Rylee Brown

This internship has helped me learn so much and grow personally. The past few weeks have involved a lot of hands-on labor. Many of our mornings start by setting up temporary fencing for the rotations of animals, since we are rotating the groups typically around every two days. Setting up the temporary fencing has certainly been a learning curve. Some of the animals have been testing the wire fencing, so we have had to set up 3–4 strands of fencing to ensure they stay in the correct pasture. Working with the many strands and ensuring the electricity is connected correctly in the temporary fencing has been complicated, but it has made me a much more proficient steward of the cattle and lambs.

Thinking ahead is something I have become accustomed to doing, since we try to be efficient in when we are rotating and where we should be moving the water, minerals, and shade. Decision-making was one of my first learning curves, since there are many decisions and considerations that come with the management of the pastures.

Another area that this internship has helped me grow in is time management. There are many times that I check on the animals on my way out to fill up the water and minerals, so I have had to learn how to estimate how long tending to them will take. I also have to be strategic in planning out my work for the week, especially in this weather. It is important that we do not heat-stress the animals, so I have had to prioritize working them and setting up the fence in the mornings when it is cooler.

There are also certain measurements that we need to schedule in each week, like weighing the animals every two weeks, taking fecal samples every other weigh day, and forage sampling on the weeks that we are not weighing. It is best to work the animals when it is cooler, so we have been planning the start times for our days earlier to ensure we are getting our measurements done safely. We also have to forage sample when the weather is ideal, so that is another example of when we have to account for both time and weather. The work that I need to do in the office is typically saved for the afternoons when the heat is the worst. With the weather change, working outside efficiently in the heat and humidity has been something I have had to adapt to.

This photo is of myself and livestock specialist, Brittany, trimming one of the lamb's hooves on Monday morning.

This photo was taken while we were setting up the temporary fence for the rotation of the calves and lambs that are coming this week. We split each established pasture into thirds, and they graze each third for around 2 days typically.