For this week's episode, I headed out to the Chico Basin Ranch to sit down with Duke IV and ranch apprentice Brandon Sickel for a conversation about Ranchlands' intern and apprenticeship program.

Brandon has been working with us for nearly five years– he started out as a summer intern at the Zapata Ranch and then joined the team in a full-time capacity as part of our Apprenticeship Program at the Chico. When he joined the team, Brandon had almost no experience with cows, horses, or the ranching business. But he did bring a great attitude, a strong worth ethic, and an innate curiosity– characteristics that have made him an invaluable member of our team.

In this episode, Brandon and Duke provide a high-level overview of the apprenticeship program, which will serve as an excellent resource for anyone who may be interested in joining our team. Brandon discusses what initially attracted him to a job at Ranchlands, his learning curve as an apprentice, and some specific details of his evolving day-to-day responsibilities at the ranch. Duke talks about the characteristics that make for successful apprentices, what qualities he seeks out in candidates, how he works with apprentices to execute complex grazing plans, and much more.

If you've ever wondered about what we are looking for in our Ranchlands team members or how to go about getting a foothold in the ranching world with limited experience, then I know you'll enjoy this episode.

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Work with Ranchlands: https://ranchlands.com/pages/work-with-us

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TOPICS DISCUSSED:

• 2:22 - How Brandon first heard about Ranchlands
• 8:00 - What Duke saw in Brandon that led to hiring him
• 9:54 - Overview of the apprentice and intern program
• 14:17 - What Brandon's first year was like
• 17:59 - Scariest experience of Brandon's first year
• 24:37 - What's changed between Brandon's first year and now
• 29:28 - How ranching differs in the winter
• 31:50 - Biggest challenge of the job
• 34:04 - Common misconceptions and surprises about ranching
• 37:46 - New skills Brandon has learned while ranching
• 41:07 - How grazing plans are created and implemented
• 46:19 - What keeps Duke interested in ranching
• 47:41 - Why Brandon doesn't have or need a 5-year plan
• 50:20 - Brandon's book recommendations
• 52:08 - How Brandon got into writing
• 55:53 - Why should a life-long city dweller care about the land, land stewardship, and conservation?
• 57:30 - What is a common misconception about ranching or agriculture that you'd like to correct?
• 59:27 - Can you name a few resources that have played a critical role in your understanding of land and land stewardship?
• 1:00:50 - When it comes to conservation and land stewardship, what is giving you hope?

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• www.ranchlands.com
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• Ranchlands Meat
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Questions or comments? Email us at [email protected]!