Each week Ian Zerbe seems excited to be learning numerous tricks of the trade. Last week he attended the Environmental Stewardship Tour in Sheridan County and was interested to learn how other ranches, such as the Kane family, operate their ranch. He also showed off his moves on the dance floor! Check out his update from last week on the ranch:
Haying, packing, and hauling! We have been hard at work hauling certified hay up the mountain to use throughout the rest of the summer and hunting season. I have been working on machinery and putting it to use cutting raking and baling hay. As the summer progresses, I am getting increasingly better and more efficient at packing and working with horses. Up until I started working with the Allens, I had only worked with and rode a hand full of horses and now I’m sure I’ve doubled that. Not to mention packing and unpacking at least 20 more.
Irrigation continues to amaze me as I see how much everyone around here relies on it. Keeping the growing fields wet and the hay fields dry until we are done with them is a constant chore. At the Ray Canal Water Users meetings it is clear that we aren’t the only ones worried about the water and how much there is going to be for how long. However, the highlight of this week was definitely the Stewardship tour. It was amazing to see the work that the Kane’s had done improving their ranch for the last several years and seeing what it has become. I think that as a rancher or farmer we become so in tune with our own operation that it makes us somewhat single minded. I think the Stewardship Tour is an awesome opportunity to take a moment to learn from another’s successes and/or failures and realize what resources are available to deal with our own unique set of problems. I definitely hope I get the chance to attend another one of these events in the future.
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