 7 was a hands-on, satisfying week that gave me a real sense of what ranch maintenance looks like from the inside. We started with the monthly meeting to go over the agenda, assign tasks, and make sure everyone was on the same page about what needed to get done in the weeks ahead. I think making sure everyone is on the same page is a good thing cause ranching involves so many moving parts that clear communication and planning make a genuine difference. Before any cattle were moved, my host and I drove the perimeter of the new pasture to fix the old fencing and make sure it was secure enough to hold the herd. Fixing fence is a task I have done a few times now, and I feel comfortable with most of it. The point I struggle with is still putting in new clips. I am slower at it than I would like to be, and when you are working alongside someone else, I feel bad for being slow but it is something I want to keep practicing so it does not take longer than needed.

The main focus of the week was moving the cows from the homestead to a new pasture about two miles out. The move serves a dual purpose. Getting the cattle onto fresh grazing while also freeing up the homestead so the land can recover and eventually be used for the sheep’s winter grazing. I have moved cattle a handful of times now, so the process itself was familiar. We stopped the cattle about halfway to let them water before continuing the rest of the move the following morning. The bigger challenge was one of the bulls that was in front would walk side to side in front of the herd which repeatedly stalled the cows behind him. It required a lot of patience to keep nudging things forward without pushing too hard and scattering the group. That patience is something I have been working on all summer, and situations like this one are exactly why. When you are responsible for the wellbeing of the animals, you need to stay calm and do what is best for them, even when it takes longer than you hoped – that is what the job actually requires. I am genuinely grateful for the opportunities this internship has given me to practice that.

This week also involved a significant amount of work with the sheep. We brought all the ewes and lambs in, weighed the lambs, and weaned them. From there we checked each ewe’s teeth and bags, marked the ones that are likely headed to sale, and separated the yearling ewes from the older ones. The following day we moved the lambs to a small grazing area where they will stay for about a week, then turned our focus to moving the ewes to a new pasture out west. That part did not go entirely as planned. After getting them settled and watered, I went back to set out the guard dog’s feeder, and by the time I returned the ewes had made their way almost all the way back to their old location. The plan shifted to moving them out to the homestead instead, which ended up being the better option.

One of the most interesting tasks of the week was helping the in-laws pull a well. I had never done anything like it before, so I went in not knowing what to expect. What was supposed to be a straightforward job ended up taking considerably longer than usual. We installed a new pump, but it did not work. We checked the connections, tried again, and it still would not function properly. Eventually we traced the problem to the wiring running up along the well casing, which needed to be fully replaced. It was a longer afternoon than anyone planned for, but I actually appreciated the extra time it gave me to learn. Each troubleshooting step taught me something, and by the end I had a much better understanding of how a well system works and what can go wrong with it. That is the kind of knowledge you only pick up when things do not go according to plan, and I walked away from it feeling like I had genuinely learned something useful.

Submitted by: Kaci Jericoff
Edits by: GrowinG Internship Team

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