2nd year – What is your land ethic?
May 2025
My land ethic and the relationship I strive to achieve with the Earth is one of steward rather than conqueror. I view stewardship as a harmony between caring for the land and responsibly utilizing the resources it provides in betterment of the whole. This in contrast to conquering, which I see as the bending or breaking of something to your own will through force or effort.
I believe mankind fills a unique role in this world. Whether this arrived through design or accident, we have an ability unique among the species of this planet to impact our surroundings in rapid and far-reaching ways. Our ability to reason, create and utilize technology, and conceive of a larger whole gifts us the means and responsibility to cultivate a healthy Earth, lest we destroy it and ourselves.
Through my time as an apprentice with the New Agrarian Program and the Quivira Coalition I have read, heard and seen numerous examples that illustrate the only way to achieve this is by stewardship. The results gained from working with the land, strengthening it, restoring it, flowing with it, are nothing short of staggering. On the other hand, while it is possible to force it to the shape and function we desire, this lasts only as long as our own willpower. Meanwhile, the stress of doing so creates consequences on our quality of life, finances, and environment until it can no longer be endured.
I have only been in agriculture for about 18 months, and the only agriculture I have experienced has been in the regenerative community. As I look to my future, I wonder if I would be able to pursue employment in a non-regenerative setting. Would I be able to set aside my beliefs and values to continue to gain experience and knowledge? While I know that differing settings and perspectives have much to offer for growth and learning, at the same time it would be difficult to allow myself to participate in practices I know can be changed to better benefit the land. I am sure that if given the opportunity to lead my own organization, the use of regenerative practices and land stewardship would be paramount. Until then, I hope to do the best I can to earn the responsibility placed on me and continue to steward the Earth and its resources.
Final Reflections
November 2024
I knew I had found the right place when I sat down for a second interview at Betsy and Roger Indreland’s dinner table. They cooked me a homegrown lunch, we talked about a variety of topics beyond just the apprenticeship, and then took a tour of their operation. I felt like I had been welcomed into a family. Choosing the Indrelands to be my mentors was an easy decision. This was the first of many experiences during this internship that drove home the most important lesson I learned during my time: relationships determine success.
Starting in May, I became responsible for managing just over 300 cows on a piece of newly leased land about an hour away from the home ranch. The owner knew Betsy and Roger from previous experience and wanted to employ regenerative principles on his land. While the grazing plan for our cows was important, we strove to create a strong relationship with not only the owner, but his other employees as well. We did this through transparent feedback, sensitivity to their goals and objectives, and respect for both property and people. The result was not only a summer of excellent grazing for our cattle and the beginnings of improvement on the land, but a relationship that has resulted in even more future opportunities through the advocacy of the land owner on our behalf and positive interaction with neighboring operations as well.
My relationship with Betsy and Roger has provided a wealth of learning experiences. I came to this apprenticeship with no prior experience with cattle. Three months in I found myself taking care of over 100 June calving pairs and two other mobs. Any help I needed would be at least an hour away. Going through calving while conducting rapid moves with the other mobs was a challenging, and initially overwhelming, experience. Betsy and Roger maintained both their patience and their faith, understanding the risks associated with undertaking such a venture but never becoming frustrated while continuing to provide instruction and mentorship. The fact that I was able to make it through the first month provided a strong foundation for me to move forward with confidence for the rest of the season. I greatly appreciate that they gave me wide leeway, trusted my decisions, and encouraged independence.
Another important lesson I learned was that you can accomplish more than you think. As I stated before, once I moved to the new leased land any help was an hour away at the quickest. This forced me to figure out ways to resolve problems on my own. It forced me to take action, rather than wait for assistance. Once I understood that things wouldn’t get done unless I did it, the results were surprising. It turns out I can drive cattle over long distances by myself. My stockmanship improved through necessity as well as many trials and errors. I found creative ways to turn two man jobs into one man jobs through resourcefulness and drive. If I truly needed help, it would be because I had tried and either didn’t have the experience to find the solution or there was no getting around the extra manpower needed. But, I had given it a shot on my own first. I have no doubt this experience will stay with me and serve me well in the future regardless of the position or profession.
