Josiah has mentioned many times before that irrigating is a job that he has to do every day, so it does not come as a surprise when he explains, “that is all I have been doing this week”. Irrigating is important this time of year because of the drop in moisture, resulting in a constant chore to keep pastures and meadows irrigated. There are times where Josiah has to work on the irrigation ditches four or five times a day. Luckily he has a dirt bike to easily go to one pasture to another and complete the task. The only struggle is that his trusty shovel broke this last week due to the many hours put on it over the summer. Like much of the ranch equipment operator’s use, they always wish it would last just a little longer and there’s no doubt that Josiah feels the same. If only the shovel could have lasted two more weeks before he goes back to school.
Despite the work, there is always some excitement on the ranch. This week Josiah saw a black bear next to one of the fields he irrigates. Josiah was driving along in his truck and saw the little black bear when he came around a curve. He thought, “It was pretty cool,” but is going to have to keep a look out for mama bears too.
Join again next week to read about the last few weeks of the WSGA Rangeland Intern, Josiah’s Adventures.
RealRanchers.com 