The cattle are good teachers as well. They have taught me that nature knows what’s going on and has instilled the instincts needed for them to be successful. During my first experience with calving, I would always get worried when a calf was calling for its mother or a cow calling for its calf and not immediately finding it. But given time, they always linked up, even across long distances. When initially getting my bearings on how long to graze a pasture, the cows helped me there too. Whether through their mood or actions they helped me identify key indicators to understand the status of a pasture. I developed a new respect for the cattle, seeing how smart they are in their own way.
For the future, I am excited to be staying on with the Indreland’s as a second year apprentice. I made this decision not only because of the hugely positive experience I had in my first year, but because I feel there is so much left to learn. My initial months caring for cattle on my own were mostly reactive, as every situation that came up was one I had never experienced before. I want to continue in the apprenticeship mindset, and hopefully be able to go through this same thing again but be able to utilize the skills and experiences I have gained to positively impact the operation through proactive management. I believe I can be more successful during calving, that I can be more aggressive with adaptive grazing to improve the land to an even greater degree. I can be more efficient with fencing and less stressful with stockmanship. I am excited to take on additional responsibilities and continue to grow my overall abilities as I continue to work toward my ultimate goal of becoming a ranch manager in the future.
The Quivira community has been a great provider of knowledge and relationships as well. The education calls have provided exciting new ideas and great resources. I hope to maintain contact with the other apprentices I have met through the program and have learned a lot from them by listening to their experiences. Overall, this program has exceeded my expectations and been one of the best decisions I have made in my life.
How did you get interested in agriculture? And what are you hoping to gain from your apprenticeship?
May 2024
After leaving the military, I tried a number of different jobs but none gave me the sense of fulfillment I was looking for. I sat down and took a detailed look at what I valued, enjoyed, and required. I realized a career in ranching and agriculture checked all of the boxes I was looking for.
Most importantly, I wanted to continue to serve. This was the primary reason I joined the military, and was something that needed to continue to be present in my life in order to be happy. Working in agriculture allows one to serve their community, state and country by providing the food everyone needs to survive. You are part of a greater picture, rather than just focused on yourself. You are a contributor rather than someone who simply takes. You have the opportunity to shape the way forward for future generations. In addition, I believe it is important to assimilate into the community you choose to physically be a part of. There is a reason you moved from another place to here, and it is important to uphold the values, customs and trust of those who built the community before you arrived rather than trying to change it after you get there. I see agriculture as a pillar to any healthy area, and by working in it you are able to strengthen the foundation of your community by demonstrating your willingness to serve.
I love the outdoors and working with animals. It was the wide open space, wildlife, scenery, and beauty that drew me to Montana. A career in agriculture allows me to spend the vast majority of my time in the elements, interacting with nature and animals each and every day. It is extremely rewarding to nurture and care for other life, whether it is grass or cattle, dogs or creating habitat to preserve native species.
I hope to gain a general knowledge of agriculture from my apprenticeship. I have had only one short experience in agriculture before this. I realize I don’t know what I don’t know. I believe in order to be successful in any industry, you must start from the lowest rung and gain as much knowledge and experience as possible as you progress and pay your dues. I am happy to experience whatever I can as I start this new journey and hone in on what aspects of agriculture really resonate with me.
Final Reflections
November 2025
At a recent agricultural conference, I encountered a question that has become a familiar refrain from many of the events I have attended: how to find and retain good employees? Producers find it difficult to offer competitive wages and benefits while facing rising costs and smaller margins themselves, and often those they do hire are not a good fit for the industry. The cycle of seasonal employment prevents consistency and continuity. But if the work needs to get done, many must take what they can get and hope to get by.
I had the privilege of serving in the US Army for 11 years. During that time, I was given the opportunity to lead organizations ranging from six to 240 people. One significant aspect of these positions is that you do not get to choose your soldiers. You arrive with a group already in place and receive replacements as they come. The process to “fire” someone is so arduous that it is reserved for serious offenders or long-time underperformers. You must work with what you have, create buy in, and manage many competing personalities to have any hope of success. I believe some of the practices I learned here can apply to a similar labor situation within the agricultural industry.
Firstly, I believe you only get what you ask for. I review various ag related job boards very regularly to ensure I have a contemporary understanding of the skills and experiences employers are seeking. A vast majority of the time the job postings are a simple description of the operation, a list of skill requirements, and some variation of “be a self-starter, work well with others, be reliable and hardworking”. Of course everyone wants an employee with these qualities, and they are repeated so often to the point of it becoming meaningless. I don’t know many people who would read an ad and disqualify themselves because they aren’t reliable and don’t work hard because most people don’t think about themselves that way. So how to find people that truly fit with your organization?
The Quivira Coalition’s New Agrarian Program provides a good example. The participating ranches are seeking apprentices they can mentor rather than just employees they can hire. Their operation’s overview tells a story of why they do what they do, what is important to them, and how they can create value for a prospective apprentice. These things must be clear and concise and can be constructed as a “Mission” and a “Vision”. In the Army, we must create that for the soldiers already present as well as new team members as they arrive. The Mission is what we do, and the Vision is how we do it. When I took command of an Infantry Company, I did not want to rehash the general mission of the Army (Fight and Win America’s Wars), nor that of the Infantry (Close with and Destroy the Enemy). These were obvious and ubiquitous; one doesn’t join the Army nor the Infantry and is ignorant of this. I wanted to communicate something more personal and specific to give a better anchor to my soldiers. “Bravo Company will deploy anywhere in the world, defeat our enemies, and bring everyone home through ruthless training and application of our warfighting tasks while developing ourselves and building families.”
If I was hiring I would want employees to know they are expected to leave the US and do whatever it takes to win while knowing that I will do my best to bring them back to their family by subjecting them to hard training and building their resilience. As an employer, can you sum up your organization like this? You will probably get less applicants, but those that do apply will likely be ready to give what you need, and it provides a great interview question to see if they really read the job posting. Better efficiency, less resume reading and reference checking.
Once you have a great employee and have invested hundreds of hours in training, watching them leave is about as frustrating as it gets. Sometimes there is nothing you could have done. Maybe they got a better offer or their life situation has changed. But other times the fault lies with you for not giving them enough reason to stay. The most significant factor I saw that swayed the performance of my soldiers was if they believed their supervisors actually cared about them. Answer yes and you would get many times more effort, could subject them to much worse conditions, and know they had your back whatever the situation. But no, and you were dead in the water.
A requirement of the Army I highly enjoyed and produced excellent results was that all leaders had to sit down with their direct subordinates once every three months and conduct a performance review. To take full advantage of this session the leader would do well to go beyond just performance and have an honest discussion on all things professional and personal. Just doing this doesn’t make someone a good leader and you could certainly mail it in. But the simple act of summarizing the last three months, perhaps focusing on one thing your employee is doing well, one thing they could improve, and one personal goal they have, will force communication that otherwise may not happen and help strengthen your relationship. Perhaps when the decision comes to stay or go, your employee will have reason to make a different decision. I know that I would sacrifice pay and benefits if I could be with an operation that aligns with my values and work under a supervisor who takes a little extra time to show they care. On the flip side, if I’m miserable there is nothing a place could offer to get me to stay.
The talent acquisition process will always be frustrating and time consuming. Yet I would wager that there is no better reward for an organization than building a strong, cohesive team that accomplishes feats beyond what anyone would expect because they believe in their organization and their leaders. Most ranchers and farmers would place this as a significant issue for their business, and yet those same people spend too little time investing in it. It’s easier to talk about the lack of labor at the next conference.
Instead, I challenge you to schedule a sit down with each of your employees within the next month. Ask yourself why you get up every morning and continue the fight. Put that in your next help wanted ad and see who it resonates with. You might just find yourself on the path to sustained success rather than that old, familiar rollercoaster of hire – leave – hire – fire.